tortellini

American  

[tawr-tl-ee-nee, tawr-tel-lee-nee] / ˌtɔr tlˈi ni, ˌtɔr tɛlˈli ni /

plural noun

Italian Cooking.

1. small rounds of pasta, filled, as with a meat or cheese stuffing, and then shaped into rings and boiled: often served in broth or with a sauce.

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tortellini British  

/ ˌtɔːtəˈliːnɪ /

noun

1. pasta cut into small rounds, folded about a filling, and boiled

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Usage

See zucchini.

Etymology

Origin of tortellini

1905–10; < Italian, plural of tortellino, diminutive of tortello stuffed pastry, diminutive (with gender change) of torta cake; torte

Compare meaning

How does tortellini compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• tortellini vs. ravioli

Example Sentences

Italian sausage, sun-dried tomatoes, kale and half a portion of leftover restaurant tortellini?

From Salon • Feb. 8, 2026

Typical dishes include tortellini in broth from the northern Emilia region, spaghetti alla carbonara from central regions around Rome, and pasta alla Norma in Sicily.

From Reuters • Nov. 25, 2023

There are so many types of filled tortellini available, even in just a well-stocked grocery store.

From Washington Times • Jun. 21, 2023

Anthony Esposito, the owner of Via Sposito, an Italian restaurant in Old Bridge that serves spaghetti, linguine, penne, tortellini and gnocchi, said that he could only speculate about where the pasta might have come from.

From New York Times • May 4, 2023

You’ll make the pasta dough from scratch, then roll it out and create tagliatelle, tortellini and tortelloni.

From National Geographic • Apr. 17, 2023

Related Words

• gnocchi
• linguine
• macaroni
• ravioli
• spaghetti