Homemade Three Cheese Tortellini

It's meatless Monday again!  This time, I decided to break out the pasta roller again and make homemade tortellini!

Homemade tortellini are a lot of work (it takes a ton of time to individually shape the tortellini) but it is well worth the effort.

You can stuff tortellini with anything you’d like, but I’ve always loved the simple cheese filled ones!

Three Cheese Tortellini

Pasta

Adapted from Making Artisan Pasta

½ pound (about 1 ¾ cups) all purpose flour

2 large eggs

1 egg yolk

1 tablespoon water

Filling

Adapted from West of the Loop

15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese

½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated parmesan cheese

1 tablespoon dried basil

1 teaspoon dried parsley

Place the flour in a food processor fitted with a dough blade.  Close and turn on.  Whisk together the eggs and 1 tablespoon of water.  Slowly add the egg mixture through the spout while the food processor is running.  Once the dough begins to form a ball, turn off.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead until silky and smooth.  If the dough is too dry, add the remaining water, if it is too sticky, add an additional tablespoon of flour.

Wrap the dough with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes, or if not using right away, refrigerate.

Meanwhile, stir together the filling ingredients.

Divide the dough into 3 pieces, flour lightly and run through a pasta roller to the thinnest setting.  When rolling, start at the thickest setting, fold in thirds and roll through again, repeating for a total of three times.  Then roll once through each setting until the thinnest.

Use a 3-inch circle cutter to cut pasta rounds.  Add approximately 1 teaspoon of filling to the center of each round.  Use water to wet the edges of the dough, then fold over and press into a tortellini shape.  Place the shaped tortellini onto a well-floured work surface.

To cook, boil a large pot of salted water.  Add the tortellini and cook for 5 minutes.  Sauté 2 cloves garlic in ¼ cup of butter.  Drizzle over the drained tortellini and serve.