During my stay in London as a student, I used to eat a lot of ready to eat dinner’s from Marks and Spencer to save time and money both. One of my most favourite things to eat was their Spinach and Ricotta ravioli. The ravioli were sublime, the firm bite of the fresh pasta giving way to a cheesy spinach filling married beautifully with a roma tomato and cream sauce. Just writing about it is making my mouth water !
This Spinach and ricotta ravioli recipe is my recreation of the same with one added perk, I have made it egg free !
Also, I have used desi malai paneer or full fat paneer instead of ricotta cheese in this spinach and ricotta ravioli recipe. Here in India, imported ricotta cheese can be very expensive so I was looking for a local substitute. It so happens that paneer and ricotta are made almost the same way i.e. curdling by use of acid. AND ricotta is also an uncultured, non – aged cheese. The only difference is that paneer is made by curdling milk but ricotta is made by further curdling the whey that is left over after cheese curds are seperated. So, substituting the ricotta with paneer was the perfect solution, to make this Spinach and ricotta ravioli cheap and easy !
Did you know , that cheese and paneer both have the same fat and protien content ? To check the texture of the paneer that you should use and to know the brand that I have used , you can watch the video recipe linked to this page.
Since this recipe is eggfree, the dough lacks extra strength provided by the egg, so its very important to make the dough correctly. Make a firm dough and use as little water as possible. If the dough is soft and pliable it wont be able to hold its shape and break apart while boiling. To improve the flavour of the sauce I have used cherry tomatoes, You can also use equal quantity of regular tomatoes also .
This is a great make ahead dish, you can make the sauce and pasta beforehand and then just warm the two up together before serving.
If you are interested in more Italian recipes you can try my thin crust pizza that I have made without using an oven ! You can also find the VIDEO recipe for Italian thin crust pizza here.
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Spinach And Ricotta Ravioli – Cheap and Easy
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Yield: 8 ravioli 1x
- Category: Main Course
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA DOUGH
- 150 gms All purpose flour
- Salt to taste
- 3–4 tbsp Water
FOR THE SPINACH FILLING
- 100 gms Spinach ( 2 cups)
- 1/2 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 100 gms Malai Paneer
- 1/2 cube Processed cheese
- Pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
FOR THE CREAMY SAUCE
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 cloves Garlic
- 150 gms Cherry tomato (12– 15 nos)
- 6–7 leaves Basil
- Salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
- 1/2 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Amul Cream (25% fat)
Instructions
TO MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH
- Mix flour, salt and add water 1 tbsp at a time. Form a very stiff dough. Knead it for 8-10 mins till no dry flour remains. Such a stiff dough will be difficult to knead but dont get tempted to add extra water.
- Cover it with a moist cloth and rest it for 45 mins to 1 hour.
FOR THE SPINACH FILLING
- Heat the oil in a pan and add in the finely mined garlic. Saute for a few mins and then add in the spinach.
- Add in some salt. The spinach will begin wilting and release water. Cook it till completely dry and all the water has evaporated. keep stirring in between.
- Once the spinach is dry add in the crumbled paneer and grated cheese. Season with pepper. Mix well.
- The paneer will release water at this stage, cook this mix till the filling becomes completely dry.
FOR THE CREAMY SAUCE
- Heat some olive oil and add in the chopped garlic. Then add in the cherry tomatoes and salt. Cover and cook for 10-12 mins. Stir occassionally.
- Once the tomatoes begin to soften and cook, mash them lightly with the back of the spoon to release their juices in the pan.
- Add in the dried thyme or any other herb that you like. Mixed italian seasoning will also work. Ive also added fresh basil leaves. Add in the sugar.
- Once all the other ingredients are in and well mixed, add in the cream and heat it till almost boiling but DO NOT boil the mix as the cream may split and that will change the texture of the sauce. Bring it off the heat quickly to avoid curdling.
- This sauce is delicious just like this, but if you are a cheese lover like me you can add as little or as much of your favourite cheese to it at this stage. The residual heat in the sauce will melt the cheese and create a uniformly thick and luscious sauce.
FOR THE RAVIOLI
- After 1 hour the pasta dough will have softened up a bit and will be easier
to roll. - Roll it into thin sheets, using very very little flour for
dusting. cut it into 2 thin rectangular sheets of 2 inch width and 10 inch
length. - Now place a spoonful of the spinach filling onto the pasta
sheet, 2 inches apart from one another. Wet it around the filling with some
water and then place the other sheet on top of it. Press around the filling
squeezing lightly so that both sheets join together. Try to remove as much air
as possible before sealing completely. - Cut the ravioli into squares using a sharp knife or into rounds by using a round
cookie cutter. to understand the process better please watch the video. - Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add in a tsp of
salt. Then dunk in the ravioli. Cook them for 1-2 mins. Once they float on top,
remove them from the water and put in cold water to stop the cooking process. - To serve, saute the ravioli in the sauce , garnish with some cheese and serve hot.
Notes
- If the dough remains very soft and pliable, the ravioli will disintegrate in boiling water and will not be able to hold its shape, so make a very firm and stiff dough.
- Press the ravioli properly around the filling so that no air remains in the pasta,or it may burst during cooking.
- Cook the spinach till all the water evaporates. Use cold filling to make the ravioli.
- Sugar is added in the sauce just to balance the sourness of tomatoes, it shouldnt taste sweet.
- TIP – You can boil the ravioli and let them cool down to room temperature. then coat them with little refined or olive oil and put them on a tray to freeze so that they dont stick together. after they have frozen solid you can place them together in a freezer safe ziplock bag and store for 30 – 45 days. To use, just thaw at room temperature, then dunk them in boiling hot water for 2-3 mins and proceed to use it anyway you want !
Watch the full video recipe here : –
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