I know it seems like a lot of effort to make spinach and ricotta ravioli from scratch when you could get pretty good stuff right out of a packet. Time to do some myth-busting.
Firstly, it’s surprisingly pretty easy to make spinach and ricotta ravioli from scratch. You only need seven ingredients (that’s counting salt, pepper, and olive oil), and it comes together quickly, especially if you can get some helping hands to roll out the dough. I’m not going to lie, it’s probably a bit of a struggle to make it with a rolling pin, but if you have a pasta machine then it is time to whip that dusty contraption out from wherever it’s hiding and put it into use.
Secondly, the stuff out of a packet is not in the same league as homemade ravioli. With homemade ravioli, you make a tasty, rich egg dough encasing a tender and tasty filling that has no preservatives. It’s fresh, it’s simple, and it’s unbelievably tasty.
I know the title of this blog post is spinach and ricotta ravioli, but I want to make it clear that pretty much anything green can be substituted for spinach. Okay, that’s a tiny bit of an exaggeration – please don’t throw lettuce into the mix! I’ve found that a mixture of amaranth leaves, spinach, rape, and fresh moringa is wonderfully tasty and adds lots of extra vitamins and minerals. Go crazy with the greens, but just make sure the total mass, with big stalks removed, is still about 500g and you should be good.
Our vegetable garden offers lots of greens to experiment with:
How to Make the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli
How ‘from scratch’ are you willing to go? I made my ricotta cheese from scratch, and I can highly recommend doing that – it’ll only take about 30 minutes. Here’s the recipe. Once you decide whether to make or buy the cheese, we can move on to the rest of the steps.
Making the Pasta Dough
To make the pasta dough, pour the cake flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Create a well in the centre using your hand, and crack 5 eggs into it. Using the kneading attachment, knead the dough for about 3 minutes then assess its dryness. If the dough hasn’t come together and it looks like there is still a lot of flour, add some more egg. Do this bit by bit by beating an egg in a small bowl first. Add just enough egg so that the dough comes together in a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until soft and homogeneous. It’ll be a lovely yellow colour.
Of course, you can do this all by hand, but if you do have a stand mixer I recommend using it because this is a sticky business.
Once you’re happy with your dough, wrap it in cling film and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. If you have made the dough a few hours ahead, you can store it in the fridge for now.
Making the Spinach Filling
While your dough is resting, wash the spinach in a basin of water, then transfer it directly to a large pot. The excess water from washing will help steam the spinach. If you like, you can drizzle the spinach with a bit of olive oil.
Boil the spinach with the lid closed until wilted, then drain it and allow it to cool down. Once it is cool enough, squeeze it forcefully between your hands to rid it of as much moisture as possible, then transfer it to a food processor.
Add the remaining egg, the ricotta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, then process until a relatively fine and smooth mixture forms.
Assembling & Cooking the Ravioli
Since you have quite a lot of dough, divide it into quarters.
If you’re using a pasta machine, you should aim to get the dough to about the second-thinnest setting. Your dough should be slightly transparent, but not so fragile that it breaks.
To achieve this, lightly dust the dough with cake flour so that it does not stick. Put it through the widest setting a few times, folding it over each time. Gradually make the setting narrower and narrower, until the desired thickness is reached. Place the long sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface. Each sheet should be about the width of the pasta machine, and it doesn’t matter how long.
If you’re using a rolling pin, lightly flour the surface and roll out long, thin sheets of the dough.
Once you’ve rolled out all of your dough, scoop little teaspoons of the spinach filling onto the sheets of dough. Place the little mounds about 1 cm from one of the long edges of the sheet of dough, and leave about 2 cm between the little mounds. This will allow you to simply fold over the dough to form the ravioli.
Dip a little pastry brush into some water, and lightly brush the edges of the sheet of dough, and the lines between the mounds of dough (perpendicular to the long edge of the sheet of dough). Fold over one long end to meet the other long end, and use your fingers to press the ends together and seal them. Then, use a finger to seal the space between the mounds of filling, so that you have a long row of little closed pockets. Use a knife to cut the ravioli apart. Repeat until all the filling is used up.
If you have extra dough, like I had, then cut it into long strips to make fettuccine. You can hang this on a washing line, and when dry, store it – your homemade pasta. We gobbled this up with some bolognese later that week, but you can store it for longer when it’s dry.
Okay, you’re on the home stretch now. Boil a large pot of water, and add 1 teaspoon of salt to it. Add the ravioli and boil for about 4-6 minutes. You might want to taste one to see if it’s ready. Don’t boil them too vigorously, or the ravioli will pop open. Drain, and serve hot.
How to Serve the Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli
When I made spinach and ricotta ravioli for dinner, my mom made a rich Napoletana sauce that I simply threw the cooked ravioli into. That was very delicious.
Another simpler option is to simply drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with Parmesan. This is what I did with the ravioli I photographed the next day and it was yummy because it allowed the delicate flavour of the ravioli to take centre stage.
Also, yes, that is why the ravioli in my photographs look a wee bit misshapen. I promise yours will look neat and pretty. Mine got misshapen after storing the ravioli uncooked in the fridge (so that I could photograph them in the light of the following day) because the filling is quite moist and it made the dough a bit sticky. Cook them all in one go, and if you have leftovers then store them cooked. I would take a bet that freezing them works well, but I haven’t tried it so I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Delicate, tender, tasty ravioli that are as fresh as can be. With just 7 ingredients, this ravioli is easier to make than you might think. Making the Pasta Dough Pour the cake flour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Create a well in the center and crack 5 eggs into it. Using the kneading attachment, knead the dough for about 3 minutes then assess its dryness. If the dough hasn’t come together and it looks like there is still a lot of flour, add some more egg. Do this bit by bit by beating the egg in a small bowl first. Add just enough egg so that the dough comes together in a ball. Knead the dough for 10 minutes, until soft and homogeneous. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes. If you have made the dough a few hours ahead, you can store it in the fridge for now. Making the Spinach & Ricotta Filling In the meantime, wash the spinach in a basin of water, then transfer it directly to a large pot. The excess water from washing will help steam the spinach. If you like, you can drizzle the spinach with a bit of olive oil. Boil the spinach with the lid on for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until wilted. Drain the spinach and allow it to cool down. Once it is cool enough, squeeze it forcefully between your hands to rid it of as much moisture as possible, then transfer it to a food processor. Add 1 egg, the ricotta cheese, and salt and pepper to taste, then process until a relatively fine and smooth mixture forms. Assembling the Ravioli Since you’re working with a large amount of dough, first divide it into four bits. You want your dough to be slightly transparent, but not so fragile that it breaks. Either roll out the dough with a rolling pin, or use a pasta machine. If using a pasta machine, your aim is to get the dough to about the second-thinnest setting. Lightly dust the dough with cake flour so that it does not stick. Put it through the widest setting a few times, folding it after each time. Gradually make the setting narrower and narrower, until the desired thickness is reached. Place the long sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface. Each sheet should be about the width of the pasta machine, and it doesn’t matter how long. If you’re using a rolling pin, try and achieve a simpler shape - long and narrow. Make sure you put enough flour on the counter so that the dough doesn’t stick. Once you’ve rolled out all of your dough, scoop little teaspoons of the spinach filling onto the sheets of dough. Place the little mounds about 1 cm from one of the long edges of the sheet of dough, and leave about 2 cm between the little mounds. Dip a little pastry brush into some water, and lightly brush the edges of the sheet of dough, and the lines between the mounds of dough (perpendicular to the long edge of the sheet of dough). Fold over one long end to meet the other long end, and use your fingers to press the ends together and seal them. Then, use a finger to seal the space between the mounds of filling, so that you have a long row of little closed pockets. Use a knife to cut the raviolis apart. Repeat until all the filling is used up. If you have extra dough, like I had, then cut it into long strips to make fettuccine. You can hang this on a washing line, and when dry store it - your own homemade pasta. Boiling & Serving the Ravioli Boil a large pot of water, and add 1 teaspoon of salt. Add the ravioli and boil for about 4-6 minutes. You might want to taste one to see if it’s ready. Don’t boil too vigorously, or the ravioli will pop open. Drain the ravioli. Serve with olive oil and Parmesan, or mix the ravioli into a previously warmed pasta sauce, like Napoletana. *If you can get a selection of greens, that’s a win. I like a mixture of amaranth leaves, spinach, rape, and fresh moringa. Just make sure the total mass, with big stalks removed, is still about 500g.Spinach & Ricotta Ravioli (From Scratch)
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