Making fresh pasta with family and friends is one of those kitchen memories you won’t ever forget! In fact, I spent an afternoon in the kitchen with my dad and sisters making fresh ravioli, and alas, another HealthBarn recipe was born!
Our Handmade Cheesy Ravioli is the perfect hands-on recipe to get the whole family involved. They are made with semolina flour and fresh herbs for flavor, not to mention a protein packed unique ingredient: tofu in the filling. They are nutritious, too. Just one serving is a good source of calcium, vitamin A and an excellent way to boost iron, the mineral most kids don’t get enough of in their diets.
Serve this recipe family style with your favorite natural marinara sauce, YUM!
Ingredients: Dough: 1¼ semolina flour, stoneground ½ teaspoon sea salt 6 tablespoons water 2 large egg yolks 1½ tablespoons olive oil
Filling: 1 cup silken light tofu 2 tablespoons part-skim ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan cheese 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper ½ cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
To serve: 1 cup low-sodium marinara sauce
Directions: 1. Prepare the dough: In a large bowl, whisk together flour and sea salt. Create a well in the center of the flour and add water, egg yolks and olive oil to the well. Use a fork to gently beat the egg and slowly incorporate the flour into the liquid. Once the flour is incorporated, shape the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. 2. Prepare the filling: In a small bowl, mix together tofu, ricotta, parmesan and black pepper. Gently fold in basil. 3. Assemble the ravioli: Dust work surface with semolina flour. Remove dough from refrigerator and divide in half. Using a floured rolling pin, roll each piece of dough into a sheet, ¼ inch thick. Lay out 1 sheet of dough on a cutting board. Using a glass with a 3 inch diameter dipped in flour, press into dough to make circles and move aside. Place a teaspoon of mixture in the center of the dough circle. Place another circle on top to cover. Then, press a fork into the dough around the edges to seal the mixture. Repeat the process with remaining half of dough and tofu mixture. Set raviolis aside. 4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Drop ravioli, approximately 6 at a time, into the boiling water. Cook for approximately 4 minutes or until ravioli float to the top. Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a large serving bowl. Repeat with remaining ravioli. 5. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat marinara sauce over medium heat until simmering, approximately 5-7 minutes. 6. As ravioli are cooked and added to serving bowl, top with layers of sauce to keep ravioli from sticking. Top with remaining sauce and serve family style.
Makes 8 servings (2 ravioli plus 2 tablespoons sauce per serving).
Nutrition Facts per serving: 160 calories; 5g fat (1g sat fat, 3g mono, 1g poly, 0g trans fats); 50mg cholesterol; 21g carbohydrate (1g fiber, 1g sugar); 7g protein; 190mg sodium; 15% Daily Value (DV) vitamin A; 2% DV vitamin C; 15% DV calcium; 45% DV iron.
Stacey Antine, MS, RD, author, Appetite for Life, founder, HealthBarn USA, Director of HealthBarn Foundation, co-host, and recognized as top 10 dietitians nationally by Today’s Dietitianmagazine for her work with HealthBarn USA.