Cheese and spinach ravioli are small parcels of fresh pasta with a cheese and spinach filling and pair well with a variety of sauces.
This stuffed pasta recipe can be made using either egg pasta or spinach pasta.
Cheese and spinach ravioli makes a tasty vegetarian lunch or dinner when served with a sauce such as homemade tomato sauce or pesto. It also pairs well with olive bread or homemade focaccia rolls.
The quantities in this ravioli recipe are sufficient for 2 servings as part of a main course.
Ingredients for the pasta
- 200g flour
- 2 eggs
- A pinch of salt
Ingredients for the ravioli filing
- 300g soft cheese - such as ricotta or feta cheese
- 130g spinach - uncooked weight
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt and pepper
Prepare the pasta
Place the flour, eggs and salt in a bowl.
Mix together with a fork and then finally use you hands to combine the dough into one mass. Divide into four 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 ravioli.
If you don't have a pasta machine then simply roll out the dough using a rolling pin.
Prepare the ravioli filling
Lightly cook the spinach until it has just wilted and leave to cool. Squeeze out all the water and finely chop.
Crumble the cheese into a large bowl. Add the finely chopped, cooked and squeezed spinach, the lemon zest and some salt and pepper. Mix together with a fork.
Assemble the ravioli
Lay the pasta out on a 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.
Any unused trimmed edges of pasta can be passed through the pasta machine again and used to make more ravioli.
How to cook ravioli
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Cook the ravioli for around 3 minutes. Drain and then serve.
Serving ideas
- Serve with homemade tomato sauce.
- Toss in a mixture of pesto, lemon juice and lemon zest similar to this recipe for roast vegetable pesto pasta.
- Serve in melted butter with sage and pine nuts.
- Bake in the oven with tomato sauce and topped with cheese.
Storage instructions
- Ravioli can be stored on a well floured board in a cool kitchen or in the fridge for around a couple of hours. Do not store in the fridge in a sealed container such as a tub or bag as the pasta is likely to go soggy.
- Ravioli is ideal for freezing. Place on a board in the freezer and then transfer to a sealed plastic storage bag once it is frozen. Cook the ravioli from frozen. Use within one month.
Tips
- If you don't have a pasta machine the dough can be rolled out using a rolling pin.
- Keep the pasta dough and work surface/boards well floured to prevent sticking.
Other pasta recipes
- Vegetable pesto pasta35 Minutes
- Sweet potato gnocchi (Italian dumplings)55 Minutes
- Cheese and spinach cannelloni2 Hours 18 Minutes
- Pasta with eggs and asparagus (scrambled egg pasta)30 Minutes
Cheese and spinach ravioli
Ingredients
For the pasta
- 200 g flour
- 2 eggs
- 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
Prepare the pasta
- Mix together with a fork and then finally use you hands to combine the dough into one mass. Divide into four 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 ravioli.
- If you don't have a pasta machine then simply roll out the dough using a rolling pin.
Prepare the filling
- Lightly cook the spinach until it has just wilted and leave to cool. Squeeze out all the water and finely chop.
- 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.
Notes
- Serve with homemade tomato sauce.
- Toss in a mixture of pesto, lemon juice and lemon zest.
- Serve in melted butter with sage and pine nuts.
- Bake in the oven with tomato sauce and topped with cheese.
- Ravioli can be stored on a well floured board in a cool kitchen or in the fridge for around a couple of hours. Do not store in the fridge in a sealed container such as a tub or bag as the pasta is likely to go soggy.
- Ravioli is ideal for freezing. Place on a board in the freezer and then transfer to a sealed plastic storage bag once it is frozen. Cook the ravioli from frozen. Use within one month.
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.