Spinach Ravioli With Alfredo Sauce

Spinach RavioliWelcome Home

We sent my eldest son to sleep away camp for the first time this year.  While my wife was nervous about him being away from home, he was very excited to be free from chores for a month. He spent four weeks enjoying himself, playing a lot of sports, making new friends, and going on a lot of trips, but as everyone knows, camp food can be somewhat basic. Now I am sure he was well fed (the chef is a friend of mine), but I wanted to make something special for his first dinner back home. That being said, while my son is not the world’s most adventurous eater, he does really like spinach ravioli. He encountered it at a Sheva Brachot at a restaurant several years ago and has loved the dish ever since.

The Nine Days

I also wanted find a recipe to share that was vegetarian, which I know is usually Rachel’s domain, but the “Nine Days” are approaching at the end of this week. What are the  “Nine Days” you ask and what does it have to do with vegetarian food? On the Jewish calendar, the Nine Days which begin on the first day of the Jewish month of Av, are a traditional time of mourning for several historical tragedies that befell the Jewish people. They culminate with the saddest day on the Jewish calendar, a fast day known as Tisha Ba’Av. As a sign of mourning, many Jews have a tradition to abstain from eating meat during this period. Spinach ravioli fit this bill nicely.

Yes It Is Worth The Effort

Why make your own spinach ravioli when you can just buy it in a box from the freezer section of your favorite supermarket? Sure, it’s time consuming, but it is fairly easy and if you take the time, your family will be able to taste the love you put in it. Also, when it comes to making things from scratch, pasta will impress people with minimal effort.  It also cooks very quickly, so once they are formed you can have them on the table in two minutes. You can also make a large batch and freeze them on a cookie sheet and pull out a handful and cook just what you need, at a fraction of the price of buying them in the store.

0 from 0 votes
Spinach Ravioli
Homemade Spinach Ravioli With Alfredo Sauce
Prep Time
2 hrs
Cook Time
30 mins
Resting Time
1 hr
Total Time
3 hrs 30 mins
 

This a great way to get your kids to eat their spinach. There is spinach in the dough, filling and sauce. Is it a lot of work? Yes. Is it worthwhile? Absolutely. Don't try to rush this recipe. This is a recipe that you should devote a Sunday to. With a little time and a lot of love, your pasta will come out great.

Course: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: pasta, ravioli, spinach
Servings: 4 Servings
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
Dough
  • 1 bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
  • 2 Cups All Purpose Flour
  • 3 Eggs
  • 2 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tsp Salt
Filling
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 1 Large Onion Diced
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
  • 1 tsp Salt
  • 15 oz Ricotta Cheese
Sauce
  • 3 tbsp Butter
  • 3 Cloves Garlic Chopped fine
  • 3 tbsp All Purpose Flour
  • 2 Cups Heavy Cream
  • 1/2 Cup Parmesan Grated
  • Salt and Pepper To taste
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Spinach About 1/2 pound. Washed, stems trimmed, and roughly chopped.
Miscellaneous
  • 1 Large Egg Beaten
  • All Purpose Flour To keep the pasta from sticking
Instructions
Dough
  1. Add half the butter to a large saute pan and place over medium heat. Saute spinach until it is wilted. Do not overcook the spinach as it will shrink down significantly. Move the spinach to bowl and allow it to cool.

  2. Once the spinach is cooled, use your hands to squeeze out as much moisture as possible. Catch the liquid in a bowl and reserve for later.

  3. Add the spinach to your food processor fitted with the S-blade and process until the spinach is smooth. If you are having trouble getting the spinach to puree to a smooth consistency slowly add the liquid from the spinach back into the mixture.

  4. Once the spinach is smooth, switch to the dough blade and add the flour, eggs and oil. Process until the dough comes to together in to a ball. If it looks a little dry add some more or the spinach liquid or some water. Be careful not to over process otherwise your dough will be tough.

  5. Remove the dough from the food processor to the a lightly floured counter. If the dough still looks a little shaggy, knead by hand until a smooth ball is formed. Once the dough forms a smooth ball, wrap tightly in plastic and put in the refrigerator to rest for at least as hour.

Filling
  1. Add the butter to a saute pan and put over medium heat. Add the onions and salt to pan and saute until the onions start to brown. Add the spinach and saute until the spinach is wilted.

  2. Move the spinach and onion mixture to a large bowl and allow to cool. Once cooled, add the ricotta and stir until the spinach is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.

Sauce
  1. Add the butter and garlic to a large saute pan. Once the butter is melted, add the flour. Stir, coating all of the flour and cook until the mixture just begins to brown. This mixture is called a roux.

  2. Add the cream, Parmesan, salt, and pepper to the roux. Stir to combine, making sure to get all of the roux off of the bottom of the pan so it does not burn.

  3. Bring the sauce to a bare simmer being careful not to allow it to boil, and add the spinach. The sauce is done once the spinach is wilted.

Assembly and Final Cooking
  1. Roll out the pasta dough into two long sheets. Use a pasta roller if you have one, it it will make your life much easier. Start on the widest setting, moving one interval thinner each time. You can use a rolling pin if you don't have a pasta roller but your dough will likely be thicker, changing the texture.

  2. Place one of the sheets on a lightly floured counter. Starting about an inch from the end put a teaspoon of filling every two inches centered vertically.

  3. Brush egg along the edges and between each mound of filling. Carefully place the the second sheet of dough on top. Press the top sheet down over around the filling, pushing out any air.

  4. Trim the edges with a pastry cutter or a sharp knife to make sure you have straight edges and cut between each ravioli evenly.

  5. Place a large pot of heavily salted water over high heat. Once the water comes to boil, add the raviolis in batches. Cook until they float to the surface. It should only take about a minute.

  6. Remove the raviolis from the water to a bowl or plate with a slotted spoon. Add as much sauce as you like, and eat immediately.

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s latest “Nine Days” recipe, Wild Salmon Sweet Potato Sliders with Garlic Chive Mayo or any of our vegetarian recipes.

Personal Spanakopita Cheesecake Topped with Feta and Crispy Leeks

Spanakopita CheesecakeThe holiday of Shavuot is approaching, or as they call it in my wife’s office the cheesecake holiday. Why is it the cheesecake holiday? I’m glad you asked. Shavuot is the only holiday on the Jewish calendar where we traditionally eat dairy. The primary reason given is that Shavuot celebrates the Jewish people’s reception of the Torah. The Torah contains the Jewish dietary rules know as kosher.  While the Jews sorted out these new rules, they stuck to eating dairy which has somewhat simpler rules than consuming meat.

As I have said many times before I am not a baker, and I usually leave anything pastry related to my wife. Instead of treading on her domain and doing a traditional sweet cheesecake for dessert I decide to challenge Rachel to a savory cheesecake challenge.

Spani-what?

I kicked around a few ideas including a deep dish pizza cheesecake, a goat cheese and caramelized onion cheesecake, and a hybrid cheesecake/frittata, but ultimately landed on a spanakopita inspired cheesecake. I took a bottom up approach for this recipe as I wanted to challenge myself to use filo dough (sometimes spelled phyllo) for the crust which can be hard to work with. Once I established that, and wanting to stay in the savory realm, the choice of spankakoptita was fairly obvious. Spankakoptita is a Greek spinach, feta cheese, and filo “pie”, often served in the style of a lasagna or as small hors d’oeuvres. A dish containing cheese, a savory vegetable, and crispy dough checks all the boxes needed to compete in this challenge.

Alerts and Alternatives

A few things to remember as you make this recipe. Taste your feta before you use it.  Some brands are are more moist than others. I prefer a moister feta for this recipe. When frying your leeks keep your temperature low, otherwise the leeks will burn quickly. If you can’t be bothered to make these as personal cheesecakes this will work perfectly well as a large cheesecake. If you decide to make it as a large cheesecake you can use filo dough as a base or you can use a store bought frozen savory pie crust (not a shelf stable graham cracker crust like you would use for a sweet cheesecake).

Recipe: Personal Spanakopita Cheesecake Topped with Feta and Crispy Leeks

0 from 0 votes
Spanakopita Cheesecake
Personal Spanakopita Cheesecakes Topped with Feta and Crispy Leeks
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
45 mins
 

A twist on a Greek dish that is perfect for your Shavuot table.

Course: Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine: Greek, Holiday, Kosher
Keyword: Cheesecake, Spanakopita
Servings: 24
Author: Daniel Peikes
Ingredients
  • 1 lb Cream Cheese 2 bricks, allow to soften on the counter for an hour
  • 1 lb Ricotta Cheese
  • 2 Large Eggs
  • 2 lbs Fresh Spinach Washed and stems removed
  • 2 Large Onions Sliced
  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter Melted
  • Kosher Salt For seasoning your spinach and onions
  • 2 Large Leeks Green part removed, white part cleaned, and sliced in to matchsticks
  • 1 lb Feta Cheese Crumbled
  • Vegetable Oil For Frying
  • 1-1 lb Package Filo Dough
Instructions
  1. Add 2 tablespoons of the melted butter to a large saute pan an place over medium heat. Add the onions and season with a heavy pinch of salt. Saute until the onions begin to brown.

  2. Add 2 more tablespoons of butter and the spinach to the pan. Season again with another heavy pinch of salt. Cook until the spinach has wilted, but be careful not to cook it too much as spinach shrinks significantly when cooked.

  3. Remove the spinach and onion mixture from the pan to the bowl from your mixer. Drain off any excess liquid. Allow to cool to room temperature.

  4. Add the cream cheese, ricotta, and eggs to the mixer Bowl. With the paddle attachment mix until thoroughly combined. You can do this in a mixing bowl with a spatula, but the stand mixer definitely makes it easier.

  5. Brush the muffin tins with melted butter. Cut the filo dough in to 48-3x3 inch squares, and brush each square with melted butter. Place two squares in each cup slightly off set from each other making sure to cover the entire side and bottom the muffin tin cup.

  6. Fill each cup 3/4 the way with the spinach and cream cheese mixture, about 3 tablespoons.

  7. Top each one with feta and bake for 45 minute. Allow to cool and remove from the muffin tins.

  8. Add a 1/4 inch of oil to a frying pan and place over low heat. Once the oil is hot add a handful of leeks at a time, and fry until they just turn golden brown. Be careful as the leeks can burn quickly.

  9. Top the cheesecakes with the leeks and serve immediately.

What’s your favorite kind of cheesecake? Have you ever made a savory cheesecake? If so what flavors did you use?

Don’t forget to check out Rachel’s savory cheesecake: Mini Crust-less Smoked Salmon Cheesecakes (Happy Shavuos!)