Tortellini in Brodo (Emilian Tortellini in Chicken Broth)
Tiny pork and prosciutto filled pasta parcels floating in a clear, golden chicken broth, the classic Emilian Christmas dish.
Made with Fresh egg pasta dough and Homemade chicken stock. Make a batch of the base first, then this takes minutes. Skip to the method
- Time1 hr 45
- LevelHard
- Costabout £2.17 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
Tick what you need to buy. It goes on your shopping list.
Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat. Season the pork with salt and pepper and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, turning, until cooked through with no pink and lightly golden. Cool completely.
9 min - 2
Mince the cooled pork, prosciutto and mortadella together in a food processor until very fine, or chop finely by hand. Mix with the parmesan, egg, nutmeg and a little pepper to make a smooth paste. Chill for 30 minutes.
- 3
Make the fresh egg pasta dough (see the base recipe), rest it and roll it very thin, about 1 mm. Cut into 4 cm squares, keeping the squares under a damp cloth.
- 4
Put a hazelnut sized dab of filling in the middle of each square. Fold diagonally into a triangle, press the edges to seal, then wrap the long edge around your fingertip and press the two corners together to make a small ring. Set on a floured tray.
- 5
Pour your ready made homemade chicken stock (see the base recipe) into a large pan and bring to a gentle simmer. Taste and season with salt only if needed.
- 6
Add the tortellini to the broth and simmer gently for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the pasta is tender. Cut one open to check the filling is piping hot all the way through.
3 min 30 s - 7
Ladle into warm bowls with plenty of tortellini in each and serve with extra grated parmesan.
Tips
- Fill them smaller than you think. The dough is thin and tortellini the size of a fingertip cook evenly and look right.
- Keep the filling cold and the dough covered. Warm filling is sticky and dry dough will not seal.
- Cook tortellini in the broth you will serve them in. The flavour passes through the pasta, and the broth picks up a little silkiness.
Storing and freezing
Uncooked tortellini keep on a floured tray in the fridge, loosely covered, for 1 day. Freeze them on a tray until firm, bag for up to 1 month and cook from frozen for 5 minutes. Eat cooked tortellini the same day.
Questions
Can I use shop bought tortellini?
Yes. Use about 400 g of chilled meat tortellini and cook them in your homemade stock for 3 to 4 minutes. The homemade ones have a more delicate bite and a pork and prosciutto filling.
Why a clear broth and not a sauce?
Tortellini in brodo is the traditional Emilian way to serve them, especially at Christmas, because the clear broth lets the delicate filling be the star.
Can I make the filling ahead?
Yes. The filling keeps in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Stuffed tortellini can be frozen on a tray and kept for 1 month.
More made with fresh egg pasta dough
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.