Italian Tortellini Soufflé (Soufflé di Tortellini al Forno)

This baked tortellini soufflé, soufflé di tortellini al forno in Italian, is the ultimate fancy dish you can serve for a special occasion. It is a crunchy, creamy, and delicious meal, everyone will ask for more. It is not an easy dinner idea for a busy night. It is a sophisticated souffle made with meat or cheese tortellini flavored with plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Jump to:

• Ingredients
• Bake only the quantity in the recipe card
• Equipment
• Instructions
• Top tips for making a souffle
• How to serve them
• Other ways to bake tortellini
• Frequently asked questions
• More baked pasta recipes
• 📋Italian Tortellini Soufflé (Soufflé di Tortellini al Forno)

My mother collected La Cucina Italiana in the 70s, and around Christmas there is always a tortellini soufflé, a tortellini timballo or tortellini al forno in her issues.

It was a typical dish Italians made for Christmas in the 70s, and we still do.

This is not an easy one-pot cheesy baked tortellini casserole, it is a sophisticated tortellini cheese souffle you can bring to a fancy dinner table, an ultimate comfort food.

The tortellini are mixed with butter, heavy cream, béchamel and plenty of Parmesan cheese, then baked in a souffle batter of egg whites beaten to stiff peaks to create a frothy consistency around them.

There are no other vegetables, fresh herbs, tomato sauce or hearty meat sauce added to it as this dish is best with only the simple flavors of cheese and eggs.

As an option, you can add some white truffle cream, since the mild flavors of this dish combine well with truffle.

For similar pasta bake recipes, you can try: Lasagna di Carnevale, baked spaghetti muffins and the tagliatelle timballo.

Ingredients

Choosing the tortellini

Tortellini come from Emilia Romagna, and you can read more about the region's food in my article Emilia Romagna Cuisine: A Journey Through History.

The type of tortellini you use is essential:

• They cannot be too big as they will be too heavy for the egg whites to sustain while cooking.
• Their regular cooking time should be at least 8 to 10 minutes.
• Since the tortellini needs to bake again in the oven, they will overcook and break if the tortellini pasta dough is too thin.
• They have to be dried tortellini, as they keep the cooking time better.

I buy the dried Tortellini pasta from Barilla (amazon affiliate link), as I don't see any other brands on Amazon. My boys like the one with prosciutto and Parmigiano, but you can also find Cheese-filled Tortellini.

Do not use frozen tortellini or canned.

Other ingredients

• Fresh eggs: the yolks go into the batter and the whites are whipped to stiff peaks. Use them at room temperature. In Europe eggs are not stored in the fridge, as they go through a different process than in the USA, so if you are in the USA, take your eggs out of the fridge 1 hour earlier.
• Heavy cream: it goes into the batter together with the egg yolks and the Parmesan.
• Butter: a little goes on the drained tortellini to keep them from sticking to each other.
• Parmesan cheese: freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano, and plenty of it, as it flavors the whole soufflé.
• White truffle cream (optional): as this soufflé is a classic for Christmas, you can make it even fancier by adding some white truffle cream. To know how to choose a good truffle cream, you can read my article Black and White Italian Truffles: A Buying Guide.
• Salt: for the water to boil the tortellini.

For the béchamel

The béchamel is the base of the soufflé batter. You can find the full method in my article How to make a white roux and its related mother sauces.

• Butter and flour: together they make the white roux that thickens the milk.
• Milk: use it warm.
• Salt and nutmeg: freshly grated nutmeg is the classic seasoning of béchamel.

You can find the measurements in the recipe card below.

Bake only the quantity in the recipe card

It is very important to bake only the amount given in the recipe card, as a bigger amount will not cook properly in the center.

I recommend a tall glass or ceramic soufflé dish of 22 cm (9 inches) in diameter, which you can bring straight to the table.

Equipment

To bake the souffle, use a ceramic pan (affiliate link) with a high border, 21 cm (8 ¼ inches) in diameter.

An electric mixer to whip the egg whites is highly recommended.

Instructions

Preparing the tortellini

1. In a large pot of salted water, boil the tortellini for 3 minutes less than what is in the package directions (if their required cooking time is 10 minutes, boil for 7 minutes only)
2. Drain them and immediately mix them with 1 tablespoon of butter to keep them from sticking.
3. Stir for a couple of minutes until the butter is melted.

Making Béchamel: White Roux

1. Stir 1 or 2 minutes the flour and the butter in a pan over low heat with a wooden spoon to create a white roux.
2. Remove from the heat and gradually add the warm milk making sure no lumps are formed.
3. Put back on the heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly.
4. Lower the heat and keep stirring till it reaches the right consistency.
5. Add salt and nutmeg at the end.
6. Let the bechamel cool down at room temperature

Preparing the souffle batter

1. Once the bechamel is at room temperature, add the egg yolks one at a time and stir until they are thoroughly combined
2. Add the heavy cream (and the white truffle cream, if you are using it)
3. Add the parmesan
4. Stir until the batter is homogeneous
5. Add the cooked tortellini
6. and mix thoroughly

Making and mixing the whipped egg whites

1. Pour the 4 egg whites into a bowl, making sure they are at room temperature
2. Whip the egg whites to stiff peaks
3. Pour the egg whites into the souffle batter with the tortellini
4. Mix very gently to keep the foam stable
5. Pour the mix into a souffle baking pan
6. Bake in a preheated oven for 50 minutes at 355 F - 180 C until the top turns golden brown
7. To ensure the souffle is fully cooked in the center, pierce it with a metal stick, and it should come out clean.
8. Serve hot.

Top tips for making a souffle

Making a souffle may sound challenging, but following some simple rules will make it easy to make and ensure success.

• The secret of a good souffle is to whip the egg white very firmly and mix it with the other ingredients at the end, very gently, to ensure the foam of the egg whites remains firm.
• Make sure your egg whites are at room temperature before you whip them.
• Once the mixture is composed, it has to bake immediately
• Don't open the oven while the souffle is cooking.
• To ensure the souffle is fully cooked in the center, pierce it with a metal stick, and it should come out clean.
• It is not a great freezer meal

How to serve them

This soufflé is a primo piatto for a fancy dinner, and I serve it by itself in small portions, as it is very filling.

I discourage serving garlic bread or Italian sausage with it as the dish is already very rich and does not need any other rich food.

Garlic bread is not typical Italian.

For another dish I make for special occasions, you can try my creamy truffle gnocchi with Parmesan sauce.

Other ways to bake tortellini

In my mother's La Cucina Italiana magazines from the 70s, tortellini also appear at Christmas baked in a pasticcio, a pie of shortcrust pastry filled with tortellini, ragù and Parmigiano, or in a timballo.

Frequently asked questions

Is baked tortellini soufflé a traditional Italian dish?

Yes, baked tortellini were a Christmas dish in Italy in the 70s. In my mother's collection of La Cucina Italiana there is always a tortellini soufflé, a tortellini timballo or tortellini al forno in the issues around Christmas, and we still make it.

What is a pasta soufflé?

In this soufflé the tortellini are mixed with béchamel, egg yolks, cream and Parmesan, then baked in a batter of whipped egg whites that rises around them.

Why did my soufflé collapse?

The egg whites must be whipped very firmly, at room temperature, and mixed in at the end very gently so the foam stays firm. Once the mixture is ready it has to bake immediately, and I never open the oven while the soufflé is cooking.

Can I freeze tortellini soufflé?

It is not a great freezer meal.

More baked pasta recipes

For more baked recipes, you may enjoy:

If you are making this baked tortellini souffle, leave your comment below and give it a rating, I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, or sign up to my newsletter.

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