Randy Chandler
Five-cheese ravioli is a delicious and indulgent meal that you can easily make at home. You can make the pasta dough from scratch, or you can buy pre-made ravioli dough, wonton wrappers, or egg roll wrappers. The five cheeses are typically ricotta, mozzarella, parmesan, romano, and cream cheese, and you can add extra ingredients like Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, dried basil, and parsley. The ravioli is cooked in salted boiling water for just a few minutes and then served with a sauce. Popular sauce choices include tomato or marinara, basil pesto, or brown butter.
How to cook five-cheese ravioli:
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Dough ingredients | Flour, eggs, olive oil, salt |
| Filling ingredients | Ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, cream cheese, garlic, parsley, salt, pepper |
| Sauce ingredients | Olive oil, garlic, basil pesto, heavy cream, Parmesan, marinara sauce |
| Ravioli preparation | Mix dough, roll into sheets, add filling, seal, cut into squares, boil |
| Sauce preparation | Heat oil, add garlic and pesto, stir in cream, whisk in Parmesan, add marinara sauce |
| Cooking instructions | Boil ravioli for 2-4 minutes, remove when floating, add sauce |
| Storage | Freeze uncooked ravioli for later use, boil directly from frozen |
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What You'll Learn
Making the dough
Firstly, gather your ingredients. You will need flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt. Mound the flour on your work surface and create a well in the centre. This is where you will add the eggs, oil, and salt. Beat these together with a fork, gradually mixing the egg mixture into the flour. Use a fork or your fingers to do this, working from the centre outwards. Keep the flour mound steady with your other hand, and keep mixing until a thick paste forms.
Once you have a paste, you can begin to knead the dough. This is an important step to ensure your dough is smooth and pliable. If the dough is too wet, simply add a little more flour, and if it is too dry, add a touch of water. You want to end up with a dough that is not sticky, and that forms a smooth ball after kneading. It should also spring back when you press it with your finger.
Once your dough is kneaded, form it into a ball and wrap it tightly. Place it in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to rest. While the dough rests, you can prepare your cheese filling and sauce.
After resting, your dough is ready to be rolled out. Divide the dough in half, keeping the extra half covered until you are ready to use it. Flatten the dough with a rolling pin until it is the desired thickness and matches the size of your pasta roller. You can now fill and shape your ravioli, ready for cooking.
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Preparing the filling
Firstly, gather your ingredients. For the filling, you will need five types of cheese. Common choices include ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, Romano, and cream cheese. You can also add grated garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley to taste. If you want to get creative, you can experiment with other herbs and spices, such as basil or Italian seasoning.
Once you have your ingredients, it's time to mix them together. In a medium-sized bowl, combine your cheeses, starting with the softer cheeses first. Add in your garlic, herbs, and spices, and mix until well combined. You can use a fork or a spatula to mix, ensuring everything is evenly distributed. At this stage, you can also add an egg to the mixture, which will help bind the filling together and give it a richer texture.
It is important to taste the filling as you go to ensure the seasoning is to your liking. You can adjust the amounts of salt, pepper, and herbs to suit your preference. If you want a stronger cheese flavour, you can increase the amount of cheese, but be mindful that too much filling can cause your ravioli to burst during cooking, so it's best not to overfill.
Once your filling is mixed and seasoned to your liking, it's ready to be used. However, if you're making your ravioli in advance, you can refrigerate the filling until you're ready to assemble your ravioli. Simply cover the bowl with plastic wrap, ensuring it's airtight, and store it in the fridge. The filling can be prepared up to a day in advance, but be sure to give it a stir before using it to ensure all the ingredients are still well combined.
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Shaping the ravioli
First, make sure you have prepared your ravioli dough and cheese filling. The dough should be smooth and pliable, and the filling should be well mixed and seasoned. You can use a variety of cheeses for the filling, such as ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, provolone, and Parmesan.
Next, roll out the dough into sheets. Use a rolling pin to flatten the dough and try to get it as thin as possible, ideally matching the size of your pasta roller. You can also use a pasta machine to roll out the dough if you have one. Once the dough is rolled out, cut it into portions that are easy to work with.
Now it's time to assemble the ravioli. Drop the cheese filling onto the dough, spacing it about an inch apart. Be generous with the filling, but don't overfill, as this can cause the ravioli to burst during cooking. Use a teaspoon or a small cookie scoop to ensure a consistent amount of filling in each raviolo.
Cover the filling with another sheet of dough, and then use your fingers or a fork to seal the edges of the ravioli. Gently press down around the cheese, making sure to remove as much air as possible to prevent air pockets. You can also moisten the edges of the dough with a bit of water before sealing to ensure a tight seal.
Finally, use a sharp knife, pizza wheel, or fluted pastry wheel to cut the ravioli into individual squares. Remove excess dough and re-roll it to use again. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper or a silicone baking mat. At this point, you can choose to cook the ravioli immediately, or you can let it dry and freeze it for later use.
By following these steps, you will have perfectly shaped five-cheese ravioli that are ready to be cooked and enjoyed!
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Cooking the ravioli
First, prepare your cheese filling by combining ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, Romano cheese, and cream cheese in a bowl. Add garlic, salt, pepper, and parsley to taste. You can also add an egg, Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs, dried basil, and dried minced onion.
Next, roll out your pasta dough into sheets. Use a cookie scoop or a teaspoon to drop the cheese filling onto the dough about an inch apart. Cover with another sheet of pasta dough and seal around each portion of filling, ensuring there are no air pockets. Cut out the individual ravioli and trim the edges with a fluted pastry wheel or a fork.
At this point, you can choose to cook the ravioli immediately or prepare them for freezing. If you are not planning to cook them right away, place the ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes before transferring to an airtight container. Frozen ravioli can be boiled directly from the freezer, but the cooking time will need to be increased by a few minutes.
To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer. Do not let the water reach a vigorous boil, as this can cause the ravioli to break apart. Place the ravioli in the water and cook for 2-4 minutes until tender. You will know they are done when they float to the top. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon and serve immediately with your choice of sauce.
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Making the sauce
To make a simple tomato or marinara sauce, you can use a store-bought sauce or make your own. For a creamier sauce, you could make a rich sauce similar to a Fettuccine Alfredo. For a fresher, more herbaceous note, consider a basil pesto or a brown butter sauce.
To make a basil pesto sauce, you will need olive oil, garlic, basil pesto sauce (store-bought or homemade), heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and pesto sauce, stirring constantly until fragrant—this should take about a minute. Stir in the heavy cream, then increase the heat to bring the mixture to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce has slightly thickened, which should take around 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the Parmesan cheese until it has melted.
For a brown butter sauce, simply drizzle the sauce over the ravioli before serving, adding some freshly grated Parmesan cheese and garnishing with parsley.
If you want to make a meat sauce, you can cook pork sausage in a large saucepan until browned. Then, stir in crushed tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, red wine vinegar, dried basil, and dried parsley. Simmer for 12-15 minutes.
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Frequently asked questions
You should cook ravioli for 2-4 minutes in a large pot of boiling water. They cook quickly and will float to the top when they are done.
First, make the dough and form it into a ball. Then, make the cheese filling and assemble the ravioli by dropping the filling onto the dough, covering it with another sheet of dough, and sealing the edges. Finally, boil the ravioli in salted water.
Yes, you can make the ravioli ahead of time and freeze them for up to six months. Place the filled ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze for about 30 minutes before transferring to an airtight container.
