Pesto isn’t just a pasta sauce – it’s a pasta filling too!
We love this flavorful way to use our pesto in a simple but elevated homemade pasta recipe. A labor of love, but one that you won’t regret.
Ingredients:
- 1 batch egg pasta dough (we like this recipe from @brownbuttertable! It requires 3 cups of 00 flour, 1/3 cup of Semolina flour, and 4 eggs)
- 4 tbsp Gotham Greens Classic Pesto
- 1 cup whole milk Ricotta
- 1 1.25 oz package Gotham Greens Basil
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 tbsp toasted pine nuts
- Black pepper
- Grated parmesan
Tools:
- Pasta roller/machine
- Fluted pasta cutter or sharp knife
- Piping bag or large Ziploc bag
Instructions:
Filling
Combine the Ricotta and the Pesto in a food processor and pulse until very smooth. Taste and adjust by adding more pesto per your preference. Put the filling in a piping bag or large Ziploc and refrigerate until ready to be used (it can be made a day ahead). You’ll likely have some leftovers after ravioli assembly, and it works great as a dip or spread!
Ravioli Assembly
- Dust a working surface lightly with semolina flour.
- Cut off a quarter of the pasta dough, and keep the rest tightly wrapped in plastic wrap. Roll out the dough using a pasta machine to a thin setting, around 6 or 7 on most machines.
- Cut the sheet of pasta into two evenly sized rectangles of manageable widths (around 12-16 inches). Place one of the sheets on the floured working surface.
- Pipe small circles of filling (roughly 1 tablespoon each) starting from the top left of the pasta sheet. Leaving approximately 1 inch between the edge of the sheet and the filling dollop, and 1.5 inches between each dollop. Finish the first row and complete another row of filling dollops directly under.
- Once complete, spray the filled pasta sheet with one or two sprays of water all over the sheet (this will help the ravioli to stick together). If you don’t have a spray bottle, you can also dip your fingers in water and lightly spread around the dollops on the pasta sheet.
- Carefully place the empty pasta sheet on top of the filled one. Delicately with your fingers, cup the top sheet around each dollop, trying to eliminate any air bubbles. Do this for all of the dollops, until the sheet is smoothly placed on top of the other, with the dollops of filling prominent with as few air bubbles as possible.
- To cut the ravioli, you can use a fluted pasta cutter or sharp knife (you can also use a small cookie cutter!) Cut between the filling dollops using the knife or pasta cutter. Trim the edges and press on edges to make sure they are sealed. Place the ravioli on a tray and dust with semolina flour to prevent sticking.
Cooking
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
- In the meantime, melt 4 tbsp of unsalted butter in a large skillet on medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted and starting to foam and become a golden color, add the basil to the butter and stir to combine. Once the basil is wilted, turn the heat down to low.
- Put the ravioli in the salted boiling water. Cook in boiling water for roughly 2-3 minutes (fresh pasta cooks very quickly!). You may need to cook in two batches. Cook until tender, and the ravioli should float to the surface.
- Once the ravioli is cooked, place the pasta in the skillet with the basil butter and stir to combine. Add a few tablespoons of reserved pasta water to the skillet and butter to better emulsify the sauce.
- Serve and top with toasted pine nuts, ground black pepper, parmesan, and additional Gotham Greens Pesto to taste.
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