This Homemade Ravioli Is Both Nutritious & Delicious

Pizza rolls are the perfect throwback to your childhood, and while they're certainly delicious, you've probably developed a more refined palate in your adult years. Or even if you haven't, it's hard to say no to stuffed pasta. So if you're looking to branch out and find a middle ground between after-school snacks, party finger foods, and fancy dinner options, give this homemade ravioli a try!

You'll need:

For the meat version:

  • oil for frying
  • 10½ oz ground meat
  • 2¾ oz bacon
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp tomato purée
  • 1 tbsp chopped parsley
  • salt and pepper

For the vegetarian spinach version:

  • oil for frying
  • ½ onion, diced
  • 1 chopped garlic clove
  • 12⅓ oz spinach
  • 3½ oz ricotta
  • 3¼ oz parmesan
  • 1 egg yolk
  • salt and pepper
  • a pinch of nutmeg

For the ravioli dough:

  • 4 oz flour
  • 4 oz durum wheat
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp salt

Here's how:

1. Heat some oil and brown the ground meat and bacon. Add and cook the diced onions. Pour the mixture into a bowl and stir in the egg yolk, tomato purée, parsley, salt, and pepper. Set aside.

2. For the spinach version, heat the oil and cook the diced onions and chopped garlic. Add the spinach to the pan and let it cook before transferring the mixture to a bowl. Add the ricotta, parmesan, egg yolk, salt, pepper, and nutmeg and mix well. Set aside.

3. For the ravioli, knead all the ingredients until they form a dough. Shape the dough into a ball and cut it in half.

4. Roll out both halves on a floured work surface into a wide strip that will completely cover your ice cube tray. Lay a strip of dough on top of the ice cube tray and gently press the dough into each container. 

5. Fill half of the ice cube tray containers with the meat version, and the other half with the spinach version. Brush the edges of the dough with an egg wash (feel free to use the leftover egg whites from you egg yolks), and cover with the second strip of dough. Smooth the top layer of dough out and trim off the excess pieces of dough on the sides. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

6. Remove the chilled dough from the ice cube tray and place on a floured service. Put the chilled dough on a floured work surface and divide the ravioli sections with a dough cutter or knife. Cook the ravioli in salted water and serve with tomato sauce.

While canned ravioli might seem like the easier option, who wants to eat a sad meal out of a tin can at the end of the day? Treat yourself to the finer things in life with this healthy version and give your body the kind of natural ingredients it's been craving. Everything just tastes better when it's homemade, so go ahead and give it a whirl.

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