Homemade Three-Cheese Ravioli With Red Sauce
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For those curious about how to make homemade ravioli: Pasta from scratch takes time to make, but it’s oh-so worth it in the end.
Get the entire family involved, from mixing, kneading and rolling out the dough to filling, cooking and enjoying the ravioli. It’s not just cooking, it’s a fun activity for all.
This Italian classic is begging for side dishes! Pair these perfect sides with your three-cheese ravioli for a meal your whole family will dig into:
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Three-Cheese Ravioli with Red Sauce
Start to finish: Active: 1 hour 20 minutes | Inactive: 4 hours
Impresses: 8
Ingredients
For the pasta dough:
3¾ cup pasta flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
4 whole eggs
8 egg yolks
For the filling:
1 15-ounce container ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1 cup shredded Asiago cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
1 egg, beaten for egg wash
For the sauce:
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
8 tablespoons salted butter
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Kosher salt, to taste
Special equipment:
Manual pasta machine (available in retail stores and on Amazon)
Ravioli cutter (or small cookie cutter)
Pastry bag (or zip-top bag)
Method
For the pasta dough:
Place flour on a clean work surface in a small pile, sprinkling the kosher salt over the top. Create a well in the center of the flour, and place whole eggs and egg yolks inside. Using a fork, begin whisking the eggs into the flour, gently incorporating the flour along the edges. Once enough of the flour has been combined in the eggs to create a thick paste, switch to using your hands and a bench scraper to fold the remaining flour into the eggs, creating a shaggy dough.
Continue mixing with your hands until the dough forms a tight ball. Knead the ball for 10 minutes, or until dough is smooth. (This will take some muscle. Take breaks or take turns with loved ones.) The dough is ready when it bounces back slowly after a finger is pressed into it.
Wrap in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to rest for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
For the filling:
In a medium mixing bowl combine the cheeses, kosher salt, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes, if using. Mix well and set in the refrigerator until ready to use.
To assemble:
When ready to roll out the dough, prepare your pasta machine and work surface by dusting both with flour.
Divide dough into 4 equal sections, keeping the dough not being worked with in the refrigerator. With your palms, flatten ¼ of the dough into a rectangle small enough to fit into the feed of a pasta machine. Run dough through the widest setting and dust with flour again. Run dough through the next 3 thickness settings, dusting with flour if dough appears sticky.
Once the dough has been run through the pasta machine 4 times, take the long sheet of dough and fold it, end over end, into a rectangle small enough to fit into the feed of the pasta machine. Press the dough gently to ensure it will remain folded. Feed the folded dough short side into the machine, being sure it is set at its widest setting again to start. Run the dough through the machine 5 times, increasing the setting each time, flouring if necessary, between each pass.
When dough is thinly rolled, lay flat on the work surface. Repeat rolling process with another chunk of dough. When you have 2 sheets of rolled dough prepared, take 1 sheet and use a 3-inch ravioli cutter (or a small cookie cutter) to make light impressions along the dough to create a guide to work with. Place the filling in a pastry bag or zip-top bag with the corner cut off. Pipe 2 tablespoons of filling into the center of each outline. Brush the dough lightly with egg wash, making sure to get between each outline of ravioli, which will help the dough seal.
Take the second rolled sheet of pasta dough and gently place over the filling. Press between each mound of filling to seal the pasta sheets together. Use the pasta cutter to cut out the ravioli and ensure they are fully sealed. Line a baking tray with parchment paper and lightly dust with flour. Place ravioli on tray.
Cover with another piece of parchment paper. Repeat rolling, filling and sealing process with remaining pieces of pasta dough.
For the sauce and to cook ravioli:
Place a large pot of water over high heat to boil. While the water comes to a boil, prepare the red sauce by placing all ingredients in a saucepot set over medium heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until butter has melted and sauce is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside until ready to use.
When water is boiling, generously salt it (it should taste like the ocean). Place ravioli in boiling water a handful at a time and cook 2–3 minutes, or until the ravioli rise to the surface. Remove ravioli from water using a slotted spoon and place in prepared sauce to coat.
Notes: Garnish your Three-Cheese Ravioli with extra Parmesan and Asiago cheeses, fresh basil leaves and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.