Classic ricotta-and-spinach filled egg pasta served with a silky sage butter.
Ingredients
Pasta dough
300g 00 flour
165g whole eggs
2g fine sea salt
Filling
400g whole-milk ricotta, drained
400g fresh spinach leaves
60g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
40g whole egg, beaten
5g fine sea salt
1g ground black pepper
0.5g ground nutmeg
10ml extra-virgin olive oil
To assemble, cook, and finish
30g egg white
30g durum wheat semolina, for dusting
4000ml water
80g fine sea salt
100g unsalted butter
12g fresh sage leaves
30g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated, to serve
Steps
Line a sieve with cheesecloth.
Place ricotta in the lined sieve.
Refrigerate the ricotta for 30 minutes.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
Add olive oil to the skillet.
Add spinach to the skillet.
Sauté the spinach until wilted.
Transfer the spinach to a colander.
Cool the spinach for 5 minutes.
Squeeze the spinach completely dry by hand.
Chop the spinach finely with a knife.
Press the drained ricotta through a fine sieve into a mixing bowl.
Add chopped spinach to the bowl.
Add grated Parmigiano to the bowl.
Add beaten egg to the bowl.
Add nutmeg to the bowl.
Add fine sea salt to the bowl.
Add black pepper to the bowl.
Mix the filling until smooth with a spatula.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.
Refrigerate the filling for 20 minutes.
Mound the 00 flour on a work surface.
Form a well in the center of the flour.
Pour the whole eggs into the well.
Add fine sea salt to the eggs.
Beat the eggs with a fork.
Draw flour into the eggs with the fork.
Knead the dough until smooth and elastic for 8 minutes.
Wrap the dough in plastic wrap.
Rest the dough at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Unwrap the dough.
Cut the dough into 2 equal pieces.
Flatten one piece with your palm.
Set a pasta machine to its widest setting.
Dust the dough lightly with semolina.
Roll the dough through the widest setting.
Fold the sheet in thirds.
Roll the sheet through the widest setting again.
Roll the sheet progressively to 0.6–0.8 mm thickness (about setting 6–7).
Lay the sheet on a semolina-dusted surface.
Cover the sheet with a kitchen towel.
Repeat the rolling with the second piece of dough.
Uncover the first sheet.
Spoon 12g mounds of filling onto the sheet at 5 cm intervals.
Brush egg white around each mound.
Lay the second sheet over the first sheet.
Press the pasta around each mound to seal.
Expel air from around each mound with your fingertips.
Cut the ravioli with a 6 cm cutter or knife.
Transfer the ravioli to a semolina-dusted tray.
Refrigerate the ravioli for 20 minutes.
Pour the water into a large pot.
Bring the water to a rolling boil.
Add the fine sea salt to the boiling water.
Place a wide skillet over medium-low heat.
Add the butter to the skillet.
Melt the butter gently.
Add the sage leaves to the butter.
Infuse the sage in the butter for 2 minutes.
Reduce the heat under the butter to low.
Add the ravioli to the boiling water.
Stir the pot gently with a wooden spoon.
Cook the ravioli until they float and the edges are tender, 3–4 minutes.
Reserve 60ml of the pasta cooking water.
Transfer the ravioli to the sage butter with a slotted spoon.
Add 60ml reserved pasta water to the skillet.
Toss the ravioli in the butter over low heat.
Plate the ravioli in warm bowls.
Spoon the sage butter over the ravioli.
Sprinkle with grated Parmigiano to serve.
Notes
Ricotta and spinach: For the driest, creamiest filling, drain ricotta overnight and squeeze spinach until no liquid seeps out when pressed; excess moisture will burst seals or dilute flavor.
Sealing: A light brush of egg white is stronger than whole egg and helps prevent leaks; avoid wetting the very edge to keep clean seals.
Dough thickness: Aim for a sheet thin enough to see the shadow of your hand through it; too thick yields doughy ravioli, too thin risks tearing.
Make-ahead: Refrigerate formed ravioli up to 24 hours on a semolina-dusted tray, or freeze in a single layer until firm and then bag; cook from frozen 1–2 minutes longer.
Butter and sage: Keep the butter foamy but not deeply browned to preserve the delicate filling; add a splash of pasta water to form a light emulsion.
Related classics: For more filled pasta, see Tortellini in Brodo and Ravioli del Plin; for hand-cut egg pasta, see Tagliatelle al Ragù.
Cooksmith