thanksgiving tortellini

It’s Thanksgiving season, friends! For #hotforfoodies in Canada it’s right around the corner (October 18!). And for those of you in the U.S. it’s next month. Regardless, any excuse to cozy up with a big plate of comfort food is a YES from me, and I’m sure you feel the same way! My Thanksgiving tortellini is exactly what you've been craving.

Vegan Thanksgiving is no easy task! It comes in all shapes and sizes. There’s main dishes like my cauliflower roast and (if you’re up to the challenge), my vegducken. Then there’s your classic sides like green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, and stuffing (all of which I have great recipes for, if ya didn't know!). But before you break out the dessert options, you GOTTA get on board with this brand new recipe for Thanksgiving tortellini. YASSS!

Wondering why the heck I’m whipping up pasta in time for Thanksgiving? I’m glad you asked! I’m kicking off my new pasta series over on the YouTube channel starting TODAY, and I figured a holiday-inspired dish would be the perfect way to start. These Thanksgiving tortellini are filled with a savory mushroom stuffing filling that’s unlike ANYTHING you’ve ever tasted! You’ll be MORE than thankful this season that ya stopped by the blog today. Hey, it’s what I’m here for! 😉

The tortellini freeze very well so they work perfectly for a great make ahead meal that cooks in 5 to 6 minutes from frozen. To cut down on rolling all the tortellini yourself, enlist some help! It's fun and easy to do once you get the hang of it.

thanksgiving tortellini

It's everything you love about Thanksgiving food in a warm, comforting pasta!

5 from 5 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: American, Italian

Keyword: pasta, thanksgiving, tortellini

Prep Time: 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 (makes about 80 pieces of tortellini)

Author: Lauren Toyota

Ingredients

tortellini dough

• ▢ 1 C all-purpose flour
• ▢ ½ C semolina flour
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ¾ C just boiled hot water

mushroom stuffing filling (makes about 6 cups uncooked / 3 ½ to 4 cups cooked)

• ▢ 1 C roughly chopped leek (about 1 stalk just the white part)
• ▢ ½ C roughly chopped shallot (about 1 large shallot)
• ▢ 1 C roughly chopped carrot (1 large carrot)
• ▢ ¾ C roughly chopped celery (1 stalk)
• ▢ 7 C / 22oz whole cremini mushrooms
• ▢ 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 teaspoon whole fennel seeds
• ▢ 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sea salt
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

brown butter sauce

• ▢ 3 tablespoon vegan butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ¼ C minced garlic
• ▢ ½ teaspoon chili flakes
• ▢ 10 fresh sage leaves, pulled from the stem
• ▢ 4 C finely chopped or ribboned dino/lacinato kale, stems removed
• ▢ 1 ½ teaspoon sea salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ½ C vegan parmesan + more as garnish
• ▢ ¼ C reserved pasta water
• ▢ 2 to 3 tablespoon lemon juice (about 1 ½ lemons)
• ▢ freshly grated nutmeg, as garnish

Instructions

• To make the dough, in a food processor with a dough blade, add all-purpose flour, semolina flour, sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. Add the hot water slowly in a stream until the dough comes together. If making the dough by hand, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle and add extra virgin olive oil and hot water. Work your way from the center out and begin incorporating the flour into the liquid until all the flour is combined. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature while you prepare the filling.
• To make the filling, in a food processor with the chopping blade, add leek, shallot, carrot and celery. Pulse chop until everything is finely chopped, scraping the sides if necessary. Set aside in a large bowl. Pulse blend the cremini mushrooms in two batches. Then add the chopped mushrooms to the carrot, celery and leek mixture.
• In a large non-stick pan over medium high heat, add extra virgin olive oil and all of the mushroom and veg mixture. Cook for about 6 to 8 minutes and then add fennel seeds, rosemary, thyme, sea salt and pepper. Stir and cook for another 7 to 8 minutes until the liquid has evaporated and the mixture starts to brown. Pour into a bowl to let it cool while you roll the tortellini.
• To roll out the tortellini, knead the dough a few times. Use a dough cutter to cut the dough in half. Reuse the plastic wrap to cover half so it doesn’t dry out. Roll out the other half on a lightly floured surface into a long tube. Use the dough cutter and scale to cut and measure out 6g pieces. Place the pieces on a floured baking sheet and cover them with a damp dish towel so they don’t dry out.
• On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to roll the small piece of dough into a very smooth round ball. You may need to pinch the ends of the ball with your fingers to make it very smooth. Smash the dough ball flat to create a round. Then use a thin rolling pin to roll out into a very thin 2 ½-inch round, by rolling with even pressure with your dominant hand and turning the round 5 to 10 degrees slightly with your other hand between each roll. Occasionally dip the round into flour on the surface, so it doesn’t stick to the board or rolling pin. You’re looking for a super thin tortellini wrapper.
• Use a teaspoon to measure out filling and place into the center. Dab some water around the edges and fold the dough in half like a pierogi. Then fold one end of the tortellini over the other almost like you’re crossing its arms. Repeat with the rest of the tortellini. If making ahead, place them on a baking sheet in one layer covered in plastic wrap and freeze the whole sheet. Once frozen you can put them in a freezer bag or condense into another container.
• Boil tortellini in salted water for 4 to 5 minutes if cooking them fresh. If cooking them from frozen, boil for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove boiled tortellini onto a baking sheet, but you should simultaneously be making the sauce. Ensure you reserve ¼ cup of pasta water for making the sauce.
• To make the sauce, in a large non-stick pan over low to medium heat, add vegan butter, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, chili flakes and whole fresh sage leaves. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until garlic is fragrant. Add kale, sea salt and black pepper and stir for another 3 to 4  minutes until the kale softens. Then stir in vegan parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Add up to ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water to loosen it up as necessary, simmering it on low to slightly thicken the sauce.
• To serve, add drained tortellini to a large serving dish and pour sauce over top. Fold in the sauce gently to coat the tortellini. If serving from the pan, use a slotted spoon to add freshly boiled tortellini right into the pan and toss to coat in sauce. Finish with extra parmesan, freshly cracked black pepper and freshly grated nutmeg for serving.