Tortellini en brodo is traditionally a Northern Italian holiday dish made with pork, beef, or veal. To lighten this up, we’re making spring tortellini en brodo with salty cheese-filled tortellini in a golden vegetable broth.
Summary:
- Authentic tortellini en brodo are meaty little morsels from the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. This recipe is a lighter and easier version.
- Since this recipe has so few components, homemade broth is used to elevate this dish. Homemade roasted vegetable broth is used for this recipe, and it’s super simple to make.
- Stir homemade herb oil, finely chopped fresh herbs, or delicate veggies like spring peas and thinly sliced asparagus into the broth to take advantage of spring produce.
Tortellini en brodo is traditionally a Northern Italian holiday dish made with pork, beef, or veal.
These little meaty tortellini are served in a rich, smooth broth and are dusted with a mound of parmesan cheese. How could anyone say no?
Let me me honest. Gun to my head, if I had to choose between veal, pork, and mortadella-stuffed tortellini swimming in a silky broth and these salty cheesy tortellini vibing out in a homemade roasted vegetable broth… well, I think you know which one I would choose. I won’t say it explicitly, but, I know who I am.
This is not to say that there isn’t a time and place for this super easy springtime version of tortellini en brodo. This is for when you simply don’t have the time to wrangle perfect little dimpled tortellini out of paper-thin homemade dough. Or for when you’re being mindful of your meat consumption. Either way, you are welcome here.
How to make tortellini en brodo
If this were an authentic recipe, I would have no issue telling you to seek out veal and mortadella and painstakingly roll out pasta dough by hand if you had to. It would be worth it, and you would be a happier person. You would also be a happier person if you picked up store-bought tortellini and simmered them in an easy homemade broth.
So that’s what I did. I picked up four-cheese tortellini from my local Trader Joe’s. Your local grocery store will likely have these in the fresh/refrigerated pasta section. You could go for any filling, really, but I seek out cheese-filled tortellini or another vegetarian option to keep this light.
I will urge you, however, to make your own vegetable broth for this recipe. It always pains me to see people throwing away their onion skins, leftover celery, carrot ends, etc. Those (free!) morsels could turn into a delicious golden broth with little to no effort. In a pinch, you can use store-bought. But, I would recommend simmering it with some crushed garlic, salt, and peppercorns before you use it to boost its flavor.
How to make homemade roasted vegetable broth
Here’s a recipe for homemade roasted vegetable broth that everyone needs to have in their back pocket. Seriously, it’s cheap, it’s easy, it battles food waste, and you get way more broth than you would buying store-bought. I make this at least once a week.
- Start by gathering up your vegetables: I always use onions, garlic, carrots and celery, and throw in whatever other vegetables are bouncing around my fridge. Leeks, mushrooms, and tomatoes are great. If I have fresh herbs like parsley, cilantro, thyme, etc. those make the cut as well. Bay leaf, peppercorns, and a halved lemon are common additions as well. (If you know what’s good for you, you’d save your parmesan rinds and throw those in as well.)
- Toss your veggies in a little olive oil and roast them in the oven at 400° F for about 45 minutes to an hour. The goal is to deepen their flavor by getting some color on them, which will allow for a golden broth.
- Throw everything in a stock pot, cover with water, turn up the heat, and call it a day. Strain out the veggies after about an hour and you’re left with the most delicious vegetable broth that you absolutely couldn’t buy at the store.
To assemble spring tortellini en brodo, simply bring your homemade vegetable broth to a simmer in a saucepan. Cook the tortellini in a separate saucepan in heavily salted water according to package instructions. Fresh pasta typically only takes a few minutes to cook. I would recommend pulling out the tortellini about a minute before they’re done. When you transfer them into the hot broth, they’ll continue cooking.
Additions to your tortellini en brodo
I’ve added spring peas into the broth before, as well as thinly sliced asparagus. These delicate veggies cook quickly, so they’ll be ready at the same time the tortellini are finished cooking. Alternatively, whisk in a mound of finely chopped fresh herbs into the broth, like parsley or dill, and call it a day. The best advice I could give you is to use whatever is in season, and whatever looks good at your local grocery store.
My perfect bowl of spring tortellini en brodo is dotted with some herb oil and sprinkled with a little mound of freshly grated parmesan. Herb oil takes a few hours to make, but it’s mostly hands-off. You can turn leftover herbs into a vibrantly green, fresh and delicious condiment to drizzle over soups and stews, toasts, or risottos.