Cheese Ravioli

Cheese Ravioli My recipe is the ideal place to start if you’ve ever wanted to make cheese ravioli from scratch! This pillowy stuffed pasta is a dish to boast about, with its delicate pasta dough and a decadent trio of cheeses.Cheese Ravioli

Making ravioli with cheese inside is surprisingly easy! Making spaghetti at home only takes ten basic components that you can easily acquire at any grocery shop. Although making pasta from scratch may seem difficult, I can assure you that it is a doable, enjoyable, and fulfilling experience when you follow my tried-and-true recipe. I walk you through every step, from combining and making the ideal pasta dough to packing and sealing these tiny packages of delectable goodness, so you always make the ideal cheese ravioli.Cheese Ravioli

Regardless of your level of pasta expertise or your level of curiosity, this recipe for three cheese ravioli is made to be enjoyable for anyone. And here’s a little secret for you if you’re a busy bee with a hectic schedule: they may be prepared in advance and frozen, ready to be brought to your dinner table whenever you want a little handmade comfort food. Check out my Baked Rigatoni, Cajun Shrimp Pasta, and Gnocchi recipes for more pasta dishes!Cheese Ravioli

What You Need To Make This Recipe

• All-purpose flour —To make the greatest handmade pasta dough, all you need is simple flour. Although 00 flour (double-zero flour), which contains more protein than all-purpose flour, is certainly an option, I believe that regular simple flour produces a really tasty homemade pasta without the need to find a specific ingredient.Cheese Ravioli
• Olive oil —Depending on what you have on hand, you can use ordinary or extra virgin.Cheese Ravioli
• Eggs –I work with big eggs. You should invest in high-quality eggs, such as free-range or pasture-raised eggs, because the components for homemade pasta are so basic. Additionally, a really orange yolk will create the most exquisite, golden pasta.Cheese Ravioli
• Semolina flour—This keeps the dough from clinging to itself or your work surface without adding too much flour, which could cause the dough to become tough. Under the pasta, its slightly gritty texture keeps everything moving smoothly, much like tiny ball bearings. This is typically found in most grocery stores with the other flours.Cheese Ravioli
• Whole milk ricotta cheese —The cheese filling is more delicious when full-fat ricotta is used. If you can’t get ricotta, you can use a powerful blender to virtually puree full-fat cottage cheese.Cheese Ravioli
• Parmesan cheese — If you would like, you can use another firm, salty, hard-aged cheese, such as grana padano or pecorino. The pre-grated shreds never melt properly, so be careful you grate it fresh.
• Fresh mozzarella —Fresh mozzarella has a mellow, creamy, melty texture that I adore. If all you have is ordinary block mozzarella, you are welcome to use it.
• Nutmeg –Your cheese ravioli gains a subtle sweetness and depth of flavor from a few grates of this warming spice. For optimal flavor, purchase whole nutmeg and grate it yourself if at all possible.Cheese Ravioli

1. Make a pile of flour on a clean, smooth surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour that is big enough to hold the wet ingredients; it should be wider than tall and have enough flour on the sides to hold the wet ingredients while they are being mixed. Crack the eggs into the well and add the salt and olive oil. Be cautious not to break the well as you begin mixing the egg mixture with a fork, gradually adding the flour from the inside. Break the egg mixture well and start incorporating all of the flour once it has thickened and turned a light yellow.Cheese Ravioli
2. Scoop the ingredients and fold it together with floured hands or a bench scraper until a dough forms. Work the dough by hand for 10 to 15 minutes, or until it is smooth and bounces back when pressed. (As you knead, it will soften from its initial stiffness.) The dough should rest at room temperature for at least one hour and up to three hours after being tightly wrapped in plastic wrap.Cheese Ravioli

3 . Combine the cheeses, nutmeg, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Place the mixture in a piping bag and keep it chilled until it’s time to use it.

4. Dust a baking sheet with a little semolina flour and line it with parchment paper. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap after dividing it into four equal pieces. Take out a single piece of dough and shape it into a rectangle that is roughly ¼ inch thick. Add a little semolina flour.Cheese Ravioli

5. Pass the dough through the pasta machine while the pasta rollers are set to their widest position (#1 on a KitchenAid). After folding the dough in half, repeat the process. Do this again. Make sure the dough is the width of the rollers by passing it through the widest setting twice more without folding. On a KitchenAid, put the rollers to the next widest setting (#2). Put the dough through the roller twice after dusting it with semolina flour. Pass the dough through the rollers twice after adjusting them to the next widest setting. Until the rollers are in their thinnest setting (#8 on a KitchenAid), keep doing this.

6 .Gently fold the pasta sheet to fit the prepared sheet tray after dusting it with semolina flour. To prevent it from drying out, cover with a tea towel. Repeat this process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.

7. Place one pasta sheet lengthwise on a sanitized work surface. Make sure the spaghetti sheets are parallel to one another by placing the second one precisely over the first. To ensure that all of the sheets are the same size, trim any uneven edges. Remove any surplus semolina flour from both sheets using a brush. Pipe two rows of filling onto the first pasta sheet, leaving at least a ½-inch border around the sides, into roughly 1½-teaspoon-mounds spaced about 1½ inches apart.

8. Lightly mist the second spaghetti sheet with water. Put the second sheet on top of the first sheet right away, water-side down. Make sure to force out as much air as you can as you carefully press to seal around each filling mound. (When boiling, air bubbles may cause the ravioli to shatter.)

9. To make clean, even sides, carefully trim the pasta sheet’s outside edges using a pastry cutter or knife. After that, make a lengthwise cut between the two filling rows. Lastly, make a vertical cut to divide into separate ravioli. Transfer to the baking sheet that has been prepared and dust with semolina flour. Continue assembling the remaining pasta sheets. Before boiling, let the ravioli sit uncovered in a single layer for 15 to 20 minutes to dry a little.

10. Heat a big saucepan of water to a boil and add a generous amount of salt. Turn the heat down to medium. Drop the ravioli gently into the water that is just beginning to boil, working in two batches. Simmer, stirring periodically, for 3 to 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the cheese ravioli from the water and drop them right into the sauce of your choice. Garnish with fresh basil and serve right away with your preferred sauce.

Pro Tips For Making This Recipe

• Precision is key.Make sure the pasta sheets are of the same width, so don’t cut them too short! To guarantee precisely equal portions, I separated my dough by weight. First, divide the total weight of the dough ball by four. The dough balls should then be divided into quarters, and their weights should be comparable. If you don’t have a scale, you can still eyeball it and still make wonderful pasta!
• Let them chill. The texture of the pasta is much improved by slightly drying the ravioli before cooking. If you immediately drop them into the water after cutting them, they may be a little mushy.
• Freeze for later.If not serving right away, let the cheese ravioli dry on the counter for 30 to 40 minutes, then store them in the freezer in a single layer to keep them from sticking. Freeze until solid, then move the ravioli to an airtight freezer-safe container or tightly wrap the baking sheet. Increase the cooking time by a few minutes and bring frozen ravioli to a boil without defrosting.
• Use your hands, not your food processor.A food processor is required for some pasta recipes, but I don’t think it’s powerful enough to produce dependably tender noodles. I advise continuing with the traditional approach mentioned above. Additionally, you save having to clean an additional appliance!
• Your pasta dough should be smooth and pliable, but not too sticky.Add a little extra flour if it’s too moist and a little water if it’s too dry. After kneading, the ideal dough will form a smooth ball and bounce back when you press it with your finger.
• Use semolina flour for dusting your work surface and rolling pin.It keeps your ravioli from sticking and gives them a lovely texture without making them overly floury. Increase the amount of all-purpose flour if you don’t have any or can’t locate it.
• Thin but sturdy.For delicate ravioli, thinly roll out your pasta dough. Simply follow the recipe’s instructions; your pasta roller will serve as the ideal guide!
• Be generous with your filling, but don’t overfill.The cheese ravioli may explode while cooking if there is too much stuffing. You can obtain a steady amount by using a teaspoon or a little cookie scoop.
• Seal it right.Before sealing, which functions as a glue, moisten the pasta dough’s edges with a little water after adding your contents. Make sure there are no air pockets that could cause the ravioli to rupture by pressing hard to seal.
• Salt your pasta water.Use a large saucepan of salted water that is boiling gently for making ravioli. I typically use one tablespoon of salt for every twelve cups, or three quarts, of water. To prevent the ravioli from breaking apart, make sure the water is simmering rather than boiling vigorously. They usually cook rapidly and, when done, float to the top.