Homemade Ravioli Stuffed With Ricotta and Spinach

I tried to make my own lasagna sheets a long time ago and forgot to let the dough rest resulting in me trying to roll out a dough that essentially felt like I was rolling out cement. I got extremely frustrated, threw a fit and threw that dough in the garbage. If I remember correctly we ended up eating cereal for dinner that night. It was more work and disappointment than participating in Army bootcamp for 6 weeks only to come out of it having gained 10 pounds. Needless to say I had all but given up on the prospect of making my own pasta. But then I read a post written by one of our community members over at my other stomping grounds, The Unreserved, on homemade pasta. It got me thinking about giving it another chance and thank goodness I did because after a little rest and relaxation, that dough was to die for.

Since giving homemade pasta a second chance I have made fettuccine and more ravioli than I can shake a stick at. These simple ricotta and spinach ravioli are so delicious making them so worth the little bit of effort. If you have some extra time on your hands I really encourage you to give these a try.

Recipe:

Dough:
2 cups all purpose flour
3 eggs, lightly beaten
pinch of salt

Directions For The Dough:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large bowl. Mix together with a fork until all of the ingredients come together into a loose ball. Lightly flour a counter space or large cutting board and turn out the dough onto the floured surface. Knead the dough for about 10 minutes or until it becomes smooth. You may need to add a drop or two of water to ensure the dough isn’t crumbly. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.

Filling:
1 pound fresh spinach, finely chopped
1 pound ricotta
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
Pinch of salt and pepper

Directions For The Filling:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine chopped spinach, ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and salt and pepper. At this point bring a large pot of water with 1 tablespoon salt to a boil.

To assemble the ravioli:
1. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece to form a thin layer (about 1/8") of dough. Place 1 teaspoon of filling onto one sheet of dough 1/2" from the edge. Continue to place spoonfuls of filling along the dough 1" from each other.
2. Place one of the other pieces of rolled out dough on top of the piece with the filling on it. Pinch the dough around the filling to form the ravioli. Use a sharp knife to cut out the ravioli into individual squares. Pinch the edges of each ravioli with the tines of a fork. Set aside each ravioli in a single layer on a baking sheet lightly dusted with flour.
3. When you are ready to cook the ravioli, add them to boiling water. Stir until the water returns to a boil. When the ravioli float on their own, about 3-5 minutes, they are finished cooking. Place each portion on individual plates with a ladle of sauce and extra parmesan cheese.

I like to serve these with my favorite 5 Minute Tomato Sauce recipe.

Serves 4.