Lola Rugula

This vegetarian ravioli is packed full of arugula, purple mizuna, and Swiss chard and is easily customizable to include the greens of your choice. This particular batch is a garden-inspired one because I had recently picked all of these greens in a last-minute harvest before an impending freeze killed everything.

If mushroom-filled ravioli is more to your taste, you should check out my recipe for it. Earthy shiitake and portobello mushrooms make a hearty filling that even meat-filled ravioli lovers will enjoy. And, just like my mushroom ravioli, I use a simple butter, garlic and herb sauce on this dish; it lets the flavor of the greens shine through perfectly.

I’ve also come to prefer using the rim of a small glass to cut out my ravioli. This method makes nice round ravioli with plenty of room for the filling. The shape and size of these are completely up to you so have fun with them!

Greens-Filled Ravioli with Butter, Garlic, and Herb Sauce Recipe

For the ravioli filling

• 1 large egg yolk (save the white for sealing the ravioli)
• 1/2 cup ricotta cheese (drain ahead of time if the ricotta is very wet)
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 scallion, white and tender green, minced
• 2 1/2 cups single or mixed greens – here I used a mix of wild arugula, purple mizuna, and baby rainbow Swiss chard.

Directions

• In a medium-size bowl, beat egg.
• Stir in ricotta, parsley, and salt and stir well.
• Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.
• Add garlic and scallion and cook about 2 minutes, stirring often.
• Add chopped greens and stir well.
• Cook about 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Remove from heat and let cool for about 10 minutes
• Add greens to the ricotta mixture and stir well.

Brown butter with garlic and fresh herbs sauce recipe

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) butter
• 1-2 cloves garlic, thickly sliced or roughly chopped into chunks
• 2 tablespoons fresh herbs (I’ve used various combinations of chives, basil, sage, oregano, and parsley, but feel free to play with your herbs here)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan, Asiago or Romano cheese

Directions

• In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook for about 7-8 minutes, until the butter is lightly browned – the fat will rise to the top and then start to sink down back into the pan and you’ll smell it getting toasty. Be careful not to burn it. If you’re adding sage, you’ll want to add it after about 5 minutes, so it starts to toast a bit and become fragrant.
• Add garlic and cook for a minute more.
• Remove from heat and stir in fresh herbs and black pepper.
• Spoon sparingly over ravioli and sprinkle with freshly-grated Parmesan cheese.

Homemade ravioli dough recipe:

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg or egg white, mixed with a tablespoon of cold water, for egg wash “glue”
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 additional large egg yolk and/or 1/2 teaspoon olive oil (only if the dough is very dry after mixing)
• A clean counter or a baking sheet, lightly dusted with flour, for the finished pasta

Directions

• In a stand mixer bowl, using the dough hook attachment, add the flour and salt and mix, on low, to combine.
• Keeping your mixer on low and, letting each one incorporate one at a time before adding the next one, add your 3 eggs.
• Drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to mix.
• Let your mixer run on low or 2nd to lowest speed for a few minutes, occasionally shutting it off to scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl, if needed.
• Mix until a ball forms around the dough hook.

Ideally, this should be enough, but the frustratingly beautiful thing about pasta is this: depending on your home temperature and your humidity level, you may need to add just a  bit more olive oil or an egg yolk. You don’t want a bunch of dough sticking to the sides but you don’t want it falling-apart-dry, either.

• Once your dough ball has reached this level, let the mixer knead it on the 2nd to lowest speed for up to 10 minutes.
• What you want is a nice, firm ball that still isn’t sticking to the side of your mixing bowl but also isn’t so dry it’s cracking or breaking apart. It should be smooth and supple.
• When done,  wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 30 minutes.

If you haven’t already prepared your ravioli filling, now’s a good time to do so.

• When the dough is done resting, divide into 6 small sections and flatten each one.
• With your pasta attachment or a pasta maker, using the widest setting, run a section through 2-3 times.
• If your section isn’t rectangular, fold the sides of them over, to make a rectangle, and run through again.
• Then, thin your dough by working it through each roller setting until about the 6 or 7 mark. You want the dough nice and thin, so you can see your hand through it, but not so thin that it’s falling apart and hard to work with.
• Lay the finished strip of dough on a lightly floured surface and repeat with remaining sections of dough.
• If your dough is going to sit for more than 10 minutes, I recommend placing plastic wrap over the finished strips – this will keep them from drying out.

Assemble ravioli

• On your prepared strips of pasta, place a teaspoon or two of filling on your strip about 1 inch apart. You can make a lot of tiny ravioli or make fewer, larger ravioli, whichever you prefer, just leave enough room in-between filling, to seal each ravioli well.
• Using a pastry brush (or your fingers, if you don’t have a brush), lightly brush the egg wash in a grid fashion, around the filling.
• Place another strip of pasta on top (or if your strips are very long, fold one non-filled half over a filled half) and, starting at one end, cover and lightly press dough between filling rows, until you’ve reached the end of the strip.
• Then press around each filling firmly, trying to press out any air around the filling, as you go (this will keep your ravioli from bursting open when you cook them).
• Using a sharp knife or the rim of a glass, cut out your ravioli and then press the edges of each one quickly, making sure they’re sealed well.
• Return to lightly floured surface until ready to cook.
• Place ravioli in boiling salted water, return to a boil and cook for about 3 minutes.
• Remove from water with a slotted spoon or skimmer, arrange on individual plates or serving plate, drizzle with butter sauce, sprinkle with freshly grated cheese, (I also love a good shot of freshly ground black pepper on mine) and serve.

Can you see all those greens packed in there? My husband wasn’t convinced he was going to like Swiss chard in this, because of its sharpness, but he was pleasantly surprised. I’ve made this as a strictly arugula-filled ravioli and it’s a favorite, although I admit I have a passion for arugula. 🙂

You can seriously have so much fun with this recipe and I hope you do! And if you want to mix it up with a mushroom and greens filling, go for it. A fresh chunky tomato sauce will also work well over the greens, so don’t be afraid to play with the sauce, either.

Are you going to pull this off in under an hour? No. Homemade ravioli is an investment in time, so plan for a few hours especially if it’s your first go at it. Is the time invested worth it? You bet! Homemade ravioli is tender and packed full of flavor, without all of the additives that you’re going to find in most store-bought ravioli.

Now, I’ve also heard of people using wonton wrappers in place of the ravioli dough and, though I’ve never tried this myself, I say go for it. Never, ever be afraid to play with your food.

Enjoy!