In my Region of Italy (Lazio), it is not really common to make ravioli. But if they do make it, it’s always Spinach Ricotta Ravioli! I was shown how to make it during a fun Ravioli Making Party hosted by a very talented Italian cook. We made hundreds of these little ravioli for a party the next day. You can ready that article and how to make a large batch for a big group by clicking here,
I developed this recipe for a series of online cooking classes that I started this year! You can try it out yourself or ask me about joining a class.
Dough Ingredients:
- 2 cups of flour (plus extra flour for dusting the board)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1/3 cup of water (Use only as needed)
Dough Instructions:
- Pour the flour onto a working surface like a wooden board or solid surface countertop.
- Form a “volcano” by making an intention in the mound of flour.
- Crack the three eggs into the “volcano”, add salt and whisk with a fork, slowly bringing in the flour sides until you can start to work the dough. As soon as the dough is crumbly and shaggy start to add a little water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, each time making another “crater” in the crumbly dough and adding it in. Depending on the size of your eggs you may do this a couple of times. It depends on how big your eggs are, how much water you must add.
- Keep kneading until the dough is smooth and elastic and springs back when you poke it with your finger. (About 5-10 minutes) Place the dough into a plastic container with a tight fitting lid. (This step helps the dough get softer so you can roll it out easier.)
Filling Ingredients:
- 1 cup Ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 cup cooked chopped Spinach, gently squeeze to remove all moisture
- Pinch Nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon Salt
Filling Instructions:
Add all ingredients together and combine until smooth, set aside
Marinara Sauce:
- 1 can diced tomatoes (12 ounces/400 grams/ 2 cups, fresh tomatoes are ok too)
- 1 can tomato sauce (12 ounces/400 grams/ 2 cups )
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 onion chopped finely
- Several basil leaves torn (or 1/2 teaspoon dried basil)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Sauce Instructions:
- Heat oil in a sauce pan, add crushed garlic clove, saute slowly, don’t overly brown it, just a hint of golden color. Remove the garlic from the pan
- Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- Add the diced tomatoes, salt and basil, and add the garlic back in, cook until saucy, about 5 minutes, add the tomato sauce and continue to cook another 10 minutes. Remove from heat
Equipment Recommended:*
- Ravioli pin (can be ordered on Amazon)
- Ravioli cutter
- Rolling pin
Equipment Required:
- Working surface, I use a wooden board, if you have solid surface counters that works too!
- Bowl and spoon for the filling
- Mid size plastic container with a lid (for the dough)
- Fork
- Knife
- Spatula
- Dinner plate (for the ravioli)
- Wax paper cut into (2) 8”x8” pieces
- Large pot for boiling the pasta
- Pasta spoon or large slotted spoon or mesh scoop (or a colander for draining the pasta)
Instructions on Assembling the Ravioli:
Method for using a Ravioli Pin: (for pasta machine method see * note at the end of article)
- Cut the dough in half, flour your surface and start to roll it out. It should form a diameter of about 16” and be the thickness of a dime.
- Fold the circle of dough in half and mark the center line.
- Spread the filling out on half the dough only, where you marked the center fold.
- Keep the filling thin, about 1/4”, if it is too thick it will bust the ravioli.
- Cover the filling by folding the dough back over to form a half circle.
- Line the ravioli pin up on the dough and roll out the squares.
- Cut the ravioli with the zigzag cutter.
- with a spatula, scoop up,the ravioli and place on a wax paper dinner plate or cookie sheet
- If you will be freezing a portion, you can fill a plastic container, placing wax paper between the layers of ravioli. Otherwise they will stick together in one mass!
Cooking Instructions:
- Heat water to boiling, add 1 Tablespoon salt and the ravioli and cook until they float, just a few minutes will do it.
- If you are serving the Ravioli “family style”, in a large serving bowl, heat the bowl by placing it on top of the pot of boiling pasta while it is still cooking.
- Remove the hot bowl from the boiling pot and spoon a little of the sauce in the heated serving bowl
- With a pasta spoon or large slotted spoon, spoon a layer of ravioli into the bowl and top with sauce then repeat. This technique was shown to me by an excellent Italian cook. This will keep the pasta from becoming a jumbled up mess, as these ravioli can be quite fragile. Resist the urge to dump them into a large colander to drain.
- If you are serving it just for two, you can serve it up in small shallow pasta bowls.
*If you are using a pasta machine Instructions:
Method with a Pasta Machine:
- Follow the instruction of the machine,
- Usually, you would cut the dough ball in fourths, then start the pasta machine on the thickest setting, you would roll the ravioli through the machine, keep adding flour and reducing the thickness of the machine as you keep passing the dough through until you have reached the thickness desired, in this case 1/8” or the thickness of a dime.
- It is not really useful to use the ravioli pin at this stage since the dough is in a long strip. Instead you will place small spoonfuls of filling onto the strip of dough and then fold the dough back over, pressing with your fingers to seal it. You may need to use a little water between the layers of dough to get a good seal. Use the cutter to fully seal and cut the ravioli.
