Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci
Fresh egg pasta squares filled with ricotta, spinach and nutmeg, boiled for 5 minutes and served with sage butter.
Photograph credit: Ravioli spinach by Emnamizouni · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · this resized copy is shared under the same licence
Before You Start
Squeeze the spinach until completely dry.
Press out the air around each mound before cutting.
Boil gently, as a hard boil can split the pasta.
If the ricotta is wet, drain it in a sieve first.
Cooking Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci
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Mix the flour and eggs to a dough, then knead for 8 minutes until smooth. Wrap and rest for 20 minutes.
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Wilt the spinach in a covered pan for 2 minutes. Cool, squeeze dry in a cloth and chop fine.
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Mix the spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, egg yolk, nutmeg and salt.
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Roll the dough thin in two sheets. Place teaspoons of filling in rows, brush the gaps with water, cover with the second sheet, press out the air and cut into squares.
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Boil the ravioli in salted water for 5 minutes in two batches.
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Melt the butter with the sage for 2 minutes and toss the drained ravioli in it.
Related guide: Prep, cook and total time.
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What's Going On Here
This is what to make in early spring, when spinach is young and sweet and you have an afternoon free. Ricotta and spinach is the most familiar ravioli filling in Italy, and it is also the easiest to get right at home.
The filling must be dry. Wilt the spinach, cool it, then squeeze it in a cloth until no more water comes out and chop it fine. Mix it with the ricotta, grated Parmesan, an egg yolk and a grating of nutmeg. A wet filling will burst the pasta, so drain the ricotta in a sieve for an hour first if it looks loose.
Roll the dough thin enough to see your hand through, place teaspoons of filling in a row, brush the gaps with water, cover and press out the air before cutting. Boil for about 5 minutes in salted water that is only just bubbling. Lift them out gently and toss in sage butter with a little Parmesan.
Storage and Reheating
Freeze uncooked on a tray, then bag, for 2 months. Boil from frozen for 7 minutes.
Serving Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci
- Sage butter
- Grated Parmesan
- Green salad
Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad, Fave e Cicoria.
Still Wondering?
How long does Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci take to make?
50 minutes of preparation and 5 minutes of cooking, plus 20 minutes of resting, so allow 1 hour 15 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
Ravioli di Ricotta e Spinaci Nutrition
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked. Found a mistake? Tell us.
First published ; last changed .
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