I may be the one with an Italian American family, but my husband is the pasta maker in our house. He has conquered pasta dough and makes seriously delicious homemade noodles and ravioli. Since starting business school, he makes it less than he used to, but we can forgive him for that.

I gifted him a pasta book for Christmas and he recently made a recipe which involved making a brodo with mushrooms as one of the components of the recipe. He used a small amount of what he made and I snatched up the remainder. I saved the mushrooms used in the broth, chopped them up, and added some mascarpone and parmesan. I then filled store bought wonton wrappers with the mushroom mixture and served it in the brodo. Homemade brodo and tortellini in practically no time!

I have since altered the Brodo recipe for my tastes, but I kept the tortellini basically the same. I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! I will say one of the best parts of this recipe is the smell that fills the house while the Brodo is simmering.

Tortellini Stuffed with Mascarpone and Mushrooms in Brodo
Serves 4

Brodo
12 cups water
2 tablespoons vegetable "bouillon" base (ie. Better Than Bouillon)
10 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
½ sweet onion
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig oregano

Tortellini
12 oz package square wonton wraps
1 cup white mushrooms (from Brodo)
8 oz mascarpone
1 teaspoon parmesan
salt and pepper, for seasoning

Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat. Once hot, place the half onion, sliced side down on the skillet and cook for 10 minutes. It should be blackened when done. In a large pot, add the water and bouillon base and whisk to combine. Add the rest of your ingredients and carefully stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and let the pot simmer for approximately 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, remove the mushrooms with a slotted spoon or skimmer. Set the mushrooms aside. Strain the remaining broth, discarding the remaining vegetables and herbs. Place the broth back in the large pot once strained.

Place the mushrooms on a cutting board and mince. Let the mushrooms cool down for about 5 - 10 minutes. Add the mascarpone to a medium sized bowl and add the cooled mushrooms and parmesan. Carefully stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

To assemble, lay out a wonton wrapper with the point towards you (diamond shaped). Add a heaping teaspoon to the center. Using a pastry brush, wet the bottom two sides closest to you. Grab the point furthest from you and fold over towards the point closest to you. Press down to seal the sides. Now wet the two furthest points and bring them together. Press to seal. See the picture above for an example.

Bring the brodo back to a boil. Carefully add the tortellini to the brodo and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Serve in bowls and enjoy!