Cheese and spinach ravioli are small parcels of fresh pasta with a soft cheese and spinach filling and are delicious served with pesto or a sauce of your choice. The ravioli can be made using either egg pasta or spinach pasta depending on your preference. The quantities in this ravioli recipe are sufficient for approximately 3 servings.
Ingredients
For the pasta:
- 200g flour
- 2 eggs
- pinch of salt
- 100g uncooked spinach
For the filling:
- 300g soft cheese such as ricotta or feta cheese
- 130g uncooked spinach
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment needed
- 2 large bowls
- 2 forks
- Saucepan and steamer (optional) to cook the spinach
- Sharp knife
- Pasta machine or rolling pin
- Boards/work surface
How to prepare pasta verde for the ravioli
The instructions below are for pasta verde, but if you are making traditional egg pasta then simply omit the spinach from the pasta ingredients.
Lightly cook the spinach (100g uncooked weight) until it has just wilted, this will only take around a couple of minutes or so to steam. Set aside to cool and then squeeze out all the water. (The spinach for the pasta and the filling (see below) can both be cooked, squeezed and chopped at the same time).
Measure the flour (200g) into a large baking bowl. Break two eggs into the flour and add a pinch of salt. Add the chopped spinach (cooked and squeezed) and salt and pepper to taste.
Mix together with a fork and then finally use you hands to combine the dough into one mass. Divide into three equally sized balls of dough.
If you have a pasta machine take one of the balls of dough and pass it through the thickest setting. Fold the dough over itself and then pass through the machine several more times on the same setting, by this time the dough should be smoother.
Pass the dough through the pasta machine several times reducing the thickness each time until the desired thickness is reached. I find that setting "5" is the best thickness for most recipes including ravioli.
If you don't have a pasta machine then simply roll out the dough to the required thickness using a rolling pin.
How to prepare the filling for cheese and spinach ravioli
Lightly cook the spinach (130g uncooked weight) until it has just wilted and then set aside to cool. When it has cooled, squeeze out all the water. (The spinach for the filling can be cooked, squeezed and chopped at the same time as the spinach for the pasta).
Crumble the cheese (200g) into a large bowl. Add the finely chopped, cooked and squeezed spinach, the lemon zest (from 1 lemon) and a dash of salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork until even.
How to assemble the ravioli
Lay the pasta out on a well floured surface. Trim the edges of the bands of pasta to form long rectangles. Place teaspoonfuls of the filling close to one edge, at intervals, as shown in the photograph below. Dampen the edges of the pasta with water. Separate each ravioli using a sharp knife, fold over to form a parcel and seal the edges with a fork.
The unused trimmed edges of pasta can be passed through the pasta machine again and used to make make more ravioli and avoid waste.
How to cook the ravioli
Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and cook the ravioli for around 3 minutes.
Serve the ravioli with pesto or a light sauce of your choice.
You may also like to try cannelloni, another delicious dish made using fresh pasta.
Tips
- If you don't have a pasta machine then the dough can be rolled out using a rolling pin.
- Keep the pasta dough and work surface/boards well floured to prevent sticking.
- The prepared pasta can be left out in the air to dry. It can also be dried and then frozen. Do not store in the fridge as it will become sticky.
- Serve the ravioli immediately after cooking.
Cheese and spinach ravioli
Equipment
- Pasta machine or rolling pin and board
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 200 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 100 g fresh spinach (uncooked weight)
- 1 pinch salt
For the filling
- 300 g soft cheese (ricotta or feta)
- 130 g fresh spinach (uncooked weight)
- 1 lemon zest
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Instructions
To prepare the pasta
- Omit this stage if you are making traditional egg pasta instead of spinach pasta. If making spinach pasta, lightly cook the spinach for a couple of minutes or so until it has just wilted. Set aside to cool and then squeeze out all the water. (The spinach for the pasta and the filling (see below) can both be cooked, squeezed and chopped together to save time).
- If preparing traditional egg pasta instead of spinach pasta then start with this stage. Measure the flour into a large bowl. Break two eggs into the flour and add a pinch of salt. Add the cooked and chopped spinach and salt and pepper to taste. Mix together with a fork and then finally use you hands to combine the dough into one mass. Divide into three balls of dough.
- If you have a pasta machine take one of the balls of dough and pass it through the thickest setting. Fold the dough over itself and then pass through the machine several more times on the same setting until the dough is smooth.
- Pass the dough through the pasta machine several times reducing the thickness each time until the desired thickness is reached. Repeat with the rest of the dough. Keep the prepared dough well floured so that it does not stick.
- If you don't have a pasta machine then simply roll out the dough several times using a rolling pin, folding it over itself, re-rolling until there are no lumps and then roll to the required thickness.
To prepare the filling
- Lightly cook the spinach until it has just wilted, set aside to cool and then squeeze out all the water. (The spinach for the filling can be cooked, squeezed and chopped at the same time as the spinach for the pasta if you are making pasta verde).
- Crumble the cheese into a large bowl. Add the finely chopped, cooked and squeezed spinach, the lemon zest and a pinch of salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork.
To assemble
- Lay the pasta out on a well floured surface. Trim the edges of the bands of pasta to form long rectangles. Place teaspoonfuls of the filling close to one edge, at intervals. Dampen the edges of the pasta with water. Separate each ravioli using a sharp knife, fold over to form a parcel and seal the edges with a fork. The unused trimmed edges of pasta can be passed through the pasta machine again and used to make make more ravioli and avoid waste.
To cook
- Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the ravioli for around 3 minutes. Drain and serve hot with a sauce of your choice.
Nutrition
Gina Abernathy
I usually buy cheese and spinach ravioli but after trying this recipe--never again will I buy it from a store. This was so easy to make and it tastes so much better.