In my Italian cooking chronicling, there is one thing I hear from time to time that always catches me off guard. It’s this: “I don’t like ravioli. I don’t see the point of it; it never tastes like anything.”
My childhood memory of watching my aunts and grandma Josie roll out tables-full of handmade meat ravioli is strong. But —I get it. Not everyone has that experience. And if the only impression of ravioli one has is from a restaurant or the freezer case, I can see the point.
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When it comes to ravioli, if you can’t taste the filling, why is it even there? That is why I set out to make a spinach ravioli filling that stands out through the simplest of tomato and butter sauces but is equally comfortable sharing the spotlight with a light and creamy Alfredo sauce.
The sauce complements the ravioli, not the other way around.
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The secret to flavorful spinach ravioli filling
I won’t waste a lot of time sharing the secret: it’s quick sauteed spinach.
Flash cooking the spinach with garlic adds oodles of flavor and a big pop of leafy green color to my creamy ricotta cheese ravioli base. The whole recipe comes together very quickly with cooling the spinach the longest time needed.
Here’s what’s in it.
Garlic spinach ravioli ingredient stand outs
- Fresh spinach leaves. A whole 10 oz. container. This isn’t a time to use frozen spinach. The filling will just end up watery and bland.
- Whole milk ricotta cheese. Richer in flavor and creamier in texture than part-skim ricotta. If the super smooth ricotta con latte is available, that is also a great choice.
- Garlic. Fresh whole cloves that are minced by hand and not pressed (yes I’m kind of bossy about chopping garlic by hand).
- Fresh grated parmesan cheese. If you think I’m bossy about garlic, you’ve seen nothing. Please grate parmesan by hand, by food processor or with your Vitamix; don’t use pre-grated cheese out of a can or container. The end.
Flavor boosters
Lemon and nutmeg bring the “what’s that flavor?” factor and each add surprising brightness and depth to the spinach ricotta ravioli.
Pro tip
Trim any long stems from the spinach leaves before sauteeing. They won’t cook down and you’ll end up with stringy stems in your ravioli filling.
How to make spinach ravioli filling
Before getting started… make a batch of sturdy homemade ravioli dough that won’t burst as it cooks. Nothing worse than errant ravioli filling floating in the pasta water and sticking to the ravioli when it’s drained.
Cook time
Spinach ravioli cooks in about 3 minutes in a bubbling pot of salted water. The only thing to be cooked is the pasta which happens quickly and the filling is already “cooked”.
Favorite sauces for spinach filled ravioli
So many to choose from in addition to the two simple pasta sauces mentioned above! While I love a rich, slow cooked tomato sauce, a peppery vodka sauce would also bring great balance to creamy spinach ravioli filling. Choose your favorite!
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Ultra Creamy Spinach Ravioli Filling
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic, minced; can use 3 if smaller
- 10 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, rough chopped; extra long stems removed
- sprinkle of kosher salt
- ½ lemon , zested and juiced
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ½ cup Romano cheese , grated
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add in the garlic for about 30 seconds or until you can smell it.1 ½ Tablespoons olive oil, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the spinach to the skillet and sprinkle with salt. Toss with tongs until wilted. It will cook down a lot.10 oz fresh baby spinach leaves, sprinkle of kosher salt
- Add the lemon zest and a squeeze of juice (about 1 Tablespoon)½ lemon
- Remove the spinach to a medium bowl to cool. Once the spinach is cool, stir in the ricotta, Romano cheese, salt and nutment. Taste and correct the seasoning to your liking.1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese, ½ cup Romano cheese, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Fill ravioli
- Roll out homemade ravioli dough to setting #5 on a pasta machine or until you can see your whole hand through the dough when holding the dough up to a window.
- Space 2 teaspoons of filling down one side of a long ravioli pasta sheet, about 1" of space between each ravioli. Use a small brush or your fingertips to paint the outline of a square around the filling to help seal the ravioli.
- Fold the sheet over lengthwise covering the filling. Use a pastry cutter to cut between each ravioli. Remove each ravioli to a parchment or plastic lined baking sheet sprinkled with a little flour.
Cook the ravioli
- Bring a pot of water (about 5 qts) to boil. Add about a handful of kosher salt to the boiling water. Gently add the ravioli to the water and cook for 3 – 3 ½ minutes. Remove with a strainer to heated bowls or plates and cover with your favorite cream sauce or pesto. I also love this light tomato sauce with chicken ravioli.Sprinkle with parmesan cheese to serve.
