How to Make Italian Beef Ravioli, Step by Step

Don't be intimidated by the title! Making homemade beef ravioli is so simple once you have the right tools. Roll out some fresh ravioli dough and you'll be eating a ravioli dinner in about an hour! A classic Italian meat ravioli filling the whole family will love...or make it a ravioli party with some homemade cheese ravioli or butternut squash ravioli!

Why is it that ordering ravioli in a restaurant can make you feel like a kid again? Is it just me? And why is it that the idea of making homemade ravioli (especially beef ravioli) feels like a challenge only a real Italian chef can handle?

No worries! Making ravioli for Christmas is a family activity and watching my grandma and her sisters make ravioli when I was younger is a memory I'll have forever.

Making meat ravioli at home is not only a simple process and it doesn't take all day either! Follow these easy tips and you could be scarfing down homemade meat ravioli in about an hour.

➠ If you're not into meat ravioli but looove vegetable or cheese ravioli, you might really like this ricotta ravioli filling or this yummy roasted butternut squash ravioli filling. And don't forget the ravioli dough!

Let's demystify homemade beef ravioli...what's in it?

Here's what you need to make an amazing classic meat ravioli filling that's layered with lots of flavor.

Beef ravioli filling ingredients

Basics

• Ground beef. I prefer 80-85% for the most flavor.
• Ground pork.
• Egg. My grandma Josie's recipe (or more likely, her sister, Aunt Rosie's recipe) had egg whites in it and it makes the filling so light!
• Greens like Swiss chard or spinach (or a combo of both!)

Flavor makers

• White wine. A little bit will do it and adds the right amount of acid and flavor!
• Cheese. Pecorino Romano is the cheese of choice here. Grated fresh. Always
• Garlic. Gram used powdered garlic believe it or not but you can use fresh garlic for sure especially if your mincing the meat.

Techniques to make really good beef ravioli filling

The goal is to make a beef ravioli with a filling that is moist, rich, light and stays inside when you boil it.

Easy, right? YESSS!

There are a couple of schools of thoughts on making meat ravioli filling.

• Method #1. You can cook all the ingredients first, then blend into a smooth tight paste in a food processor before filling the ravioli.
• Method #2. You blend everything together first (in a bowl), fill the ravioli and then the filling cooks while the pasta cooks.

For this meat ravioli filling recipe, we'll use Method #1.

Equipment Needed

For the ravioli dough

The equipment we're using to make meat ravioli is:

• a stand mixer. My tried and true is the KitchenAid Pro-Line 7 qt. Stand Mixer.
• a pasta machine or pasta roller attachment for your mixern (shown above). I use the pasta attachment for the KitchenAid mixer.

(Wink, wink: either of those make a beautiful gift for the avid pasta maker (or baker) in your life)

For the meat filling

Two options:

• Food processor. You can use a food processor fitted with a smaller bowl (like 4-6 cups) (but not as small as the mini prep processors). The one shown here is the Magimix 14 cup food processor and it comes with 3 different sized bowls.
• If you don't have a food processor, you're going to want to use a really sharp knife and a cutting board to mince the meat as finely as possible.

To cook the ravioli

• A medium to large stockpot
• A skimmer or Chinese strainer or a pasta fork

Ravioli dough options

Make your own easy ravioli dough.

1. This ravioli dough recipe is a tried and true dough that isn't too thick and allows the meat filling to shine through.
2. Or make a batch of this homemade pasta dough recipe (the main difference between the two is there is semolina flour along with "00" flour (pasta/pizza flour) in the homemade pasta dough recipe.

NOTE: you can use store-bought pasta dough to make ravioli.

How to make Italian beef ravioli

Alrighty...let's get to handcrafting some ravioli!

• In a large skillet, saute onion in a combination of butter and olive oil. Add in garlic and saute for about 30 seconds (far left).
• Add in ground meats and brown until completely cooked, about 8 minutes or so (middle). Add in a handful of greens and cook down for a couple of minutes.
• Process the beef ravioli filling in a food processor until crumbly, about 15 pulses. Add in the slices of bread/breadcrumbs, Romano cheese, and seasoning.
• Gently fold in egg whites and pulse 2 times.

Don't have a food processor?

Two tips:

1. Finely mince the meat as you brown it by using a flat wooden paddle or edge of a wooden spoon.
2. Use breadcrumbs as opposed to slices of white bread so you get a filling with a finer texture.

How to fill meat ravioli so it doesn't burst

Here are some tips to filling beef ravioli that doesn't burst:

• Use a ravioli stamp to space out where the filling will go along the strip of dough
• Place a teaspoon of dough in the center of each ravioli. You don't want too much filling so the ravioli doesn't burst.
• Seal around each ravioli with water using a brush (or a clean finger) to help insure that the ravioli won’t split.

• Fold over the dough to cover the filling and press around the filling to seal off any air pockets.
• Sealing tool. Whether you use a ravioli stamp or a ravioli mold (which comes with a little roller that simultaneously seals and cuts the ravioli 12 at a time), make sure to press firmly to seal the meat ravioli.

How long does it take to boil fresh ravioli?

3-5 minutes! Yup that's it!

-Josie + Nina

Serving, Storage and Freezing

Make ravioli the same day you plan to cook it. Lay the ravioli on a floured baking sheet and refrigerated covered with plastic wrap for a few hours

Freeze ravioli. Lay the ravioli on a floured baking sheet in a single layer and freeze until firm. Transfer to a freezer safe plastic bag. Can be frozen for up to 3 months. 

Thaw.  No need to thaw before cooking!

📖 Recipe