Last August, my sister visited and I prepared whole-grain tortellini, accompanied by balsamic roasted tomato soup I’d preserved from summer. She enjoyed it thoroughly! Then we made freshly milled whole grain bread spelt bread together that was super soft. I enjoyed the moments of surprise at how good it truly could be. Good times awakening the palate and minds of people we love!
My sister raved over the tortellini with my oven roasted balsamic tomato soup, exclaiming I could charge $50 for the meal. We split a pint jar of the soup between us, and I’m pretty sure we each only had 4-6 tortellini. Unconvinced, I told her I thought she was pulling my leg. She INSISTED they were THAT GOOD so I’m sharing the goods with you today.
I recently I recently showed some friends how to make Naan bread and whole wheat tortellini using an Einkhorn-based recipe. Carla Bartolucci’s book ‘Einkhorn’ led me to eventually milling our flour. This healthy tortellini recipe is a spin-off in honor of her.
One day I’ll share the story of how my youngest child went from bloody eczema to smooth, normal skin with fresh milled flour. Every day I thank God for putting me on the difficult path that eventually leads us to better things. I know He put me on this path so I could share with you, and change many more lives with freshly milled whole grain flour.
How to Make Healthy Tortellini
This healthy tortellini recipe is quick and easy, and a load of fun to make with friends or family. Just mix up the dough by hand or with a danish dough whisk, and let it rest covered while you mix the spinach tortellini filling.
Rolling these out requires no special equipment other than a rolling pin. Everyone always asks what kinds of things I use, and my favorite is this wooden french rolling pin. Don’t worry! I have photos and a video showing how to roll up whole grain tortellini, which can be made with freshly milled Durum or Kamut.
Did I mention you can freeze these little nuggets of goodness? That’s right! If I were you, I’d double the batch of healthy tortellini dough, so you can have some fresh and plenty to freeze on a tray, before piling them up in a ziplock or silicone freezer bag for when you want to drop them into a healthy tortellini soup, salad or other healthy recipes.
If pasta isn’t your thing, how about trying my big-holed, authentic Italian bread. Made with freshly milled flour and no additives, it’s going to knock your socks off! Another fun, and ridiculously quick and easy win is my crescent roll dough with fresh milled flour, of course.
100% whole grain fresh milled tortellini
Equipment
Ingredients
Dough Ingredients
- 375 g wheat berries, soft white I used durum but Kamut, Emmer or hard wheat will work just as well.
- 5 whole egg Vegans: you can replace with 250 g very hot water, and add a tiny bit of olive oil if the dough needs help
Filling Ingredients
- 150 g swiss chard or spinach chopped fine, or precooked and dried
- 1 whole egg vegans can leave this out or add 2 tbsp mashed potatoes
- 420 g ricotta cheese vegans can use vegan cheese of choice or leave it out
- 125 g pecorino romano or dry cheese of your choice
- 1 tsp sea salt, celtic grey
Instructions
Make the Pasta Dough
- Mix the flour with the salt.
- Add eggs to a well in the center of the flour, and mix until well combined with a spatula or your hands.
- Let rest 10-15 minutes, covered so it doesn't dry out
Make the Filling
- Mix the ricotta, egg, and spinach or chard until well combined.
Making the Tortellini
- Roll the dough very thin on a floured surface, dusting the dough with flour as needed so the rolling pin does not stick. Note: the pasta will swell up and become thicker once cooked, so go thinner than you'd think.
- Cut the dough into squares, approximately 2.5 – 3" across.
- Brush the square with water using a pastry brush.
- Place 1 tsp of filling into the center of the square. Do not overfill, or it will escape when you cook them.
- Bring opposite corners together to form a triangle and seal the edges with your fingers
- Roll the longer end of the triangle over, towards the point of the triangle. Wrap the two pointed sides around your finger and seal them together.
- Set the tortellini on a tray not touching each other so they can dry as you make the rest.
Cooking and Storing
- Cook the tortellini for a minute or two in salted, boiling water and remove with a slotted spoon.
- You may freeze the tortellini uncooked, individually on a tray, and then together in a bag once frozen so they don't stick together. Cook directly from frozen for a few minutes longer.
My family loved this! Be sure your tortellini aren’t touching when you freeze them, or they will stick together.
Mary, good tip! We really enjoy these, too.