Homemade Heart-Shaped Ravioli: The Basic Recipe for Your Special Occasions
The heart-shaped ravioli are the perfect symbol to show art and love in the kitchen! Whatever the occasion, getting your hands in the dough is always a generous gesture that transforms simple ingredients into an unforgettable gift for family and friends. They will be perfect for a romantic Valentine’s Day or a special lunch!
Light and Digestible Fresh Pasta: The Water Trick
This recipe was born from a “small mishap” turned into a strength. To prepare 400g of flour, tradition would require 4 eggs. However, by using 3 eggs and compensating with some water, you will get an incredibly lighter, more elastic, and easily digestible dough, without altering its cooking hold in the slightest.
The Classic Filling: Ricotta, Spinach, and Pecorino
To fill these ravioli, I chose a timeless combination that everyone agrees on: Fresh Ricotta: for a velvety creaminess.
Spinach: for a touch of color and essential nutrients.
Pecorino: to give flavor and character to the heart of the ravioli.
Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners Making homemade ravioli certainly doesn’t just take five minutes, but it is a fun and relaxing activity that you can do with your kids or family. Here you will find the photos of all the steps to help you get a thin and resistant sheet, use the heart-shaped cutters correctly, and seal the edges to prevent the filling from leaking during boiling. Put on your apron and let’s make them together!
Other basic fresh pasta recipes you might be interested in:
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6
- Cooking methods: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
⚠ This recipe includes one or more affiliate links. The products I recommend are the same ones I use in my recipes; purchasing them through my blog helps support me and my work, while it will not cost you anything extra!
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1.25 cups semolina flour
- 3 eggs
- 3.5 tbsp water
- 1 pinch salt
- 1.5 lbs spinach
- 1.25 cups ricotta
- 3 tbsp Sicilian Pecorino (grated)
- 2 tbsp Grana Padano, grated
- to taste nutmeg
- 1 clove garlic
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pinch salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- 1 Frying pan
- 1 Lid
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Sieve
- Scissors
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Fork
- 1 Plastic wrap
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 Pasta machine
- 1 Dish towel
- 1 Cookie cutter
Preparation
Start by preparing the filling*. Clean the spinach by removing the yellowed leaves and thicker stems, then wash them thoroughly under running water.
Drain them and cook for 5 minutes over low heat in a large non-stick pan with a clove of garlic and a drizzle of oil covering with a lid.
Drain them well from their cooking water inside a sieve for several hours or, to speed up, squeeze them with your hands. Then finely chop them with a pair of scissors.
Transfer the well-drained spinach into a large bowl. Then add the ricotta, also well drained, the grated Grana and Pecorino, the nutmeg, and season with salt and pepper.
Mix until you get a well-mixed filling and store it in the fridge.
On a work surface, mix the flours, create a well and beat the eggs inside with the help of a fork along with a pinch of salt.
Combine the ingredients, adding the water little by little. You might need slightly more or less depending on the size of your eggs, so be careful. Continue kneading with your hands.
After about ten minutes, you will obtain a soft and consistent dough.
Cover it with plastic wrap, make sure it’s PVC-free, and let it rest for at least 1 hour at room temperature.
After this time, divide the dough into two. While working with the first, keep the other wrapped in plastic wrap so it doesn’t dry out. On a work surface lightly floured with semolina, roll it out with a rolling pin, then stretch it with the pasta machine passing it through the rollers from the thickest to the second to last thinest: you should obtain a rectangular sheet about 1 mm thick.
Repeat the operation with the other dough, keeping the sheets already stretched covered with a dish towel and dusted with semolina. Now create the heart shapes for the ravioli bases with a cutter without pressing too hard, just to have a reference.
Transfer the spinach, ricotta, and pecorino mixture to a piping bag and make small mounds of filling in the center of each heart.
Lay the second sheet over them, matching the edges and making sure to press out the air between each ravioli by pressing around the filling with your fingers to prevent them from opening during cooking. Then, cut the ravioli with the cutter following the direction of the bases.
Press firmly until they are completely detached.
And voilà… the ricotta, spinach, and pecorino ravioli are ready to be cooked! Drop them in boiling water and cook them for 2′-3′, until they float to the surface. I dressed them with butter, sage, and pecorino
Enjoy your meal from La Cucina di FeFè!
Storage
👉You can store the ricotta and spinach ravioli in the fridge for 24 hours on a tray lightly dusted with re-milled semolina. You can also freeze them directly on the tray for a couple of hours until the ravioli have hardened. Then, place them in freezer bags. They will keep perfectly for 2-3 months. To use them, just cook them in plenty of salted water while still frozen.
Tips, notes, variations, and suggestions
🟣It is advisable to prepare the filling the day before because the spinach, once washed and cooked, needs to lose all its residual water. It would be optimal to let them drain for several hours in a colander. Alternatively, they must be squeezed very well.
1. Can I make the dough without eggs?
Yes, you can make a vegan or lighter version using only water and flour (or semolina), but the addition of at least one egg helps maintain the elastic structure needed to create particular shapes like hearts.
2. What sauce enhances heart-shaped ravioli?
To not cover the shape and delicate flavor of the filling, we recommend a simple sauce: melted butter, sage, and a sprinkle of pecorino. For a more modern touch, try a drizzle of truffle oil or a light parmesan cream.
