Have you ever noticed how rare it is to find dairy-free ravioli? Well, I have. When I was tasked with making meals for my mother-in-law who also must avoid dairy products, I reasoned that it was a perfect opportunity to try to make my own dairy-free ravioli.

Then I began to think about all the possibilities for dairy-free and dairy-filled ravioli and I got a little carried away. Chicken sausage and mushroom! Sweet potato and blue cheese! Spinach, mushrooms and ricotta! Sun-dried tomato and apple! I wanted to make it all.

After beginning with batch 1, I realized that I did not have nearly enough time to live up to my ravioli-making potential in this round. After enlisting Manatee’s help, we ended up with two different kinds: mushrooms, spinach and ricotta (for those who could enjoy dairy) & chicken sausage, sun-dried tomato, spinach and mushrooms (for the rest of us).

Disclaimer: Before you get too impressed, I should mention that I was not making the pasta from scratch. Even I have my boundaries. As much as I love pasta, Manatee hates it. So, for the time being, we are without a pasta maker. Instead we used wonton wrappers which Manatee loves and which I love because they are so much easier than real pasta and so much lighter tasting.

I wasn’t measuring when I was cooking so instead of a recipe, I will instead outline some steps and tips to making your own ravioli.

How to make your own ravioli:

  1. Prep your ingredients: you want to cook the ingredients before putting them in the ravioli. For example, I sliced and sauteed my mushrooms.If you are using meat, definitely cook that before mixing together the filling.
  2. Puree the filling: I used our magic bullet to puree the ingredients with the cheese.
  3. Fill the ravioli: After I pureed the ingredients, I place a small amount in the middle of the wonton wrapper (approx. 1 tsp).

    Spinach, ricotta and mushrooms (shitake and portabella)

     

    Chicken sausage, sun-dried tomato, spinach, and mushrooms

  4. Seal the ravioli: Wet your finger with water and trace the outline of the wonton wrapper. Take a second wrapper and outline with water. Press together and use a fork to crimp the edges on both sides.

Ravioli making tips:

  • Fruit is tough. I originally planned to incorporate two kinds of apple and a pear.
    Then I scorched my first apple and threw out the idea. Not to say it can’t be done but I am not sure of the best way to prep it. If you have any tips or suggestions, let me know. I still dream of a pear, blue cheese and sweet potato ravioli.
  • When you are ‘filling’ the ravioli, place them on a cookie sheet or baking sheet. As you are putting water on the wonton wrappers, it gets a little messy so it’s probably best not to do this directly on your counter.
  • Keep a paper towel at your finger tips. As things start to get slimy as you are assembling the ravioli, dry off the surface to keep things neat and easier to maneuver.

Storing ravioli

Now that you have all this amazing ravioli, what are you going to do with it?

Unless you are going to eat the ravioli right away, I would suggest freezing it. Make sure the ravioli are not overlapping each other. You can use parchment paper to divide the layers. After the ravioli are frozen, put them in a ziplock bag.

Cooking ravioli

You can either thaw the ravioli or cook them from frozen. For thawed ravioli: place in boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Remove gently. The wonton wrappers are much more delicate compared to regular pasta. For frozen ravioli: place in boiling water for 5-6 minutes.

Suggested fillings

Chicken sausage + mushrooms + sun-dried tomatoes + spinach

Spinach + ricotta + mushrooms

Pot roast + mushrooms

Sweet potato or butternut squash + blue cheese

Ricotta + diced apple (I can dream, can’t I?)

 

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