These homemade pasta parcels have a delicious spinach and ricotta filling. Serve simply with a drizzle of good quality olive oil or with a simple homemade tomato sauce and plenty of Parmesan cheese.
Homemade pasta is a remarkably simple and flavoursome recipe to make. Flour and eggs, that’s it, and a few minutes of kneading. Last summer I had the opportunity to try a wide variety of homemade pasta while visiting Italy, and I vowed I would make an effort at home to make more homemade pasta.
Here, I’ve made a simple spinach and ricotta filling for homemade ravioli, inspired by the appearance of fresh organic spinach in the first delivery of this year’s veg boxes.
While I was in Italy, I enjoyed a delicious ricotta ravioli served simply with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Often, I find here in the UK, we like to load up our pasta with heavy sauces, but in Italy their pasta first course is often light, allowing the flavours of the ingredients to shine through (and leaving room for a heavier second meat course).
Inspired by this ravioli dish, which was served with a fruity white wine with white flower flavours, my first spinach and ricotta ravioli recipe is served simply with olio nuovo.
To accompany, a glass of sparkling Pressed Pear & Elderflower fruit cordial, diluted with sparkling water and chilled with a few ice cubes: a refreshing non-alcoholic drink reminiscent of summer.
For those preferring a richer flavour, I’ve included a recipe for a simple Italian tomato sauce made with passata rustica, or crushed tomatoes.
This sauce only takes a few minutes to make, and it’s remarkably versatile. I often add a spoonful of flavoured oil at the end, such as basil or chilli. For this version, I serve a more robust raspberry, rhubarb and orange blossom cordial.
INGREDIENTS TO MAKE THIS HOMEMADE SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI RECIPE
- ’00’ Italian pasta flour
- fresh free-range eggs
- fresh spinach (although frozen works well too – just defrost it first)
- ricotta cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- good quality olive oil
- whole nutmeg – freshly ground tastes so much better than pre-ground
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- a pasta machine (or a rolling pin)
HOW TO MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH FOR THIS SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI RECIPE
Step 1: First measure your ’00’ Italian pasta flour (which is a special flour more refined than all-purpose or plain flours, used specifically for making pasta – you can find it in Scoop Wholefoods here in Shetland, and in most supermarkets on the mainland) into a bowl. Make a well in the centre and crack in your eggs – use one egg for every 100 grams of flour.
Step 2: Using a fork, break up the eggs and begin to combine them with the flour. They’ll start to clump together pretty quickly.
Step 3: Dump the contents of the bowl out onto a lightly floured surface and start to knead it.
Step 4: Continue to knead. It’ll take a few minutes, but the gluten in the flour will eventually start working its magic and things will start to smooth out.
Step 5: Knead a bit more gently now for two minutes, until a smooth ball of dough forms.
Step 6: Depending on how much dough I’ve made, I often divide it into two. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for 60 minutes.
HOW TO MAKE THE FILLING FOR THIS SPINACH AND RICOTTA RAVIOLI RECIPE
Step 1: Place the ricotta cheese in a bowl and gather ingredients.
Step 2: Wilt spinach in a dry non-stick pan. The water leftover on the leaves from washing them should be sufficient moisture to stop the spinach from scorching. As soon as the spinach has wilted remove it from the heat and allow it to cool slightly.
Step 3: Chop the spinach finely either by hand or in a mini food processor.
Step 4: Add the remaining ingredients, along with the chopped spinach, to the ricotta.
Step 5: Stir well to combine.
Step 6: Roll out the pasta dough and assemble the ravioli.
Making your own pasta can be a wonderfully therapeutic experience. There’s something intensely satisfying about watching the ingredients come together to create a delicious meal.
A pasta machine does make pasta making much easier, but it isn’t absolutely essential. You can always use a rolling pin to get the dough as thin as you possibly can.
Start by running the disc of dough through the widest setting on the pasta machine. Fold that rough piece into thirds, as pictured below, two or three more times at the thickest setting. Then, run the dough through subsequently smaller settings.
When using a machine, I continue to roll the ravioli dough to the second last thickness. You can buy ravioli attachments, but I prefer the rustic homemade look. I usually use a fluted pastry cutter to give my ravioli pretty edges, but both of mine seem to have disappeared from where they’re kept. I suspect some small person has run off with them both to play with modelling clay! A sharp knife or even a pizza cutter will work to tidy up the edges.
Arrange your finished ravioli on a lightly floured tray and cover with a slightly damp tea towel to keep it from drying out. To cook, bring a large pan of salted water to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer. Cook the ravioli in small batches (six at a time is fine) for 3-4 minutes, until they float. Drain and serve as desired: either simply with a drizzle of oil or with a tomato sauce.
Do you make your own pasta? What’s your favourite sauce to serve with it? Let me know in the comments!
Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli
Ingredients
for the homemade pasta dough
- 300 grams Italian '00' pasta flour
- 3 large free-range eggs
for the spinach & ricotta filling
- 125 grams fresh spinach
- 250 grams ricotta cheese
- 1 large free-range egg
- 30 grams Parmesan cheese finely grated
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 0.25 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- Shetland sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
for the tomato sauce
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 350 grams passata rustica
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves torn
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
to serve
- extra virgin olive oil
- Parmesan cheese finely grated
- fresh parsley to garnish
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Equipment
Instructions
- To make the pasta, place the flour in a bowl, make a well in the centre and crack the eggs in.
- Use a fork to break up the eggs and mix them with the flour.
- When the dough starts to form clumps, turn out onto a floured surface and knead until it comes together. Continue kneading for two minutes to form a smooth dough ball.
- Divide the dough in half, and wrap each piece in clingfilm. Chill for 60 minutes while you prepare the filling.
- Wash the spinach, removing any tough stalks. Wilt in a hot pan for a few minutes, taking care not to overcook.
- Transfer the wilted spinach to a tea towel and squeeze out any extra moisture. Finely chop the spinach, or process in a mini food processor.
- Combine the spinach, ricotta cheese, Parmesan, egg, olive oil and nutmeg together in a bowl. Season well to taste and chill until the dough is ready.
- Roll out the pasta dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 1 mm with a rolling pin or a pasta machine.
- Drop spoonfuls of the spinach and ricotta filling along one sheet of the pasta dough, leaving an inch and a half between each spoonful.
- Using a finger dipped in water, wet the edges of the ravioli, around the filling. Carefully arrange another pasta sheet over the top and press into place, starting from the middle. Use your palms to cup around the filling and press any air bubbles out.
- Use a sharp knife or fluted pasta cutter to cut out each indivdual ravioli. Place on a floured baking tray and cover with a damp tea towel until the rest are made.
- To prepare the tomato sauce, if using, heat four tbsp olive oil in a small saucepan and saute the garlic for a minute or so, until it imparts its fragrance.
- Add the passata and cook for a few more minutes, until thick and bubbling. Add the fresh basil, season well and remove from the heat. Stir in another tablespoon of good quality olive oil.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer and drop the ravioli in. Cook for four minutes. They will float when ready. Remove with a slotted spoon, drain and arrange on a serving plate.
- Serve simply with a drizzle of good quality olive oil and some Parmesan, or with the tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese.
This is a sponsored recipe post in collaboration with Robinsons, although all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own. Thank you for supporting the brands who make it possible for me to do what I love: mess up my kitchen and share recipe stories.
Creamy Potato & Chervil Soup with a Poached Egg
really it’s woowww dish .definitely i must print the recipe and try this at home.
Thank you for sharing .
Spinach and cheese ravioli is my all time favourite comfort food….. especially when served in chicken broth! It was the food that my mother always used to make and that we always requested if asked.
You have done a beautiful dish with it here……. so nostalgic for me xx
These look so delish! I have been wanting to try making my own pasta and this inspires me to just go for it! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely love the look of your spinach and ricotta ravioli, I’ve made the same combination and it’s so so good. A good kick in my butt to make homemade pasta again soon, it has been way too long. I like the tomato sauce with it too.
This looks incredible! I’m always so pleasantly surprised by how simple it is to make ravioli 🙂
This looks so amazing! Making fresh pasta is such a great way to cook with love 🙂
Something I’d really love to try is making my own pasta from scratch, it looks so good! And I do love Ravioli! YUM!
Never maded a ravioli from zero at home before, this recipe got me curious enough to try it!
Wow, you made the pasta dough too?? I am sure this must taste so delicious! One day, I will try my hand at pasta.
Such simple steps that really anyone can do. I’d love to do this, such a hearty meal but so elegant and simple at the same time .. looks delish for sure
It’s been so long since I made fresh pasta. Now that I see this recipe I must try it again. I want this raviloi for supper tonight.
I have never tried making my own pasta before but then again I am not a culinary genius like yourself aha. But I do love a good Italian dish and ravioli sounds divine!
Beautiful post! Pasta from scratch is always the way to go!!
I”m totally with you on making fresh pasta being theraputic – that and kneading bread are definitely good for the soul and I don’t do either often enough! Yours looks totally declicious and you’ve inspired me to dust off my pasta machine thats been lurking at the back of the cupboard for far too long.
We love pasta dishes and we eat pasta a lot. I love this recipe looks so delicious. I love your spinach and ricotta filling. can’t wait to try this one.
Looks like I found what I will be making for dinner tonight! Thank you! This looks delicious!
Ah! pasta making! this is one thing i really want to try, making my own pasta. its such a good idea because you can add as much or as little stuffing as you want.
I’ve never made pasta or ravioli but am feeling like I could give it a go now! This looks like the ideal spring disb.
making homemade pasta is so intimidating to me, and you’ve made it look so easy! Now i have to try this!
Nothing beats homemade…especially pasta. This looks so delicious…and would be great to serve to guests at a dinner party.
I love the combination of spinach and ricotta with pasta. It’s such a classic here in Italy. I often make pasta too but easier types like lagane, lasagne or tagliatelle. I need to make some ravioli too. Yours looks delicious!
I really don’t have the patience to make my own pasta but you’ve made it look very glamorous. Spinnach and Ricotta are two of my favourite ingreedients so you might just have inspired me to give it a go.
I have never made my own pasta and sauce. This looks incredible and something I should really try as I’m a huge pasta lover
I am drooling right now, Spinach and Ricotta ravioli or canneloni is my biggest comfort food EVER!! Do you deliver 😉
I am beyond impressed with you making your own pasta, how fabulous! I would love to try this dish, looks so yummy xxx
This looks absolutely delicious! I do love a good ravioli dish
We’ve never attempted to make our own pasta but you make it look super easy! These homemade parcels look great! This has made us want to try it at home too x
So perfect and delicious. It makes me drool just seeing the pictures 🙂 (y)
This is one of my absolute favourite things to cook and my dad is always asking me to make it when he comes round x
That looks amazing and I would love to give that recipe a try at home. I love ravioli and spinach and ricotta is the perfect combination! Thanks for the recipe!
Lucky you to get to spend time in Italy! This ravioli looks like perfection! I love the spinach & ricotta filling and would love the unadorned version with just olive oil and cheese. So yummy!
Oh yum! How amazing does this sounds, we are trying to get a more adventurous in the kitchen and we replaced our 10-year-old cooker today, so we are all ready to go with trying new items.
Oh yes this is what I like to see at this time of year and so into dishes like this could eat that right now.
This sound great! I’m pinning to try later!
Wow! How amazing that you got to spend some time in Italy. Your post is amazingly well written and provides a great depth of instructions. Cooking is definately a skill that I want to learn more. I didnt really have the interest until now with two young daughters. Thank you for sharing. I can not wait to try these!
This post made my mouth water, haha. I know exactly what I’ll be making the family for dinner tonight. Thanks for giving me such an easy recipe. I think it’s gonna be a crowd-pleaser!
The last time I tried to make homemade pasta I realized I didn’t have a pasta maker or rolling pin, and was trying to roll it out with a 2L soda bottle, LOL. I am thrilled to finally have a pasta maker – and this will be one of the first things I make with it!
I really need to get me a pasta maker – like seriously! Homemade Ravioli has been in my mind for a few weeks now! This is just perfection!
I could legit eat pasta every day! This looks so good and love the spinach + ricotta combo – such a classic. Big ‘ol yum!
WOW. This looks so good. I have all the ingredients…except a pasta maker, lol! Do you think I could roll this out by hand?
This is such a great recipe to encourage kids to eat more veggies! It looks fantastic!
I love ravioli and always wanted to learn how to make this. Looking at your post, its written so clearly and looks like something I can do myself at home. I love ricotta and spinach so this dish is a winner!
So simple yet so beautiful ! Thank you so much !
Your ravioli dish looks divine! I always thought pasta was tricky to make, but you’ve made it look so easy to make at home. Spinach and ricotta is the perfect combination for ravioli along with the Italian tomato sauce. Your post has made me hungry. I’ll definitely be trying out this recipe soon.