Vegan Tortellini Recipe: How to Make Vegan Cheese Tortellini
Written by MasterClass
Last updated: Sep 7, 2022 • 5 min read
Learn how to make vegan tortellini with homemade, eggless pasta dough and a non-dairy filling. Tortellini is the ultimate Italian comfort food.
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What Is Vegan Tortellini?
Vegan tortellini is a stuffed pasta dish featuring eggless pasta and vegan fillings, such as vegetables or meat substitutes. Tortellini are traditionally stuffed with meat and served in broth (Italian brodo), while slightly larger tortelloni are typically filled with cheese and served in a butter sauce. You can make tortellini with a vegan ricotta cheese filling for a vegan take on the classic Italian dish. You can purchase fresh or frozen vegan tortellini or ravioli for a fast, easy dinner rather than making it from scratch.
How to Make Vegan Pasta Dough
Traditionally, you make pasta dough using different flours, water, olive oil, and an egg; a vegan pasta dough recipe is a twist on the Italian classic that skips the egg. Most dry boxed pastas found in grocery stores do not contain animal byproducts, meaning they are vegan, but making fresh eggless pasta dough at home is a simple process. Both homemade and store-bought versions use semolina flour, which is the coarse, milled flour of durum wheat, which helps create elasticity in the pasta due to its rich gluten content. As a result, eggless pasta isn’t gluten-free or an option for those with certain allergies. You can, however, substitute gluten-free flours such as whole wheat in your homemade pasta. Simply add two tablespoons of xanthan gum to add the elasticity that semolina flour provides.
3 Vegan Tortellini Fillings
When making vegan tortellini, consider the following pasta filling options for the best vegan tortellini:
- 1. Spinach: Chopped blanched or frozen spinach blended with garlic makes a delicious, meat-free filling. You can add grated zucchini for more flavor and textural variety.
- 2. Vegan cheese: Use a combination of blended nuts, tofu, lemon juice, garlic, and nutritional yeast or vegan Parmesan to mimic the flavor and texture of ricotta cheese, sans dairy.
- 3. Vegan meat: Use your favorite brand of vegan ground meat substitute to most closely mimic the texture of meat tortellini. Add the spices in hot Italian sausages, such as fennel and red pepper flakes, to match the flavor profile.
What to Serve With Vegan Tortellini
Consider serving vegan tortellini in the following pasta sauces:
- 1. Vegan alfredo: Traditional alfredo recipes typically include butter, Parmesan cheese, and heavy cream. Vegan alfredo sauce recipes recreate the texture and flavors of alfredo cheese sauce without using animal-based ingredients, including dairy. Instead, plant-based cooks rely on ingredients like nutritional yeast, cashews, and miso paste with a splash of non-dairy milk, such as unflavored almond milk, to make a creamy vegan sauce. Sauté some veggies, like peppers or spinach, to stir into the sauce for added nutritional value and flavor.
- 2. Vegetable broth: In Italy, one of the most popular ways to serve filled pasta is “in brodo” (“in broth”). Serve the stuffed pasta in a rich homemade vegetable broth for a simple, delicious tortellini soup. Garnish with a sprinkling of vegan Parmesan cheese.
- 3. Vegan pesto: Serve vegan tortellini with vegan pesto. Substituting nutritional yeast for the Parmesan cheese in traditional Italian basil pesto yields a creamy, savory sauce you’ll want to spread on everything, including vegan tortellini.
Simple Vegan Cheese Tortellini Recipe
makes
prep time
10 mintotal time
50 mincook time
10 minIngredients
For the vegan pasta dough:
For the tortellini filling:
Note: The total time does not include 30 min of inactive time.
- 1
Mix both the flours, water, and olive oil in the food processor until it forms a crumbled texture. If you don’t have a food processor, mix both flours on a clean counter and form a small pile. Use your fingers to create a well, pouring in olive oil and a little water. Begin mixing, swirling the water and oil in a circular motion as you gather flour, adding water slowly until fully absorbed.
- 2
After mixing the flour, water, and oil, place the dough on a floured surface and use your hands to knead the dough until it’s ready. Add a little water if it’s dry, and add in more flour if it’s too wet. Kneading should take approximately 8–10 minutes.
- 3
Roll your dough into a ball and wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- 4
Meanwhile, combine the vegan filling ingredients in a food processor and pulse, scraping down the sides, until the mixture is thick and creamy, with the texture of ricotta. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to blend the vegan cheese.
- 5
Return the dough to your work surface and divide it into two sections to make the amount you're rolling more manageable. Use a pasta machine or a rolling pin to roll out the dough until it’s a thin but firm sheet. With the other half of your dough, repeat the process.
- 6
Dust the dough with flour and loosely roll it into thin sheets. Or, use a pasta roller to roll the pasta into sheets. Cut the pasta dough into 2-inch squares.
- 7
Spoon 1 teaspoon of filling over the center of each pasta square.
- 8
Dip your finger in water and lightly trace the edges of the pasta to moisten. Fold one corner across to the opposite corner to form a triangle. Press firmly to seal and remove any air bubbles. Draw the bottom two corners together to form a small ring (similar to a kerchief).
- 9
Set on a floured surface baking sheet and repeat with the remaining dough.
- 10
To cook tortellini, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over medium-high heat.
- 11
Carefully transfer tortellini to the water. Cook, stirring to prevent sticking until all of the tortellini have popped up to the surface, about 5 minutes (cut into one tortellini to make sure the filling cooks through).
- 12
Drain the pasta and serve tortellini in warm vegetable broth or the sauce or soup of your choice.
- 13
You can freeze tortellini for up to 3 months. After folding, place all the tortellini on a floured sheet tray without touching each other, and flash freeze for 1 hour. Then transfer tortellini to a freezer bag or container to freeze long-term. Cook straight from frozen in boiling water. The tortellini may take a few minutes to bob up to the top.
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