Homemade butternut squash tortellini with a decadent parmesan cream sauce... oh my gosh! For some reason Winter just makes me crave rich foods and this dish really hits the spot. Don't be intimidated by making tortellini from scratch - it's easier than it looks and if you've ever made pasta from scratch and enjoy it, this recipe is for you. The first time you do it is a little time consuming so maybe pick a Sunday afternoon or a day you have more time to do it. The first few may come out a little wonky but once you get the hang of it it's a breeze!The filling comes together very quickly in the food processor. Only a few ingredients and some quick pulses and you're good to go.Also - this is my shortcut to making pasta dough. I actually throw it all in a food processor and pulse a few times and then kneed. I think it cuts out at least 5 minutes of kneading time which is a lot if your (weak ass) arms get tired like mine... no joke.Here is the pasta machine I have. It's simple, relatively cheap and get's the job done. Again I prefer this then rolling it out with one of those rolling pins because I'm lazy and once again, weak arms.I love the butternut squash and ricotta filling but you can substitute this for whatever you'd like - maybe short ribs or something meaty! For now let's stick with this vegetarian dish.. only a few ingredients for every component and you'll have a beautiful dish before you know it!One last note... this makes a lot of tortellini - I didn't count how many I made but I actually had plenty of leftover filling which you can freeze and make down the road for another batch! You can also freeze some of the actual tortellini assuming you're not eating 50 on your own that night by lining them up on a plate and setting it in the freezer for 20 minutes and once frozen, throwing them in a bag and storing them frozen.INGREDIENTS:PASTA DOUGH2 cups flour3 eggstbs olive oilsaltFILLING2 cups cooked butternut squash 1/2 cup ricotta1/2 onion sagesalt & pepperSAUCE1/4 cup parmesan1/2 cup heavy creamreserved pasta waterblack peppersageMETHOD:

Begin the dough by measuring 2 cups of flour and a pinch of salt in your food processor. Add one egg at a time and pulse a few times until it's coated in the egg. Add a drizzle of olive oil and give it 3 more pulses - do not over process!
Take the mixture down and set it down on a floured counter top. Kneed the dough for about 5 minutes until you have a smooth golden ball. Let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
While the dough is resting, make your filling. Chop half an onion up and saute in 2 tablespoons of butter with a few sage leaves until the onion is very soft. If you need to add a little water or white wine to speed up the process feel free. Once onion is fully cooked and has cooled, throw it in the food processor with the butternut squash, ricotta and salt and pepper and pulse until it's a nice texture - not fully pureed but not chunky either. TASTE the mixture! Add salt or pepper and adjust to your taste. Set aside.
roll out dough so that it can begin fitting in your setting of your pasta machine. Put it through setting 0 a few times until it's smooth and begins taking a nice rectangular shape. Go all the way up to 7 to make a beautiful smooth, thin pasta sheet.
Take your pasta sheet and begin cutting 2 inch squares. Once you have all your little squares, put a small dollop of you filling in the center and take your finger and dab water along the edges of the square. Fold it in half in a triangle, seal it tightly without air, and then wrap it around your finger (see above photos). Repeat until all your dough is gone.
Once your tortellini are filled, bring a large pot of salted water up to a boil and toss your little guys in there. While they're cooking, heat butter in a separate sauce pan and fry the sage leaves in there. Once they're nice and crisp add your cream and whisk in the parmesan. When the tortellini are floating, toss them in your saucepan and coat them with the sauce.
Serve with extra parmesan and voila! Enjoy.

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