Passionate Foodie: Tortellini In Spinach Tomato Sauce

Tortellinis are stuffed ring shaped pasta with a hole in between.. There is no much difference between tortellinis and ravioli except for the shape.. Both are stuffed pastas coated in thick italian gravy.. Many a times before, I have made spinach and cheese raviolis but not tortellinis.. Making tortellinis are not hard but definitely takes ample time in shaping.. Shaping these cute little pastas was fun though.. I made these tortellinis from scratch using a homemade pasta dough and stuffed with just plain cheese, which can't get any better.. Pastas or for that matter the dough tends to dry out quickly if left uncovered, which makes it difficult to work with and also prone to tearing.. So keep both the dough and already made tortellinis covered with a plastic wrap or a wet cloth while you are working with them..

There is something unique about making pastas from scratch.. It gives me a feeling of pride and achievement for making a dish all by myself, and also the taste is superior compared to readymade ones.. The cheese which melts inside the pasta gives it an awesome texture.. You can make this pastas with any sauce of your choice, be it white sauce, pesto sauce or just plain aglio olio.. It is sure to entice your taste buds..

Recipe source - here

Ingredients:

For the pasta dough

1 cup flour

1tsp salt

1tbsp oil

1/2 cup grated cheese for stuffing

For the sauce

5-6 ripe tomatoes

1 onion finely chopped

2 bunches spinach chopped

5-6 garlic cloves crushed

Salt

Pepper

Red chilli flakes

2tbsp tomato ketchup

1tbsp chilli sauce

1/4 cup cream

1/2 cup grated cheese

Method: Mix all the ingredients of pasta dough except cheese and knead into a semi soft dough with water (Making a hard dough will tend to dry out the pastas quickly).. Roll it into 1/4inch thickness and cut into roundels (I used a 2inch radius bowl to cut my roundels).. Apply water on the outside of the rounds.. Place a tsp of cheese on it and fold in half..Seal it well with the help of a fork.. Pull the sides behind and stick with little water.. Make all the pastas similar way..Make sure you seal the pastas really well for the stuffing to stay intact.. Boil water in a large pan with some oil and salt in it.. The pan should be large enough for all the pastas to float in the water easily.. Once boiled, add in the tortellinis and let it cook for about 7-10mins till it floats on top.. Meanwhile make sauce.. Heat 2tbsp oil and saute onions and garlic till soft.. Add in all other ingredients except cream and cheese and cook for few minutes till the sauce boils and becomes thick.. Add in cream and cook for another 2 minutes.. Remove tortellini from the water and add directly into the sauce.. Mix lightly.. Cover and let the tortellinis absorb some sauce.. Garnish with cheese and serve..