Gluten Free Ravioli and Tortellini Recipe & Tutorial

You’ve been asking for it, and here it is! My gluten free ravioli and tortellini recipe and tutorial!

Kris and I recently went on our honeymoon in Italy, and of course we ate a ton of different pastas. We were so inspired by the food and culture – the second we got home I ordered a pasta machine and began recipe development in order to bring a little bit of Italy home with us. While in Italy we took a basic gluten free fettuccine-making class. With my previous knowledge of gluten free flour and cooking techniques, I decided to create my own recipe and translate that to various stuffed pasta dishes. I’ve had numerous dinner parties over the past few months, experimenting with techniques and flour ratios until I created the perfect recipe.

A few notes:

– This recipe is specifically measured in grams and ounces rather than cups and teaspoons. A digital kitchen scale is a lifesaver when it comes to measuring gluten free flour. Cups and teaspoons can be very inaccurate, and being just a few grams off can make a huge difference. I highly recommend investing in a digital kitchen scale.

– My pasta machine has dials numbered 0-9. I think one of the mistakes that people make when making gluten free pasta is assuming they need to get all the way to the thinnest setting (number 9). I stop at 3. The pasta is thick enough to work with and doesn’t break, yet (in my opinion) it is not too thick (I had some reeeaaally thick ravioli in Rome that wasn’t very good. I think this is a great thickness as long as it is cooked properly).

– Your pasta dough should never be so sticky that it sticks to your pasta machine. My recipe is designed in a way that adding extra starch to the rolling process enhances the consistency of the dough, makes it easier to work with, and adds more starchiness to the pasta water, so dust the pasta sheets liberally.

– I prefer to work with individual gluten free flours so that I can adjust the ratio of hearty grains to starches. These are some of my favorite flours I work with on a weekly basis. I’m sure I’ll get many questions along the lines of, “Can this recipe work with any gluten free flour blend?” In short, there are dozens of flour blends on the market, and I have no idea. This is my recipe, and I cannot guarantee the same results with other flour combinations.

Click the image below to watch the tutorial – you’ll find a bonus tutorial for fettuccine!

Tasty Meditation’s Gluten Free Ravioli

Makes about 26 medium size ravioli (recommended for 6 people)

For the pasta dough:

195g sorghum flour

75g potato starch

60g teff flour

60g tapioca starch

9g psyllium husk

3g xanthan gum

165g boiling water

3 eggs

For the ravioli filling:

8oz ricotta

4oz mozzarella, shredded

2oz parmesean, grated

1 egg

Dash of salt and pepper

Assembling the ravioli:

Tapioca starch for dusting

1/2 whipped egg white and yolk

Equipment you will need:

Digital kitchen scale

Pasta machine

Pizza cutter

Wide saucepan

Note: If making the full batch I recommend having at least two people helping to mold the ravioli because the dough could dry out. Using some simple math it’s easy to divide the ingredients into smaller ratios to make a dinner for two or four, which is more manageable for one person.

Use a digital kitchen scale to measure all dry pasta ingredients and stir together until incorporated.
Add the boiling water and stir together. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to cool.
Add the egg and combine all ingredients together with hands.
To roll out the pasta sheets – take a small ball of dough, flatten it with your hands and dust it on both sides with tapioca starch. The dough should not be sticky, so feel free to dust generously. Roll though your pasta machine on the “0” setting. Fold the sides inward to help create a square with straight sides. Roll through the machine on the “0” setting again. Roll through on settings 1, 2, and 3, then lay the pasta sheet out on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat several times with the remaining dough.
Stir together all ravioli filling ingredients until combined.
Use your fingers to lightly coat half of the pasta sheets with egg.
Place several dollops of ravioli filling on each egg-coated pasta sheet, leaving a 1-inch space in between each.
Gently place the remaining pasta sheets on top of the egg/filling sheets you just created. Use your fingers to gently press the two sheets together, working around the bumps of filling and decreasing the amount of air near the filling.
Use a pizza cuter to trim off excess bits of dough. Again, use your fingers to press the sides of the ravioli down.
Fill a wide saucepan with water and liberally add salt. Bring to a boil.
Gently add half of the ravioli to the saucepan and cook for five minutes. Use a slotted spoon to lift them out of the water. Repeat with the remaining ravioli. (Note: When the first batch is done you’ll see that the water looks a bit starchy. This pasta water is excellent for thickening sauces. Set some pasta water aside if you’re making your own sauce.)
Top with warm pasta sauce and serve immediately.

Tasty Meditation’s Gluten Free Tortellini

Makes about 50 tortellini (recommended for 4 people)

For the pasta dough:

130g sorghum flour

50g potato starch

40g teff flour

40g tapioca starch (plus extra for rolling)

6g psyllium husk

2g xanthan gum

110g boiling water

2 eggs

For the pasta filling:

6oz ricotta

3oz mozzarella, shredded

1.5oz parmesean, grated

3/4 whipped egg white and yolk (rough estimate)

Dash of salt and pepper

Assembling the tortellini:

Tapioca starch for dusting

1 whipped egg white and yolk

2 tbsps water

Equipment you will need:

Digital kitchen scale

Pasta machine

2.75 inch (diameter) circular cookie cutter

Wide saucepan

Note: If making the full batch, I recommend having at least two people folding the tortellini because the dough could dry out. It’s easy to cut this recipe in half to make a dinner for two, and it is manageable for one person to do all the folding.

Use a digital kitchen scale to measure all dry pasta ingredients and stir together until incorporated.
Add the boiling water and stir together. Wait a few minutes for the mixture to cool.
Add the egg and combine all ingredients together with hands.
To roll out the pasta sheets – take a small ball of dough, flatten it with your hands and dust it on both sides with tapioca starch. The dough should not be sticky, so feel free to dust generously. Roll though your pasta machine on the “0” setting. Fold the sides inward to help create a square with straight sides. Roll through the machine on the “0” setting again. Roll through on settings 1, 2, and 3, then lay the pasta sheet out on a piece of parchment paper. Repeat several times with the remaining dough.
Use a circular cookie cutter to cut out several circles of dough. Take the remaining dough pieces and feed them through the pasta machine again until you have used as much dough as possible.
Stir together all tortellini filling ingredients until combined.
Place a small amount (approximately 3/4 tsp – rough estimate) of cheese filling in the center of each circle. You want to be careful to not overfill the circles, so don’t be afraid of smaller amounts or having a little filling left over.
Working with one circle at a time – use your fingers to coat half of the circle with egg. Fold the circles in half. Gently press the ends together, trying to get rid of as much air in the center as possible. Fold the very top of your now-half-circle over. Place your pinky finger in the center of your tortellini and wrap the two edges around your finger, towards each other. Dab one end with water and gently press the ends together. Remove your finger, and set the tortellini aside. Repeat with all remaining tortellini.
Fill a wide saucepan with water and liberally add salt. Bring to a boil.
Gently place your tortellini into the boiling water. Cook for five minutes, then remove the tortellini with a slotted spoon (Note: You’ll see that the water looks a bit starchy. This pasta water is excellent for thickening sauces. Set some pasta water aside if you’re making your own sauce.)
Top with warm pasta sauce and serve immediately.