Ravioli is my #1 most eaten food in the world. There’s this pre-packaged brand at Publix (Monterey something?) that is absolutely delicious, and some weeks I will have it seriously 4 or 5 nights for dinner, all different flavors and fillings. When I’m at a fancy authentic Italian restaurant and I see ravioli on the menu (like SIP, which has awesome short rib agnolotti!), I am powerless to resist. Suffice to say, I luuuurve ravioli.
I’ve wanted to try making my own for a long time, but I don’t have a pasta machine for pressing it thin. I want to try making my own but it is a lot of work, so I’ve been hesitant with my one square-foot of counter space.
And then I found this genius recipe on Pinterest, which uses wonton wrappers from the grocery store in place of pasta. Of course it’s not exactly the same thing, but it’s still pretty awesome, and I knew I had to try it. And over all it was great!
The one thing I’ll note is that the filling recipe made way more filling than I needed for the wonton package (24, I think?). I probably could have even halved the filling recipe and had enough. I have adjusted some of the amounts in the written recipe at the bottom of this post a little, but it will probably still make too much.
The other challenge was that I went ahead and made the whole package of wonton wrappers but I’m just one person and I will get sick from eating too much ravioli eventually. I can’t vouch for this working, but I’d recommend only making up maybe half of the package and filling, and then making the rest another day. I CAN vouch for the fact that this isn’t good leftover. It needs to be fresh.
Heat up a tablespoon of oil in a pan and saute the spinach until wilted, a minute or two.
Put the ricotta in a bowl. I would recommend not using the skim or even part-skim for this—I had some texture issues, couldn’t get it quite blended smoothly.
Season with salt and pepper, and add in the grated parmesan. I used a parmesan-asiago-romano mix.
Chop up the wilted spinach and add to the bowl.
Add an egg (to help bind things together).
And mix the whole thing up.
In a separate small bowl, whisk together an egg and a little bit of water to make the egg wash. Lay out your wonton wrappers and dish a tiny bit of filling into the center of each.
Really, a TINY bit. Take whatever you think it should be, then halve that, then halve it again and put it on the wrapper. (and then I’ll put it in a box, and then I’ll put that box in another box, and then I’ll send that box to myself…)
Put a little bit of egg wash around the edges of the first wonton wrapper and then lay another on top.
Start by pressing right up against the filling to get any air bubbles out. Air bubbles are the enemy (like fascism and visible bra straps) and must be eradicated! Seal around the edges, pressing firmly.
Drop in a pot of boiling, salted water, and cook for about 3 minutes, then remove using a slotted spoon.
Place in a dish and serve as desired. I went the simple route and used just olive oil, and freshly-ground salt and pepper. Delicious! You could also use a marinara sauce, a pesto sauce, etc., but that just kind of seems like overkill to me—you won’t taste the filling.
So. Good.
I did try pan-frying a few of the ravioli, since I love a good toasted or pan-finished ravioli at restaurants. However, I’d caution against this when using the wonton wrappers, as they get hard and crunchy—rather like a good egg roll.
Spinach & Ricotta Wonton Ravioli
Note, these amounts are rough, just remember there is no wrong answer
- About 8-12 ounces of ricotta (I’d recommend whole milk)
- About 1/2 to 1 cup of grated parmesan, romano, or similar
- 1 egg
- A few handfuls of spinach, arugula, or similar
- Salt And pepper, to taste
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil (for wilting the spinach)
- 1 package of wonton wrappers (I believe it includes 24)
- 1 egg & 1-2 tablespoons of water for egg wash
- Olive oil, salt, pepper for serving
Mix together ricotta, grated parmesan, 1 egg, and salt and pepper to taste. In a skillet over medium heat, heat olive oil and wilt arugula (this’ll only take about 30 seconds to a minute). Remove from skillet and chop. Allow to cool, then stir into the ricotta mixture. Set aside.
In a small dish, beat together the egg and water for the egg wash, set aside. Set a pot of water to boil (salt when boiling).
Lay one wonton wrapper on the surface. Set a small amount (1/2 to 1 teaspoon) filling in the center of the wrapper. With a pastry brush (if possible), brush a strip along all four sides of the wrapper (around the edges). Place a second wrapper on top, working from the middle first. Carefully press out air bubbles as you press the top wrapper around the base of the filling, then work your way out to the edges, lining the corners up and pressing lightly to seal. Set aside and repeat with remaining filling and wonton wrappers.
Once the ravioli are assembled, drop them four at a time into boiling water. Cook for 3 minutes, then remove with a slotted spoon. Serve however you prefer, I just like olive oil, salt, and pepper.
Original recipe here from the lovely Pioneer Woman
Looks delicious, I’ve only made ravioli once because I had some left over butternut squash and had seen a recipe somewhere for butternut squash ravioli. I only used one wonton wrapper and folded it over to make a triangle and then just froze them for a quick meal another night (line a cookie sheet with wax paper and freeze first to avoid them sticking together). From the freezer just drop a few in boiling water and voila! I’ve also boiled them first then sauteed lightly and dusted with garlic powder and a little parmesan cheese for a little more flavor.
Oooh, I love butternut squash ravioli! When you sauteed them, were they wonton ravioli or regular dough? When I sauteed the wonton ravioli, they got crunchy (and not in a good way), but wondering if I did it wrong.