Cheese Ravioli
intro
Pillowy tender fresh pasta stuffed with creamy three-cheese filling, tossed in nutty brown butter and crisp sage for a timeless, comforting Italian meal.
Ingredients
Steps
Make pasta dough
Mound 2 cups (240g) 00-grade all-purpose flour on a clean wooden work surface, create a deep well in the center, and add 4 whole eggs plus 1 egg yolk and ½ teaspoon kosher salt to the well. Use a fork to slowly beat the eggs, gradually incorporating flour from the inner edges of the well until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until the dough is smooth, elastic, and pale golden yellow. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes to relax the gluten.
Mix cheese filling
While the dough rests, stir together 1 ½ cups (375g) drained whole-milk ricotta, ½ cup (50g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, ¼ cup (25g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella, ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper in a medium bowl until fully combined and smooth. Taste and adjust salt if needed, then transfer the filling to a piping bag or sealed plastic bag and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use.
Roll pasta sheets
Unwrap the rested dough and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a ½-inch thick disc, and run it through a pasta roller set to the widest setting, folding the dough into thirds after each pass for 3 total passes on the widest setting to create a smooth, even sheet. Gradually reduce the roller setting one notch at a time, rolling the dough through each setting once, until you reach a final thickness of 1/16 inch (about setting 5 on most standard home pasta rollers). Lay the rolled sheets on a semolina-dusted baking sheet, and cover with a clean kitchen towel to prevent drying.
Assemble cheese ravioli
Lay one pasta sheet flat on a semolina-dusted work surface. Pipe 1-teaspoon mounds of cheese filling spaced 1 inch apart down the center of the sheet, arranging 2 rows if the sheet is wide enough. Brush all exposed pasta around each filling mound with beaten egg wash. Lay a second matching pasta sheet over the top, pressing firmly around each filling mound to push out trapped air and seal the edges tightly. Use a fluted ravioli cutter or sharp knife to cut individual 1.5-inch square ravioli, and transfer cut ravioli to a semolina-dusted tray, making sure they do not touch each other to prevent sticking.
Cook ravioli until tender
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water (2 tablespoons kosher salt per 4 quarts water, tasting as salty as seawater) to a rolling boil over high heat. Gently add ravioli in small batches to avoid crowding the pot, and cook for 3–4 minutes until ravioli float to the surface and the pasta is al dente (tender with a slight firm bite). Reserve ¼ cup of starchy pasta cooking water, then drain ravioli gently; do not rinse the pasta.
Make brown butter sauce
While ravioli cook, melt 6 tablespoons (85g) unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 15 fresh sage leaves, and cook, swirling the pan frequently, for 2–3 minutes until the butter turns deep golden brown, smells nutty and toasted, and the sage leaves are crisp. Stir in ¼ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, then reduce heat to the lowest setting to keep the sauce warm while ravioli finish cooking.
Toss and serve ravioli
Add drained cooked ravioli to the skillet with brown butter sauce, and toss gently over low heat for 1 minute, adding 1–2 tablespoons of reserved pasta water as needed to create a light, glossy sauce that coats every ravioli. Divide ravioli evenly between 4 warm dinner plates, top with extra grated Parmigiano-Reggiano if desired, and serve immediately.
Tips
2.Press firmly around each cheese mound to push out all trapped air before sealing ravioli, as trapped air will cause ravioli to burst open while boiling and leak filling into the cooking water.
3.Do not rinse cooked ravioli after draining; the light starchy coating on the pasta surface helps the brown butter sauce cling evenly to each ravioli for a glossy, well-coated finish.
OMG, this ravioli was a total game changer for our Sunday family dinner! I was nervous to make homemade pasta for the first time, but the cheese filling came together so easily and that brown butter sage sauce? *Chef’s kiss* My kids went back for seconds, even my super picky 7 year old! SO good, will be adding this to our regular rotation.
Took this to a neighborhood potluck last week and people were begging me for the recipe! Only note: I added a tiny pinch of nutmeg to the cheese filling and it elevated it so much, highly recommend. Cook time was right on the money for me too, no weird unexpected steps.
Made a double batch of these on Sunday for meal prep and they held up perfectly all week for work lunches! I froze half the uncooked ravioli too, can’t wait to pull those out on a busy weeknight when I don’t feel like cooking. The brown butter sauce is so simple but tastes like something you’d get at a fancy Italian restaurant, no cap.
Pretty solid recipe overall! Taste was incredible, but I messed up the first batch of dough because I didn’t let it rest long enough, it kept shrinking when I tried to roll it out. Second batch turned out great once I waited the full 30 minutes, don’t skip that rest step y’all. The sauce is unreal, I could drink it straight up.
Was so excited to try this, swapped regular flour for my go-to GF 1:1 baking flour and the dough was a little crumbly at first, but added an extra egg yolk and it worked! Wondering if anyone else has tweaks for the GF version to make it even better? The sauce was 10/10 either way.
Made this for my girlfriend for our anniversary dinner at home and she thought I ordered takeout from our favorite Italian spot! She kept saying how impressive it was that I made pasta from scratch, little does she know how straightforward the steps are. Only thing I did different was add a little extra parm on top, no regrets.
Taste was absolutely amazing, but I burned my first batch of brown butter because I walked away for 30 seconds to answer the door 😂 Don’t be like me! Stand right by the stove when you’re making that sauce, it goes from perfect nutty brown to burnt in literally seconds. The ravioli filling was chef’s kiss though, even with my slightly charred first sauce attempt.
I could put this brown butter sage sauce on literally everything. I’ve tossed it with roasted veggies, spread it on garlic bread, even drizzled a little on popcorn after making this ravioli. The ravioli itself is great, but that sauce is the real star here. 10/10, no notes.
Wait, is there a substitute for ricotta? My husband hates ricotta with a passion but he loves ravioli, I’m trying to find a swap that will still be creamy and delicious without him picking out the filling. Would mascarpone work?
Made these for our college football watch party over the weekend and they were gone in 10 minutes! I cut the ravioli into extra big squares so they were easier to grab as finger food, served them with a little side of marinara for dipping too. Total crowd pleaser.
Taste was good, but this took me closer to 2 hours total instead of the listed 1 hour 15 minutes, probably because I’m slower at rolling out pasta by hand. If you’re a total beginner, block out extra time so you don’t feel rushed. Flavor was on point, just plan for longer prep if you don’t have a pasta maker.
Added a handful of finely chopped spinach that I squeezed totally dry to the cheese filling and it was so good! Added a little extra veggie boost without messing with the creamy texture, my toddler didn’t even notice the greens. Will definitely be doing that every time I make these from now on.
Just finished eating these and WOW. The brown butter gets so nutty and the crispy sage leaves are the perfect crunchy topper. I’ve made ravioli from a kit before but homemade is on a whole other level. Worth every minute of prep, 100%.