Nonna Eva’s Ravioli

Not long ago I asked an old school friend if his mom and family would be interested in having a favorite recipe documented for Nonna’s Way. He jumped on it and we were recently invited to Nonna Eva’s house to watch them make ravioli, a family favorite! Even though Nonna Eva keeps super busy helping out with various organizations and events in her local community, she still makes time to have her family over every Sunday for a home cooked meal.  La Domenica of course!

We were greeted with such warm hospitality and a swarm of children excited to help nonna out! In fact, this family is fortunate enough to have Nonna Eva and Bisnonna Mary (great grandmother) to share family traditions and prepare meals with. It’s often a source of slight anxiety for nonnas knowing that we will be photographing their kitchen and food but Eva and her mamma were pros in front of the camera!

Eva had meatballs and tomato sauce simmering, cutlets breaded, Italian sausage on the grill and several other side dishes ready to feed a table full of kids and grandkids! Truly a nonna’s pride and joy! We went to the dining room to have a quick peak at the ‘wall of fame’, an entire wall showcasing generations of family photographs. It is quite a site and has inspired me to get some prints on my walls:)
To make everyone happy, Nonna Eva makes both cheese and meat ravioli. She rolled homemade pasta with her pasta machine that she’s had since she got married and did it so fast you would swear there was a motor on it! Nonna Eva prefers the handcrank machine for most things unless she is making a lot. She’s used it so much that the roller tension is starting to loosen!

Kids always get a kick out of helping make pasta, and of course eating it too:) We are so thankful for the nonnas that are allowing us into their homes and sharing their recipes with us and you. We really encourage you to take pictures and take note of the actual recipes when you’re cooking family recipes.

Print

Ravioli with Ricotta or Meat Filling

---

Print Recipe

Pin Recipe

Description

Nonna Eva’s recipe for ravioli using homemade pasta and fillings. Top it with hot tomato sauce and of course cheese!

---

Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

For the Ricotta Filled Ravioli

• 1 container (425gm) ricotta cheese (regular)
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon parsley, can use dried or fresh (finely chopped)
• 1/4 cup grated romano cheese

For the Meat Filled Ravioli

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/4 pound ground veal
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1–2 teaspoons pepper
• 1–2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 1/4 cup dried parsley
• 1/2 cup grated romano cheese
• 5–6 slices fresh bread with crusts cut off (soak slices of bread in water and squeeze out excess water before you add to the meat mixture)

Fresh Pasta

• sheets of fresh pasta (see our previous blog on homemade pasta)

Cook Mode Prevent your screen from going dark

---

Instructions

For the Ricotta Filled Ravioli

1. In a bowl, mix well all of the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
2. Roll out the dough into sheets approximately 4″ wide and however long you would like them to be.
3. On a lightly floured work surface, use a pastry cutter or knife to cut the pasta sheets into 4″X4″ pieces (if you prefer smaller ravioli, cut to the size that suits you).
4. Drop a tablespoonful of the ricotta filling on to the middle of a 4X4 piece of dough and cover with a second piece of dough. With a fork, press all the way around the edges to seal being careful not to get any of the filling near the edges (otherwise the ricotta filling will seep out during cooking).
5. Once all of the ravioli have been filled and forked, boil them in a large pot of salted water for about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender.
6. Drain thoroughly. Carefully transfer them to a serving dish with a few ladles of hot tomato sauce. Gently toss to combine. Top with more sauce if desired. Sprinkle with extra romano cheese and enjoy!

For the Meat Filled Ravioli

1. In a bowl, mix well all of the ingredients for the filling and set aside.
2. Prepare sheets of pasta dough as in the cheese filled ravioli.
3. Fill and fork the ravioli as in the cheese filled ravioli.
4. Place ravioli in a large pot of boiling salted water for approximately 20 minutes or until the meat mixture is fully cooked.
5. Drain thoroughly. Carefully transfer them to a serving dish with a few ladles of the hot tomato sauce. Gently toss to combine. Top with more sauce if desired. Sprinkle with extra romano cheese and enjoy!

Notes

• The raw ravioli can be frozen for later use. Place the filled and forked ravioli onto a parchment paper lined pan. Place the pan in the freezer until ravioli are frozen. Once completely frozen, you can put them into a food safe freezer bag and keep in the freezer.