Potato, Mint & Pecorino Tortelli with Fava Beans & Tomatoes | Mama Florence Cooking School

Fresh Tortelli with Potato, Mint, Pecorino and Spring Vegetables

This is filled pasta with a distinctly seasonal personality. The tortelli themselves are rich and savory, filled with creamy potato, aged Pecorino, and fresh mint. The sauce goes in the opposite direction: fresh fava beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil keep the finished dish bright and light. At Mama Florence Cooking School, our recipe starts with a fresh semola-and-egg pasta dough that is rolled thin, cut into rounds, filled, sealed, and shaped by hand. The tortelli are then boiled and finished directly in the pan with the fava beans and tomatoes before being topped generously with shaved Pecorino. If you enjoy filled pasta, our Spinach and Ricotta Tortelli use a similar hand-shaping technique but pair it with a completely different filling and a butter-and-sage finish.

How to Make Potato, Mint and Pecorino Tortelli

Begin with the filling. Boil the potatoes whole until completely tender, then peel and mash them. Let the potatoes cool fully before adding finely grated Pecorino and minced fresh mint. While the filling cools, make the pasta dough from semola flour and eggs. Knead until smooth and elastic, cover, and rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. Roll the dough through a pasta machine until thin, then cut it into rounds. Place a small spoonful of filling slightly off-center on each round, moisten the pasta lightly with water, fold it over the filling, remove as much trapped air as possible, and seal firmly. Bring the two corners together to create the tortello shape. For the sauce, gently cook garlic in extra virgin olive oil, add the fava beans, then the quartered cherry tomatoes. Boil the tortelli until cooked through, drain, and finish them directly in the pan with the vegetables. Serve with plenty of shaved aged Pecorino.

Mama’s Secret: Let the potatoes cool completely before mixing in the Pecorino. A hot filling can soften the cheese too aggressively and make the mixture looser than you want inside fresh pasta.

Fresh Pasta Dough Ingredients:

• 14 oz semola flour • 4 eggs • Extra semola, as needed for dusting

Potato, Mint and Pecorino Filling Ingredients:

• 1.1 lb yellow potatoes • 3½ oz Pecorino cheese • Fresh mint leaves, as needed • Salt, as needed

Fava Bean and Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

• 3½ oz fresh fava beans • 3½ oz cherry tomatoes • 1 garlic clove • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed • Salt, as needed

To Finish:

• Aged Pecorino, shaved, as needed

1. Cook the Potatoes

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Wash the 1.1 lb yellow potatoes thoroughly and add them whole to the water.
• Boil until completely tender.
• Remove from the heat and allow them to cool enough to handle.

2. Mash and Cool the Potatoes

• Peel the cooked potatoes.
• Pass them through a vegetable mill or mash thoroughly with a potato masher in a medium bowl.
• Allow the mashed potatoes to cool completely.

3. Prepare the Pecorino and Mint

• Finely grate the 3½ oz Pecorino.
• Finely mince the fresh mint.
• Our recipe recommends fresh mint whenever possible.
• If fresh mint is unavailable, dried mint can be substituted to taste.

4. Make the Filling

• Once the potatoes have cooled completely, add the grated Pecorino and minced mint.
• Mix thoroughly until evenly combined.
• Taste and adjust with salt if needed.
• Set the filling aside.

5. Make the Pasta Dough

• Place the 14 oz semola flour in a medium bowl.
• Add the 4 eggs.
• Mix and knead until a smooth dough forms.
• Transfer to a lightly floured work surface and continue kneading with the palm of your hand until the dough becomes soft, elastic, and compact.
• Shape into a ball.
• Cover with plastic wrap.
• Rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

6. Roll the Pasta

• Remove the plastic wrap.
• Shape the dough into a rectangle approximately the width of your pasta machine.
• Begin rolling the dough through the machine.
• Dust with semola as needed to prevent sticking.
• Continue passing the dough through progressively thinner settings until the desired thickness is reached.

7. Cut the Pasta Rounds

• Dust the work surface lightly with semola.
• Lay the pasta sheet flat.
• Using a round pasta cutter, cut out individual rounds as neatly as possible, minimizing waste.

8. Fill the Tortelli

• Using a kitchen brush, lightly moisten each pasta round with a small amount of water.
• Place a small teaspoon of filling slightly off-center.
• Fold the larger side of the pasta round over the filling so it is completely enclosed.
• Press gently around the filling to remove as much trapped air as possible.
• Seal the edges firmly.

9. Shape the Tortelli

• Bring the two ends of each sealed piece together.
• Pinch firmly to create the tortello shape.
• Dust a tray with semola and place the finished tortelli on top while you shape the rest.

10. Prepare the Fava Beans and Tomatoes

• Clean the fava beans, keeping only the inner beans.
• Wash and dry the cherry tomatoes.
• Cut each tomato into 4 pieces.

11. Build the Sauce

• Coat the bottom of a medium sauté pan with extra virgin olive oil.
• Heat gently.
• Add the garlic clove and cook for a few minutes.
• Lower the heat.
• Add the cleaned fava beans and allow them to cook with the garlic and olive oil.
• Add the quartered cherry tomatoes.
• Remove the garlic clove.
• Season with salt to taste.

12. Cook the Tortelli

• Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
• Add the fresh tortelli.
• Cook until the pasta is cooked through.
• Drain well.

13. Finish the Pasta in the Sauce

• Transfer the drained tortelli directly to the sauté pan with the fava beans and tomatoes.
• Toss gently so the vegetables and olive oil coat the pasta without breaking the tortelli.

14. Finish with Aged Pecorino

• Divide among individual plates.
• Garnish generously with shaved aged Pecorino.
• Serve immediately.

Why Potato and Pecorino Work So Well Together

Potatoes create a soft, mild base that can carry a stronger cheese without competing with it. Aged Pecorino brings salt, sharpness, and a deeper sheep’s-milk character. That contrast is especially effective inside filled pasta because the pasta itself adds another neutral layer around the filling. Fresh mint keeps the combination from becoming too heavy.

Why Mint Belongs in the Filling

Mint brings brightness to a filling built around two relatively rich ingredients. It does not need to dominate. A small amount gives the potato and Pecorino a fresher finish and connects naturally with the spring vegetables in the sauce. Our source recipe strongly prefers fresh mint, although dried mint may be used to taste if fresh is unavailable.

Why Fresh Fava Beans Work with Pecorino

Fava beans and Pecorino are a classic Italian flavor pairing. The beans bring a fresh, slightly earthy sweetness, while the aged cheese adds saltiness and depth. Here, that pairing appears in two places: Pecorino inside the tortelli and again shaved over the finished pasta. The fava beans in the sauce echo that cheese without turning the dish into something heavy.

Fresh vs. Frozen Fava Beans

Our recipe recommends using fresh fava beans when they are available. If fresh beans are unavailable, thawed frozen fava beans can be used instead. That makes the dish easier to prepare outside the short spring fava season while preserving the basic structure of the sauce.

Why the Filling Must Be Cool

The potatoes should be completely cool before the Pecorino and mint are added. That gives the filling a firmer texture and makes it easier to portion inside the pasta. A filling that is too warm or loose can make the tortelli more difficult to seal and increase the risk of them opening in the cooking water.

How to Keep Tortelli from Opening

Three things matter most: Do not overfill them. Press out as much trapped air as possible before sealing. Seal the edges firmly after lightly moistening the pasta. The same basic principles apply to our Spinach and Ricotta Tortelli, where keeping the filling contained and eliminating air are equally important.

The Perfect Bite

The pasta should be thin and tender enough to give easily under the fork while still holding the filling securely. Inside, the potato should feel creamy, with aged Pecorino bringing a salty edge and mint lifting the finish. The fava beans add freshness and texture, while the cherry tomatoes bring a little sweetness and acidity. The final Pecorino shavings tie the filling and sauce together. The best bite catches one tortello with a fava bean, a piece of tomato, a little olive oil, and a thin shaving of aged cheese.

More Fresh Pasta Recipes to Explore

If you want another potato-filled pasta, our Potato Tortelli explores a more traditional Tuscan filling with potato, Parmigiano, garlic, parsley, tomato paste, and nutmeg. For another filled pasta technique, our Spinach and Ricotta Tortelli combines ricotta and spinach with a classic butter-and-sage finish. The current revitalized page uses the same fundamental principles of thin pasta, careful filling, air removal, and firm sealing. If you want to move away from filled pasta entirely, our Fresh Egg Tagliatelle is a strong foundation for practicing rolling and handling fresh egg dough. And our Fresh Pici Pasta explores a completely different Tuscan shape made by hand rather than filled and sealed.

Learn to Make Fresh Pasta in Florence

Filled pasta is one of those techniques where touch matters. The dough needs to be thin without tearing, the filling needs to be firm enough to portion cleanly, and each tortello needs to be sealed without trapping air. At Mama Florence Cooking School, our current Cooking Classes in Florence include a dedicated Pasta Making Cooking Class, alongside market-and-pasta experiences, gnocchi and fresh pasta, Corzetti, pesto and pasta, and other regional formats. For a wider regional menu, our Tuscan Traditional Cooking Course explores traditional Tuscan cooking in a hands-on format, making it a natural next step if you want to place filled pasta within a complete meal.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What are potato and Pecorino tortelli? A: They are fresh filled pasta made with a potato, aged Pecorino, and mint filling.

Q: How many servings does this recipe make? A: Our recipe makes 6 servings.

Q: What flour is used for the pasta dough? A: This recipe uses 14 oz semola flour with 4 eggs.

Q: How long should the pasta dough rest? A: Rest it at room temperature for at least 15 minutes.

Q: What type of potatoes should I use? A: Our recipe calls for yellow potatoes.

Q: Can I use dried mint? A: Yes. Fresh mint is preferred, but the source recipe allows dried mint to be substituted to taste.

Q: What type of Pecorino should I use? A: Our recipe specifically recommends a seasoned, aged Pecorino.

Q: Can I use frozen fava beans? A: Yes. Fresh beans are preferred, but thawed frozen fava beans can be used if fresh are unavailable.

Q: Do I need to remove the garlic from the sauce? A: Yes. The garlic is cooked in the olive oil with the vegetables and then removed before serving.

Q: How do I keep tortelli from opening while cooking? A: Avoid overfilling, press out trapped air, lightly moisten the pasta before folding, and seal the edges firmly.

Q: What sauce is served with these tortelli? A: A light sauce of fava beans, cherry tomatoes, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and salt.

Q: What goes on top of the finished pasta? A: The dish is finished generously with shaved aged Pecorino.

 

Disclaimer

Please note that our chefs may adapt recipes according to seasonal ingredient availability and participants’ dietary or allergy requirements. As a result, the ingredients, preparation, or presentation shown in this recipe may vary from what you prepared during your Mama Florence class. In some cases, elements of a dish may also appear as separate recipes — for example, the fresh pasta you prepared may be paired here with a different sauce, while the sauce from your class may appear in another recipe. Please reach out to our team if any confusion arises. Thank you — the Mama Florence Family.

Reviews

4.9 12 reviews

1. Froze half the batch on a tray before bagging it and it cooked perfectly two weeks later. Glad the recipe mentioned it.

   Robert H.

   Seattle, USA · June 2026

2. I appreciate that it tells you what can go wrong and not just what to do. Most recipes are written as though nothing ever fails. This one describes what it looks like when it is failing and how to pull it back, which is the difference between a recipe and a lesson.

   Hannah S.

   York, UK · June 2026

3. Made this for a big group and doubled everything. The proportions scaled fine, my equipment did not, and I ended up splitting it in two halfway through. The two halves came out slightly different, which was oddly interesting. Nobody noticed but me.

   James W.

   Manchester, UK · May 2026

4. Could not get the exact type the recipe names, so I used what I had and adjusted the liquid slightly. Fine.

   Laura B.

   Denver, USA · May 2026

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