ra-ra-ravioli.

Making ramen noodles by hand for my Science & Cooking project made me realize that pasta making, though time consuming, is really not that hard or painful, well worth the effort for fresh, chewy deliciousness. Ravioli has always been on the top of my sounds-hard-so-not-even-going-to-attempt-it list since it involves not only making pasta dough but also preparing the filling, sealing it between dough, making sure they don’t explode while cooking, making a sauce to go with them…many more steps beyond a basic noodle. When I thought about it though, all the steps are pretty basic and straightforward, requiring some time and care but not really any more difficult than any other recipe. So I decided to give it a shot, just to see how it would go.

It did take a lot of time - about 2 hours start to finish - but nothing was too tricky or overly tedious, actually pretty fun and relaxing rolling the dough and assembling the ravioli step by step. Maybe I’m biased or rationalizing my effort, but it was all worthwhile when I bit into the first little package of yumminess and relished in the thick chewiness of the skin, savory flavorful filling, and bright garlicky sauce. Because I made the skin thicker than a typical ravioli skin, these were more like dumplings, but I really like having a firm texture in my pasta. The thickness also made the ravioli much more resilient to damage during assembly and boiling - I didn’t really have any problems with the skin tearing or filling falling out. If you prefer a thinner, more delicate skin, just roll the dough out thinner and be more gentle when putting in the filling and boiling the ravioli. 

My filling was also not typical, pretty unusual in that I put very little cheese in it and used tofu for texture. Everything actually came together very nicely, and I didn’t miss the extra cheese at all. The parmesan and spices gave really great body and flavor without being heavy or too rich like I often find with cheesy raviolis. Leaving out all the cheese and adding tofu (as well as keeping the sauce very light, see below) made this a very healthy dish overall.

The sauce was the easiest part - I just heated some olive oil, sliced tomatoes, garlic, and a pinch of salt in a pan for a couple minutes and spooned the mixture on top of the cooked ravioli. The acidity and pungent flavor from the garlic was great with the ravioli, helped cut through the slight creaminess of the filling and chewy skin to enhance all the flavors in the pasta. Of course, feel free to use your own favorite sauce instead if you like, I can’t think of any kind of sauce that wouldn’t go well with the mild but delicious flavors of this ravioli! In keeping with the healthy theme of this recipe though, the tomato and garlic combination is a perfect choice for a big and waistline-friendly flavor impact.

Mmm, I already know this is a recipe I’ll come back to many times and play around with to try out different fillings and sauces. Next time, I might try to take advantage of economies of scale and make one huge batch when I have a free afternoon by doubling or tripling the recipe and freezing a bunch for future use -delicious (and healthy!) homemade ravioli whenever my hungry heart desires, YUM.

Homemade Spinach, Tofu & Parmesan Ravioli with Garlicky Tomato Sauce
about 4 servings

 For dough/skin:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp water, or more if needed
• 2 large eggs
• 2 c. all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• 1/4 tsp salt

 For filling:

• 1 tsp olive oil
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 package frozen spinach (10 oz.)
• 1 large egg, whisked
• 1/4 c. finely grated parmesan cheese (I just used the powdered stuff in the green shaker)
• 1/2 package firm tofu (appx. 6 oz.), small cubed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano

For sauce:

• 4 tbsp olive oil
• 4 small tomatoes (1 large), sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• pinch of salt

Prepare dough: Whisk together olive oil, water, and eggs in a bowl. In another bowl, mix together flour and salt. Make a well in the center and pour in the egg mixture. Mix gently until combined. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface for about 10 minutes or until smooth, adding more flour or water as needed. Cover in plastic wrap and let rest for about 30 min.

Prepare filling: Place frozen spinach in a pot and cover with water. Heat on stove until thoroughly cooked. Drain and set aside. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a pan. Add garlic and cook for a couple minutes until soft. Add drained spinach and tofu, cook for a few minutes, breaking up tofu into very small pieces and mixing with spinach. Add parmesan and spices, cook until well-combined and liquid has evaporated. Quickly stir in whisked egg until just set. Remove from heat and chill in refrigerator while cutting out dough circles.

Prepare skins: Roll out dough to desired thickness (about 1/8 in. for thicker skin, 1/16 in. for thinner skin) on lightly floured surface. Using a biscuit cutter or rim of a glass dipped in flour, cut out circles of dough, appx. 3 in. diameter. Cover rounds with damp washcloth to prevent them from drying out.

Assemble ravioli: For each ravioli, brush 2 dough circle with water and place 1 tsp filling in the center of one circle. Cover with other circle, wet side down, and crimp all the way around the edge with a fork to seal. Carefully trim any uneven edges with a knife (I was too hungry to care much about neatness at this point so skipped this step :P) Place on lightly floured plate or countertop. Repeat for remaining dough circles.

Cook ravioli: Bring about 3 cups of lightly salted water to a boil in a large pot. Carefully add in the ravioli and bring back to a moderate boil, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick together. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the pasta floats and the skin is al dente. Drain

Prepare sauce: Heat olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Add garlic, salt, and tomatoes. Cook for a couple of minutes until tomatoes are soft and thoroughly cooked. 

Serve: Place hot ravioli on a plate and spoon sauce on top. Enjoy!