Name: Tortelli di zucca mantovani
Prep time: 1 h 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 3 h 35 min
Cuisine: Italian, Mantua / Lombardy
Ingredients: 200 g Italian 00 flour; 2 large eggs; 600 g roasted Mantuan-style pumpkin flesh, very dry and cooled; 100 g amaretti biscuits, finely crushed; 100 g Mantuan mostarda, fruit and a little syrup, finely chopped; 100 g Grana Padano, finely grated; 1 g freshly grated nutmeg; 3 g fine sea salt, adjust to cheese and mostarda; 70 g unsalted butter; 10 fresh sage leaves; 40 g Grana Padano, finely grated for serving

Tortelli di zucca mantovani: wide hero view of golden pumpkin-filled tortelli in a shallow white bowl, glossy with butter and finished with grated cheese

Prep1 h 10 min

Cook25 minutes

Total3 h 35 min

Yield4 servings

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The dish

About Tortelli di zucca mantovani

Pumpkin tortelli are one of Mantua’s defining dishes and are closely associated with Christmas Eve. Local tourism material highlights the deliberate sweet-hot balance created by pumpkin, amaretti, Mantuan mostarda and grated hard cheese.

The filling begins with baked pumpkin because dry heat concentrates flavour and removes water. Mantua tourism guidance specifically recommends baking and, when necessary, further drying the purée so the pasta does not become wet from inside.

Amaretti add sweetness and almond bitterness; mostarda adds fruit and mustard heat. Neither should dominate. The mixture improves after a chilled rest, which allows the crumbs and cheese to absorb free moisture.

The pasta is a simple flour-and-egg sfoglia rolled thin enough to remain delicate but strong enough to contain the dense filling. Air pockets around the filling are pressed out before sealing.

Butter and sage keep the final sauce intentionally restrained. The pasta filling is already complex, so the dressing should perfume and gloss the tortelli rather than bury them.

Technique

Three things that matter

Bake the pumpkin rather than boiling it. A dry purée is the foundation of a filling that stays inside the pasta.
Rest the filling before shaping. Amaretti and cheese need time to absorb moisture and stabilize the sweet-savory balance.
Press out trapped air. Air pockets expand during boiling and are a common cause of split tortelli.

Cook the dish

Ingredients

Everything needed to prepare the dish, arranged for fast scanning before cooking.

Egg pasta

200 gItalian 00 flour
2large eggs

Pumpkin filling

600 groasted Mantuan-style pumpkin fleshvery dry and cooled
100 gamaretti biscuitsfinely crushed
100 gMantuan mostardafruit and a little syrup, finely chopped
100 gGrana Padanofinely grated
1 gfreshly grated nutmeg
3 gfine sea saltadjust to cheese and mostarda

Butter-sage finish

70 gunsalted butter
10fresh sage leaves
40 gGrana Padanofinely grated for serving

Step by step

Method

Prepare and rest the pumpkin filling

Roast and dry the pumpkin. Roast pumpkin pieces at 190 °C until completely tender. Scoop out 600 g flesh, mash or sieve it and, if watery, spread it on a tray at 100 °C until visibly drier. Cool.
A spoonful should hold its shape rather than release liquid.
Build the Mantuan filling. Mix pumpkin with crushed amaretti, chopped mostarda, 100 g Grana, nutmeg and salt. Taste for balance rather than adding extra sugar.
The filling should taste sweet from pumpkin and amaretti but finish with mostarda heat and cheese.
Chill and mature. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.
The rested filling should become firmer and easier to portion.

Make and roll the pasta

Knead the egg dough. Mix flour and eggs until a firm dough forms; knead 8–10 minutes until smooth. Wrap and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
The dough should spring back slowly when pressed.
Roll thin sheets. Divide the dough and roll progressively thinner, keeping unused pieces covered. Aim for a thin sheet that still supports the filling.
The sheet should show the shadow of a hand without becoming fragile or papery.

Fill and shape the tortelli

Portion the filling. Place rounded teaspoon portions of filling at regular intervals on the sheet, leaving enough clean pasta for sealing.
Keep the filling compact and away from the seam.
Seal without air. Fold or cover with a second sheet, press outward around each mound to expel air, then cut into square or rectangular tortelli.
The seam should be dry, fully joined and free of trapped bubbles.
Hold briefly before cooking. Place on a semolina-dusted tray in a single layer while the remaining tortelli are formed.
The bases should stay dry and separate.

Boil and dress

Cook gently. Boil the tortelli in well-salted water for 3–5 minutes depending on pasta thickness. Keep the boil controlled.
The pasta should be tender at the sealed edge while the parcels remain intact.
Brown the sage butter. Melt butter with sage until the milk solids turn hazelnut-gold and the leaves become aromatic.
Stop before the solids turn dark brown or bitter.
Dress and serve. Lift the tortelli carefully into warm bowls, spoon over sage butter and finish with 40 g Grana.
The butter should glaze the pasta without pooling heavily.

Practical guidance

Pumpkin variety

Dense, sweet Cucurbita maxima types are preferred around Mantua. Whatever the variety, the decisive issue is low water content after roasting.

Mostarda

Mantuan mostarda is fruit preserved with mustard essence; ordinary mustard is not a direct substitute. Use a good fruit mostarda if the Mantuan product is unavailable.

Shape

Local tortelli may be rectangular, square or folded depending on household practice; sealed thin pasta and the characteristic filling matter more than one rigid geometry.

Freezing

Freeze uncooked tortelli in a single layer, then bag when firm. Cook from frozen and allow a little extra time.

Troubleshooting

The filling leaks. The pumpkin was too wet, the seam was contaminated with filling or air was trapped around the centre.
The pasta is tough. The sheet was left too thick or the dough was allowed to dry before sealing.
The filling tastes like dessert. Too much amaretti or too little mostarda and cheese shifted the intended sweet-savory balance.
The butter is bitter. The milk solids or sage were browned too far; start again rather than masking burnt flavour.

Nutrition per serving

Serving size: about 8–10 tortelli with butter
Calories: approximately 760 kcal
Carbohydrates: 86 g
Protein: 25 g
Fat: 35 g
Fibre: 6 g
Sodium: approximately 900 mg

Estimate depends strongly on mostarda sugar content and the amount of butter retained on each serving.

Allergens and food safety

Contains wheat/gluten, egg, milk and almonds/nuts from amaretti; mostarda ingredients vary by producer.

Keep the pumpkin filling refrigerated during the resting period and do not hold filled raw pasta at room temperature for extended periods.

Refrigerate leftovers promptly and reheat gently; fresh filled pasta is best eaten soon after cooking.

FAQ

Why do Mantuan pumpkin tortelli contain amaretti?

They are part of the traditional Mantuan filling and contribute sweetness plus an almond-bitter note that balances pumpkin, cheese and mostarda.

What is mostarda in this recipe?

It is a northern Italian preserved fruit condiment sharpened with mustard essence, not ordinary yellow mustard.

Can the filling rest overnight?

Yes. Traditional recipes often rest it for many hours; a covered overnight chill can improve firmness and integration.

Final note

What matters most

Result: Delicate egg-pasta parcels with a concentrated pumpkin filling that moves between sweet, salty, almond-bitter and mustard-hot notes.
Key: A dry roasted pumpkin purée and a rested filling prevent the tortelli from becoming watery or splitting.