Ravioli from Scratch

Ravioli is one of those dishes that feels instantly special.

Maybe it’s because it takes time. Maybe it’s because each little piece has to be filled, sealed, cut, and handled with care. Or maybe it’s because there is something so wholesome about pasta that comes with a surprise inside.

Either way, ravioli is an absolute labour of love.

The fun thing about ravioli is how many directions you can take it in. You can fill it with ricotta, pumpkin, mushrooms, spinach, meat, cheese, herbs — honestly, almost anything that can be turned into a thick, flavourful filling.

But that’s the key: thick.

The filling matters a lot. If it’s too watery, the ravioli becomes difficult to seal and can break while cooking. A good ravioli filling should be soft and creamy, but still hold its shape.

For this one, I kept it simple with a ricotta filling. We had already made fresh pasta dough earlier in the series, so this was really about assembly — rolling the dough thin, adding little portions of filling, sealing them properly, and cutting them into shape.

You can make ravioli in so many different shapes. Squares, circles, half-moons, little parcels — and honestly, I’m still spending time perfecting mine.

They don’t have to look perfect to taste incredible.

Once assembled, I cooked the ravioli in boiling water for about 2 minutes, then finished it in brown butter with rosemary. Traditionally, sage would be beautiful here, but rosemary is much easier to find and works really well.

The butter turns nutty, the rosemary perfumes the pan, and the ravioli gets coated in this glossy, golden sauce.

Simple, rich, and absolutely worth the effort.

---

Ingredients

Ravioli

• Fresh pasta dough

• Ricotta filling

• Flour, for dusting

• Salt, for boiling water

Rosemary Brown Butter

• 2 to 3 tbsp butter

• 1 sprig rosemary

• Cooked ravioli

• Parmesan, to finish

Method

• Roll out your pasta dough into thin sheets.

• Add small portions of ricotta filling onto one sheet, leaving enough space between each portion.

• Cover with another sheet of pasta dough.

• Press gently around the filling to remove any trapped air and seal the edges.

• Cut into your preferred ravioli shape.

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.

• Cook the ravioli for about 2 minutes, or until they float and the pasta is tender.

• In a separate pan, add butter and let it melt.

• Continue cooking until the butter starts to foam and turn golden brown.

• Add rosemary and let it infuse into the butter.

• Add the cooked ravioli to the pan and toss gently for about a minute, just to coat them in the rosemary brown butter.

• Finish with parmesan and serve immediately.

Notes

• Don’t overfill the ravioli. Too much filling makes them harder to seal.

• Press out any air pockets before cutting, otherwise they can burst while cooking.

• Make sure your filling is not too watery.

• If your ricotta feels very wet, drain it before using.

• Sage is traditional with brown butter, but rosemary works beautifully too.