Spinach Ravioli with Ricotta & Herb-Butter Sauce

This Spinach Ravioli With Ricotta & Herb Butter Sauce is one of the most luxurious ravioli recipes you’ll encounter. If you’ve never dreamed of fresh homemade ravioli pillows filled with creamy ricotta and spinach – you will after you try these!

With this recipe, the spinach becomes part of the pasta dough itself. The mouthwatering ricotta filling has a unique mixture of parmesan cheese and warm nutmeg. This Spinach Ravioli is the perfect example of Italian comfort food, with a fragrant herb butter sauce made from just three ingredients. 

Best of all, preparing homemade filled ravioli for dinner only takes about an hour! 

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions

Ingredients

For The Ricotta Filling

• 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese, drained
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1 pinch ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper

For The Spinach Pasta

• 5 oz spinach, frozen or fresh, prepared*. (See notes for preparation tips)
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading and rolling (start with 1½ cup and add more as needed)
• 2 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For The Herb Butter Sauce

• 2 ¼ oz unsalted butter
• ¾ oz nuts, roughly chopped (we used pistachio nuts, but walnuts work best)
• 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves (or any herb of your choice)

For Serving

• Extra Parmesan cheese, grated

📝 NOTES:

*Preparation of spinach:

📌 FROZEN SPINACH: If you’re using frozen spinach, start thawing it a day or two before making the pasta. Take the frozen block out of the box, put it in a colander over a bowl and let it thaw/drain completely for 24-48 hours in the refrigerator. Squeeze the thawed spinach in handfuls to press out as much liquid as possible.

📌 FRESH SPINACH: If you’re using fresh spinach, try to start a day ahead. Wash it thoroughly in several changes of cold water, remove the stems, and cook it for 5 minutes or more in a large volume of boiling water. Remove the spinach from the pot and let it drain and cool in a colander, then squeeze out as much water as possible. If possible, let it drain and dry in the colander overnight. Squeeze the spinach again the next day.

📌 RICOTTA: The ricotta will perform best if allowed to drain overnight before preparing the pasta.

How To Make Spinach Ravioli With Ricotta & Herb-Butter Sauce

Step 1: Prepare The Ricotta Filling

Stir all the ingredients for the ricotta filling together and chill. (This includes ricotta, parmesan, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.)

Step 2: Blend the Spinach and Flour

Put the spinach into the food processor bowl and purée it thoroughly, scraping it off the sides. (As my spinach was very dry, my mixture didn’t puree; it simply chopped very finely, which is okay too.)

Step 3: Make the Pasta Dough

To make the dough, add 1½ cups of all-purpose flour to a dough kneader. Whisk together the two eggs, the yolk, and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Turn the dough kneader on medium and add the spinach purée and the egg mixture. Knead the dough for 2-3 minutes.

Alternative Method to Making the Pasta Dough

Instead of using a dough kneader, you can use the food processor where you’ve pureed the spinach.

Whisk together the whole egg, extra yolk, and oil in a bowl or measuring cup with a spout. With the food processor running, pour in the liquid ingredients on top of the green flour.

Process for about 30 seconds, and scrape down the bowl. Process another 20 to 30 seconds until the dough has started to come together in a ball on the blade. (If the dough remains too wet and doesn’t form a ball, continue to add flour until it does.)

Step 4: Rest the Dough

Turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly until it’s smooth. Wrap well in plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes before rolling. 

Step 5: Make the Herb Butter Sauce

While the dough is resting, melt the butter in a small frying pan over medium heat. Add the nuts and herbs and cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes or until the herbs are crisp and the butter is golden. Remove from heat (this can be reheated again when the pasta is ready to serve.)

Step 6: Roll and Fill Ravioli

Roll out the pasta to workable sheets. Place one long pasta sheet on a lightly floured surface. Place heaped teaspoonfuls of chilled ricotta mixture at 2-inch intervals on the pastry sheet, leaving a ¾ inch border around the edges. (Depending on how wide your sheet is, you may be able to do 2 rows.)

Using a pastry brush, brush the pasta edges with water, working around the dollops of ricotta.

Step 7: Seal the Ravioli

Top with another pasta sheet and press the edges together to seal, ensuring there are no air bubbles. Use a ravioli shaper or knife to cut between each dollop of mixture to make squares. Repeat with remaining pasta sheets and filling.

Step 8: Cook

Cook about 4 ravioli squares at a time in a large saucepan of salted boiling water for 3-5 minutes or until al dente. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a plate. Repeat with the remaining pasta. Divide the ravioli among serving bowls and spoon over the butter sauce. (Alternatively, you can add the cooked ravioli to the pan of butter sauce for a quick stir, and then transfer to serving plates.) 

Step 9: Serve

Grate Parmesan cheese directly on top. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

Here are some creative ideas for how to serve your Spinach Ravioli With Ricotta & Herb-Butter Sauce.

• Enjoy an all-around special Italian meal by including Spelt Focaccia with your Spinach Ravioli.
• Get eaters excited with Roasted Asparagus Wrapped In Prosciutto as an appetizer.
• Keep your side dishes light and inviting with this Caprese Salad With Balsamic Reduction.

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🧑‍🍳 Expert Tips

Storage Suggestions

• Pasta dough can be stored for up to 2 days in the refrigerator in an airtight Ziploc bag.
• To freeze the ravioli, add some semolina to a baking tray. Place the ravioli on the tray (without covering it) to freeze for 15 minutes. Then, put the ravioli in a freezer bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
• When using frozen ravioli leftovers of Spinach Ravioli With Ricotta & Herb-Butter Sauce, you can boil them right out of the freezer for 5 minutes.

Frequently Asked Questions