Cappelletti («Little Hats» of Filled Pasta) Recipe

Prep: 60 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 65 mins

Servings: 6 servings

Yield: 48 to 60 cappelletti

Cappelletti are a type of stuffed fresh pasta originating from the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, particularly around the towns of Modena and Bologna. They date back at least to the Middle Ages when they were a luxury food for aristocrats’ tables. The name cappelletti means “little hats,” which is what their rounded shape resembles.

Cappelletti can be made either out of circles or squares of dough, which changes their shape slightly, but the folding process is the same. They are most traditionally served in a meat broth, but can also be served in a meat sauce, in gently heated heavy cream, with a simple walnut sauce, or tossed in browned butter with fresh sage. 

Ingredients

For the Filling:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• 1/2 chicken breast, or 4 ounces lean pork

• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

• 1 large egg

• 1 large egg yolk

• 1 pinch freshly grated nutmeg

• 1 pinch lemon zest, optional

• 1 pinch fine sea salt

• 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

For the Pasta:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

• 3 large eggs

• 1 pinch sea salt

Steps to Make It

Make the Filling

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and sauté the chicken.

   

3. Let cool and then cut into small chunks.

   

4. Using a food processor or blender, combine the sautéed chicken, ricotta cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano, whole egg, egg yolk, nutmeg, lemon zest (if using), and salt and pepper to form a fine paste. (If the ricotta is very soft, leave out the egg white and use just 2 yolks instead. If, on the other hand, the mixture is too stiff, add an extra egg yolk.)

   

Make the Pasta

1. Gather the ingredients.

   

2. Make a mound with the flour on your work surface and form a well in the middle.

   

3. Crack the eggs into the center of the well and add the salt.

   

4. Work the eggs and the flour together with your hands until you have a smooth dough, adding just a few drops of water, if necessary, and no more.

   

5. Knead the dough for 10 to 15 minutes, until it is smooth, firm, and quite elastic. Don’t skimp on the kneading or the dough will tear while you’re rolling it out.

   

6. Separate the dough into 2 pieces.

   

7. Flour your work surface (marble countertops are ideal for this, though wood or Formica work as well) and start to roll out the dough, rolling out from the middle, flipping it over occasionally, and flouring it as necessary to keep it from sticking.

   

8. Keep on flipping and rolling until you have a sheet that's almost transparent—as thin as a dime or thinner if you can manage it, as the pasta will almost double in thickness while cooking.

   

Shape the Cappelletti

1. Once you've rolled out a thin sheet of pasta on a well-floured surface, use a round cookie cutter (you could also use a round or square raviolo stamp or a fluted-edge rolling pasta cutter) to cut out 2-inch-diameter circles of dough.

   

2. Place 1 level teaspoon of stuffing in the middle of each circle.

   

3. Using your fingertip or a pastry brush, moisten the edges of the circle with a little water so they will seal.

   

4. Fold the circles in half over the filling to form half moons, pressing down with your fingers to seal the edge.

   

5. Then pull the two corners towards each other, overlapping one over the other, and press down on the tips to help them adhere together. 

   

6. Continue until all of the cappelletti are made.

   

7. Boil the pasta in either broth or water for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on how you'd like to serve the cappelletti, and serve.

   

How to Serve

• To serve in broth, boil in chicken or other meat broth for 3 to 5 minutes until al dente. Serve the cooked pasta in a bowl topped with broth.
• Alternatively, boil the cappelletti in water and serve in a meat sauce or tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Cappelleti vs. Tortellini

Cappelleti are similar to, and often confused with, tortellini, another Northern Italian stuffed pasta. Both are generally made with a meat-and-cheese filling (though sometimes it’s only cheese) and typically served in chicken broth, often on New Year’s Day or as part of a grand Christmas feast or other special celebration. These days, they are a typical Christmas dish throughout Central Italy.

The difference between the two pastas lie in the size (tortellini tend to be smaller, about marble-sized, while cappelletti are usually somewhat larger) and in the folding. A cappelletto resembles a stylish, peaked hat with a round, upturned (sometimes scalloped) brim, while the tortellino looks more like the commonly shaped «flower bud» Chinese wonton dumpling. Cappelletti are also quite similar in shape to the Russian dumplings called pelmeni, though those are larger and have different fillings. 

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 6
Amount per serving
Calories	365
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g	17%
Saturated Fat 6g	31%
Cholesterol 219mg	73%
Sodium 304mg	13%
Total Carbohydrate 39g	14%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 21g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 219mg	17%
Iron 3mg	18%
Potassium 204mg	4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.