Ravioli is proof that pasta can be a main event rather than a vehicle for sauce. Each little pocket is a two-bite package of something rich, cheese, squash, mushroom, or meat, sealed in tender dough. Making them is a genuinely fun afternoon project, and buying good ones is an honest shortcut.
Start with the filling
Build your filling first and season it boldly, because the pasta around it is deliberately plain. A classic ricotta filling wants the cheese drained of excess water, then mixed with grated Parmesan, an egg to bind it, salt, and a whisper of nutmeg. Taste and adjust before a spoonful ever goes near the dough. Keep it on the thick side, because a wet, loose filling will soak through and tear the pasta.
Roll it thin
Because the sealed edges are a double thickness of pasta, you want each sheet rolled thin enough to nearly see through. A hand-crank machine makes this easy and even; a rolling pin works but takes muscle. Roll one sheet at a time and keep the others under a towel, since thin dough dries out and cracks within minutes.
Seal out every bit of air
Space small mounds of filling along the bottom sheet, brush a little water around each one, and lay the top sheet over. Now press from the filling outward to push all the air out before you seal the edges. Trapped air expands in the pot and can burst the ravioli. A stamp or cutter gives you clean, firmly crimped edges that hold.
Season the filling, thin the dough, and press the air out.
Cook them kindly
Drop ravioli into water that is at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil that can rip the seams. They need only a few minutes and are done when they float and the edges turn tender. Lift them out with a spider or slotted spoon so they stay intact, and dress them lightly. Brown butter and sage, or just good oil and cheese, lets the filling be the star.
No time? Buy well
There is no shame in celebrating with excellent store-bought ravioli. The refrigerated case and good Italian delis sell fresh versions that beat anything from a can. Sauce them as simply as you would your own, and no one at the table will complain.
How to celebrate
- 1Make the filling first
Whatever you fill ravioli with should be well seasoned and not too wet, or it will blow out the pasta. A classic is ricotta squeezed of excess moisture, mixed with Parmesan, egg, and a little nutmeg. Taste it before it goes in, because the pasta around it is bland and the filling has to carry the flavor.
- 2Roll the dough thin
Ravioli dough should be thin enough to almost see your hand through, because you are eating a double layer at the sealed edges. A pasta machine makes this far easier than a rolling pin. Work with one sheet at a time and keep the rest covered so it does not dry out.
- 3Seal out the air
Press the air out around each mound of filling before you close the pasta, or the pockets can burst in the boiling water. Dab a little water between the sheets to glue them, then press firmly from the filling outward. A snug seal is what keeps the filling inside where it belongs.
- 4Buy great ones if short on time
Fresh ravioli from a good deli or the refrigerated case is a perfectly honest way to celebrate. Sauce it simply so the filling shines, with brown butter and sage, or just olive oil and Parmesan. Cheese ravioli in particular needs almost nothing else.
- 5Cook them gently
Filled pasta is delicate, so keep the water at a gentle simmer rather than a violent boil that can tear the seams. They are done when they float and the edges are tender, usually just a few minutes. Lift them out with a slotted spoon instead of dumping them into a colander.