Best Baked Herb Ricotta Stuffed Spinach Ravioli With Tomato Sauce Recipes

CREAMY SPINACH BAKED RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/390ºF.
• Sauté the onion in a splash of olive oil until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and spinach and cook until the spinach has wilted.
• Mix the milk and cornflour together. Pour the cream and milk mixture into the pan and allow to simmer gently until the sauce has thickened.
• Add the Parmesan and lemon juice then season to taste.
• Layer the creamy spinach sauce with the ravioli and cheese. Place in the oven and allow to bake for 10-15 minutes until the top is golden brown and the ravioli is heated through.
• Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes then serve.

RICOTTA AND HERB RAVIOLI

Steps:

• In a bowl mix together: 1 cup ricotta cheese, 2 garlic cloves, chopped fine, 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or softened butter, 1 egg, 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs such as marjoram, basil, thyme, savory, parsley, or sage, Salt, Fresh-ground black pepper.
• Taste the mixture for salt and correct as needed.
• Roll out: 1 recipe Fresh Pasta (page 89).
• To make ravioli, roll out the pasta fairly thin and cut into sheets about 14 inches long. Keep the stack of well-floured pasta sheets under a towel to keep them from drying as you work with one sheet at a time. Pipe or spoon 1 tablespoon of the ricotta and herb filling along the lower third of a sheet of pasta. Keep about 1 1/2 inches between each blob of filling. Spray very lightly with a fine mist of water. Fold the upper half of the pasta over the lower half; then, starting at the fold, gently coax all the air out of the ravioli, pressing the two layers of pasta together with your fingertips. When the sheet of ravioli has been formed and pressed, use a zigzag rolling cutter to cut off the bottom edge and to cut between each portion of filling. Separate the ravioli and lay them out on a sheet pan sprinkled with flour; make sure they aren't touching each other or they will stick together. Cover with a towel or parchment paper and refrigerate until ready to cook. Keep refrigerated right up to the time of cooking to prevent the filling from seeping through the pasta, which can cause the ravioli to stick to the pan.
• Wash and stem 1 bunch of chard or spinach. Cook in butter until soft. Cool, squeeze out all the excess water, chop well, and stir into the ricotta mixture. Reduce the amount of chopped herbs to 2 teaspoons.
• For a different sauce, cook a few whole sage leaves in butter over medium heat until the butter is slightly brown and the leaves are crisp.
• Sauce the ravioli with Simple Tomato Sauce (page 264) instead of melted butter.
• Serve in bowls with a ladle of hot broth poured over.
• For cannelloni use 1/2 recipe pasta; roll and cut the sheets into rectangles about 4 by 3 inches. Cook in salted boiling water until done, cool in cold water, and lay the rectangles out on a cloth. Pipe or spoon a couple of tablespoons of filling lengthwise along one third of a rectangle of pasta. Gently roll the pasta to form a large straw. Place the cannelloni, seam side down, in a buttered baking dish. Cover with 1 1/2 cups Simple Tomato Sauce (page 264) and bake for 20 minutes at 400°F.

BAKED SPINACH RAVIOLI

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Melt the butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft and just starts browning, about 6 minutes.
• Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until smooth and bubbling, about 2 minutes. Stir in 2 cups water, the milk, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Stir in the ravioli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the ravioli are tender and the sauce thickens, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Remove from the heat. Discard the rosemary sprigs and stir in the spinach. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and grana padano. Place the skillet under the broiler until golden and bubbling, about 5 minutes.

SPINACH RAVIOLI WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the salami and garlic and cook, about 1 minute. Crush the tomatoes into the pan with your hands and cook until slightly dry, about 5 minutes. Add the reserved tomato juice, basil, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Increase the heat to high and cook until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in 3/4 cup water and reduce the heat to medium-low. Let simmer while you cook the ravioli.
• Add salt to the boiling water, then add the ravioli and cook as the label directs; drain. Divide the ravioli among shallow bowls, spoon the sauce on top and sprinkle with the cheese. Garnish with more basil.

RAVIOLI STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Spoon the ricotta into a large fine-mesh sieve or a colander lined with a double thickness of cheesecloth or a basket-type coffee filter. Set the sieve over a bowl and cover the ricotta well with plastic wrap. Let the ricotta drain in the refrigerator at least overnight or up to 24 hours. Discard the liquid in the bottom of the bowl.
• In a wide braising pan or deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and scallions and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in the chopped spinach and increase the heat to medium. Season lightly with salt and pepper and cook over moderate heat until the vegetables are tender and the liquid is evaporated, about 10 minutes. Set in a strainer and cool completely.
• Stir the fresh ricotta, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, and sautéed greens together in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the egg. Chill thoroughly.
• While the filling is chilling, make the pasta dough and let rest.
• Form and cut the ravioli according to directions on page 190. The ravioli should be cooked immediately or refrigerated up to 4 hours. (The ravioli may also be frozen: Place the sheets of ravioli onto a freezer shelf and freeze until solid to the touch. Carefully transfer the ravioli to resealable plastic bags or airtight plastic containers.)
• Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat. Slip the ravioli into the water a few at a time, stirring gently as you do. Cook until the edges of the pasta are tender but still firm to the bite and they rise to the surface, about 6 minutes after the water returns to a boil.
• While the ravioli are cooking, divide the tomato sauce, olive oil, and basil between two large skillets and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Fish out the ravioli with a wire skimmer or large flat slotted spoon, drain them well over the pasta pot, and slide them into the pans of sauce, dividing them evenly. Simmer, stirring gently with a spoon until the sauce is lightly reduced and the ravioli are coated. Remove the pans from the heat, check the seasoning, and add salt and pepper if necessary. Spoon the ravioli into warm bowls or onto a warm platter, sprinkle with the grated cheese, and serve immediately.
• Variation: Butter-Sage Sauce (Conditi all Burro e Salvia)
• Melt one stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter in a large skillet over low heat. (The heat should be low enough to melt the butter slowly, without its separating or turning clear.) Add eight to ten whole sage leaves and remove the skillet from the heat. Ladle out about 1 cup of the ravioli-cooking water before you drain them. Either fish the ravioli out of the pot with a large wire skimmer or drain them gently. Add the ravioli to the skillet. Pour in enough of the cooking liquid to make a sufficient amount of creamy sauce to coat the ravioli generously. Bring to a quick boil, then remove from the heat. Stir in grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Serve immediately.