A versatile fresh egg pasta dough designed for rolling into sheets for homemade pasta or ravioli. The dough works especially well with a KitchenAid pasta roller and can be paired with several fillings, including spinach-ricotta, pea-mascarpone or sun-dried tomato and ricotta.
Yield: About 60–72 ravioli, depending on size
Prep Time: About 30 minutes, plus at least 30 minutes resting
Fresh Egg Pasta Dough
Ingredients:
- 300 grams “00” flour or bread flour
- 2 large eggs
- 3 large egg yolks
- Cold water, as needed to bring the combined egg and water weight to 185 grams
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Instructions:
- Weigh 300 grams flour and place it in the bowl of a food processor.
- Add the kosher salt and pulse briefly to combine.
- Place a small bowl on a digital scale and tare the scale to zero.
- Add the 2 whole eggs and 3 egg yolks to the bowl and note their combined weight. Do not tare the scale again.
- Gradually add cold water until the combined weight of the eggs, yolks and water reaches exactly 185 grams.
- Add the 185 grams of liquid to the food processor.
- Pulse until the ingredients begin to come together and form a ball of dough.
- Turn the dough and any remaining bits of flour onto a clean work surface. Work any loose pieces into the dough.
- Knead by hand for about 8 minutes, until the dough becomes smooth and elastic.
- Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
Rolling the Pasta
- Divide the rested dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remaining dough tightly covered so it doesn't dry out.
- Flatten the dough and pass it through the pasta roller, progressively reducing the thickness.
- For ravioli, I generally roll the pasta to setting 6 on the KitchenAid pasta roller.
- Use the sheets immediately for pasta or ravioli.
- Dough scraps can be gathered together, rerolled and used to make additional pasta or ravioli.
Tip: Keep both unused dough and finished pasta sheets covered whenever possible. Fresh pasta dries quickly, which can make ravioli difficult to seal.
Spinach, Ricotta & Pine Nut Ravioli Filling
A classic creamy ricotta and spinach filling with toasted pine nuts, Parmesan and a touch of nutmeg.
Ingredients:
- ½ tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, finely chopped
- ½ pound baby spinach
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
- 8 tablespoons (½ cup) toasted pine nuts
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions:
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the shallot and sauté for about 1 minute.
- Add the spinach in batches, stirring occasionally, until just wilted.
- Season with salt and pepper and remove from the heat.
- Allow the spinach mixture to cool completely.
- Working with small handfuls, firmly squeeze the spinach to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Finely chop the spinach.
- Combine the spinach with the ricotta, Parmesan, toasted pine nuts and nutmeg.
- Refrigerate until thoroughly chilled before filling the ravioli.
Tip: Removing as much liquid as possible from the cooked spinach is important. Excess moisture can make the filling loose and cause the ravioli to leak.
Thomas Keller's Pea & Mascarpone Ravioli Filling
A smooth, slightly sweet filling of peas and mascarpone, thickened with panko to create a creamy filling that's easy to portion into fresh ravioli.
Ingredients:
- 300 grams frozen peas
(I have also used an entire 368-gram package.) - 150 grams mascarpone cheese
(I have also used an entire 227-gram package.) - 75 grams panko breadcrumbs
Instructions:
- Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
- Add the frozen peas and blanch for about 3 minutes.
- Drain thoroughly and transfer the peas to a clean cotton kitchen towel.
- Gently squeeze the towel to remove as much excess moisture from the peas as possible.
- Transfer the peas to a food processor and process until smooth.
- Add the mascarpone and panko and process until the mixture forms a smooth, thick paste.
- Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until chilled before filling the ravioli.
Sun-Dried Tomato & Ricotta Ravioli Filling
A rich Mediterranean-style ravioli filling combining creamy ricotta with sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan and fresh basil.
Ingredients:
- 300 grams ricotta cheese
- ⅔ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, well drained and finely chopped
- 3–4 fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
- ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Place the ricotta in a medium bowl.
- Add the finely chopped sun-dried tomatoes, basil and Parmesan.
- Mix until evenly combined.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled before assembling the ravioli.
Assembling the Ravioli
- Prepare and roll the fresh egg pasta dough as directed above.
- Place rounded teaspoons of chilled filling at evenly spaced intervals on a sheet of pasta.
- Cover with a second pasta sheet and carefully press around each mound of filling, pushing out trapped air.
- Cut and seal the ravioli by hand or use a ravioli tray or form.
- Keep finished ravioli lightly floured and covered while assembling the remaining batches.
Yield: One batch of pasta dough makes approximately 60–72 ravioli, depending on the ravioli tray, thickness of the dough and amount of filling used.
Tip: I would keep this as one master blog post rather than four separate recipes. The pasta dough is the foundation, and the three fillings become useful variations within the same post. It will read almost like a small ravioli chapter in your recipe collection.
Source: Family Recipe; Pea & Mascarpone Filling adapted from Thomas Keller.