Is tortellini healthy?

The answer to the question- is tortellini healthy? Is YES.

Tortellini is a kind of pasta that offers many health benefits and provides energy. Pasta is generally among the top choices for the source of carbohydrates in a meal. It is made usually from grain (a basic healthy diet food group that includes fruits, veggies, poultry, and fish). Tortellini can provide you with fiber too if it is made from whole wheat. Tortellini is so popular that it has an annual day completely dedicated to it; National Tortellini Day.

What is Tortellini?

Tortellini pasta originated in Italy, in the region of Emilia. Tortellini is derived from the word Tortello which means ‘stuffed cake’. The Roman goddess, Venus’s navel is the inspiration for the Tortellini’s shape. It is navel or ring-shaped. This pasta can be identified by its resemblance with a wanton or a croissant. The hollow part is filled with cheese (parmesan) or meat like pork or prosciutto.

Why Tortellini is healthy?

Let us learn about the nutritional values of Tortellini:

The fitness enthusiasts might be keen to learn if Tortellini is healthy. Pasta alone does not determine the whole health factor but it is depending on the filling, sauce, and type/brand. Whole grain tortellini can help you with stomach issues and might help in lowering cholesterol.

Let us have a look at the basic nutritional values of tortellini.

This data is based on one serving (108 grams cup). Tortellini contains a high calorie- 331 calories, lower fat content- 7.8 grams, and good protein content- 14.6 grams.

Tortellini is filling in nature which means it can satisfy your hunger pangs and curb the desire for eating for a very long period of time.

Thus, if you are looking forward to your muscle growth, you should absolutely choose tortellini as it is evident from the data that it has a low fat content and contains high protein.

Tortellini nutritional facts

Some of the nutritional facts of several tortellini brands are:

Types of fillings that can be used.

The fillings in Tortellini can increase the intake of fat. Thus, we should consider the filling very important while purchasing or preparing tortellini. You can even increase tortellini’s nutritional content by choosing and adding fillings with more health benefits. To not add up to any more calories you should choose low-calorie fillings like spinach, zucchini, butternut, lobster, squash, etc. If you wish to gain more muscle you can use high protein fillings like pork, beef, or chicken.

Traditional fillings used for tortellini are; pork loin, prosciutto, spicy sausage, carrots, parmesan cheese, and pumpkin.

For making the sauce for tortellini you can use vegetable or meat broth (a classic recipe) which is very healthy.

Can we use sides with tortellini pasta?

To increase the health benefits of tortellini you can choose a side salad to pair up with it. Food enthusiasts might argue that tortellini pair best with garlic bread but garlic bread add to your fats and calories that render your pasta unhealthy. If you want to increase your garlic bread’s nutritional value then make a healthier version by choosing oat bread, whole wheat bread, or sourdough, and you have to reduce the oil and butter in it. Other healthy alternatives can be, garlic tortillas, kale chips, garlic popcorn, etc.

What are the benefits of tortellini?

• Tortellini is affordable

The basic ingredients to make tortellini at home or if it is store-bought are, water, flour, salt, and eggs. Tortellini is something that can fill your belly for a long time without digging a hole in your pocket.

• Tortellini is versatile

You can experiment according to your health requirements. It can be served as a side dish, a starter, or even the main course. You can side it with a healthy bowl of salad and whole wheat garlic bread.

• Tortellini is very easy to make

Tortellini takes less time to boil as it is very thin and cooks within a few minutes. Toss the tortellini with your favorite fillings and broth and enjoy your meal.

• Whole grain tortellini can help you with stomach problems and can protect you against colon or stomach cancer.
• Researches show that carbohydrates do not keep any person from reducing weight (if you do not overdo eating). People who have portion-controlled carbs have a lower BMI (body mass index). If you side your tortellini with veggies and good protein then even better. Thus, it can even help you to lose weight if consumed within portions.
• Tortellini does not have much salt. Salt plays a role in increasing blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases, and many more. You will have to make sure that your sauce or fillings contain a low amount of salt too.
• Tortellini is very low in fat content. Tortellini has around seven grams of fat (in one cup) per serving considering you do not put excess cheese, butter, or olive oil in your sauce. Parmesan cheese and tortellini go hand in hand but you need to keep the sprinkle of parmesan cheese to its bare minimum.
• Tortellini has a low GI (glycemic index) which is the measure of sugar in your bloodstream. Thus, low GI ensures low chances of obesity and diabetes. Tortellini can be a great choice for diabetic and obese people (keeping the portion in control). The meat filling, parmesan cheese (minimum), and broth can fill you up quite well with very few calorie intakes.
• Tortellini pasta can be stored in your freezer or shelf for months. Thus, the shelf life is very high.
• Tortellini is gluten-free. Choose the filling and the sides wisely if you want a gluten-free meal.

Conclusion

On a healthy diet? Well, Tortellini is a great carbohydrate source and if filled with the right filling and paired with a healthy broth, it can be a go-to food for all the health freaks. It has a wide variety for the choice of fillings which gives you the liberty to experiment with it in your kitchen. Though it is traditionally filled with pork or parmesan cheese and served in meat broth. Start binging on tortellini with your choice of sauce and filling.

I hope you found this article on ‘is tortellini healthy‘, helpful.

Happy experimenting with your tortellini and happy eating!