Tortelli alla Lastra

02/25/2026

Today we take an ideal journey into the heart of the Tuscan–Romagnolo Apennines, specifically the upper Savio Valley, to discover an ancient dish whose dough resembles piadina and is somewhat similar to Romagna’s crescione: tortelli alla lastra.

Tortelli alla lastra are a traditional street food made from thin sheets of dough encasing a filling of potatoes and sausage. Their name comes from the original cooking method: the tortelli were once cooked directly on a heated stone slab set over the fire. It’s very likely that this dish arrived from afar, brought to the region by barbarian populations after the fall of the Roman Empire and later adopted by shepherds in the Apennines because it was easy to carry while moving flocks during transhumance.

Slightly sweet in flavor and fairly rich, these tortelli, now recognized as a Traditional Agri-Food Product (PAT) in Emilia-Romagna and Tuscany, are made with simple ingredients but require a bit of skill, as the dough must be rolled out extremely thin.

If you want to taste them in the town that has most faithfully preserved this tradition, head to Corezzo, deep in the Tuscan Apennines near the Emilia-Romagna border, where a festival is held each summer dedicated entirely to this irresistible street food. But you can also prepare them at home by following the recipe from our Cesarina Michela of Montelupo Fiorentino: with a little patience and care, you can bring these delicious tortelli to your own table. Their crispy exterior and soft, flavorful filling are sure to disappear in no time!

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Learn how to make Tortelli alla Lastra with Cesarina Michela’s cooking class!

Want to discover all the secrets to preparing tortelli alla lastra to perfection? Join our Cesarina Michela’s cooking lesson: whether you’re a beginner or a seasoned home cook, this class will teach you how to master this traditional mountain specialty and much more!

Discover the course

Tortelli alla lastra

A Tuscan–Romagnolo mountain specialty with thin, crispy dough and a soft, flavorful filling

DifficultyMedium

Preparation time1h 30m

Cooking time7m

Servings6

€

CostLow

Ingredients

All-purpose flour 250 g
Durum wheat semolina 250 g
Lard 1 tablespoon
Baking soda: half a teaspoon
Water and salt to taste
White potatoes 500 g
Sausages 2
Garlic and parsley to taste
Tomato paste 2 teaspoons
Grated cheese (Parmigiano or Tuscan Pecorino) 60 g
Chili pepper, nutmeg, salt, and pepper to taste

Method

For the dough:

Place the sifted flour and semolina on a work surface, forming a well. Add the lard, salt, and start incorporating water with a fork. Knead by hand until the dough becomes smooth and uniform.
Set the dough aside, cover it, and let it rest.

For the filling:

Boil the potatoes whole with their skins in generously salted water.
Once fully cooked, peel them while still warm, mash them, and place them in a bowl.
Finely chop parsley and half a clove of garlic, then sauté them in a pan along with the peeled, crumbled sausage.
Add this mixture, the grated cheese, and the tomato paste to the potatoes and mix well. Season with nutmeg, pepper, chili pepper to taste, and adjust salt as needed.

Preparing the tortelli:

Roll out the dough with a rolling pin until very thin (you should almost see the wood grain of the board). Cut into rectangles of roughly 7×10 cm.
Place the filling on each rectangle, leaving about half a centimeter of space around the edges. Cover with another rectangle of dough and seal the tortello well.
Lay the finished tortelli on a tray dusted with semolina.
Heat a stone slab or a lightly greased nonstick pan and cook the tortelli on both sides, turning often, until crispy and golden.

Cesarina Michela’s tips:

In autumn, you can replace one third of the potatoes with stewed and mashed yellow pumpkin. In this case, add a little extra chili pepper to balance the sweetness.
If you can toast the tortelli on a wood-burning stove top, the way grandmothers once did, the dish will gain an incredibly special flavor!