Tortellini

Fresh tortellini usually take 2–4 minutes in gently boiling salted water; dried ones take longer, so follow the packet time. They are ready when they float and the pasta is tender, with the filling piping hot.

Use plenty of boiling water and stir gently as soon as you add them. Drain promptly, then toss with sauce; rinsing washes away the starch that helps the sauce cling.

Yes. Put frozen tortellini straight into boiling water and cook until tender and piping hot in the centre, allowing a few extra minutes compared with fresh pasta. Avoid thawing them first, as they can stick or split.

Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate in a covered container and eat within 2 days. Reheat once until steaming hot throughout, adding a splash of water or sauce to keep the pasta from drying out.

Cream, butter and sage work particularly well with cheese-filled tortellini; tomato sauce or pesto are easy alternatives. Add the cooked pasta to the sauce for its final minute so it picks up the flavour.

Tortellini in brodo is a classic way to serve them: simmer the pasta in clear meat broth and serve it hot. You can also bake cooked tortellini with tomato sauce and cheese, or add them to a vegetable soup.

Yes, ravioli work in most recipes, but their larger, flatter shape can make them more delicate to stir and they may need a different cooking time. Tortellini ravioli have 302 kcal per 100 g, compared with 302 kcal for tortellini.

A 200 g cooked portion provides 24 g of protein. The amount in a serving depends on how much pasta you eat and the filling.