Homestyle ravioli recipe

Homestyle ravioli are easy to make – the dough takes just 4 simple ingredients you may already have at home. Where you can improvise is the fillings – meat is a popular ravioli filling, but you can also choose potato, veggie or fruit ravioli. This recipe will take you less than an hour and you can feed 4-6 people. Best of all, you can freeze these and use them later throughout the week – out of the freezer, just drop them in the boiling water – they are ready in just 10 minutes. Make it healthier with organic and/or wheat flour, hormone-free eggs and organic ingredients for the filling. Bon appetit!

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Dough

4 cups flour
2 eggs
half cup warm water
1 tsp salt

Meat filling

1 onion
3 mushrooms
½ lb ground beef (or ground turkey or ground chicken or ground pork)
Parsley flakes
Sweet paprika
Salt & pepper
Olive oil

Directions: Dough

1. Start with the dough. Form a mountain out of the 4 cups of flour on a large wooden cutting board and make a well in the middle of it.

2. Then, one by one add into the well – 1 teaspoon salt, crack 2 eggs and ½ cup of water.

3. Using a fork start slowly mixing the outer edges of the well (flour) with the wet ingredients in the middle. Once half of the flour is used, the dough will start taking shape and you can knead the rest by hand. The finished ball should be elastic and slightly sticky; use extra flour if you need to make it drier. Mixing should take about 5 minutes. Don’t add all the wet ingredients right away, mix slowly.

4. Place the dough in a bowl and cover with a paper towel or plastic wrap. Let it rest for 40 minutes at room temperature. In the meantime, cook the filling (or fillings if you are trying variations).

Directions: Filling

1. Chop one onion as thin as possible. Add olive oil to a large skillet and start browning the onions. Add salt and pepper.

2. Cut the mushrooms in tiny pieces and add to the onions. Sprinkle sweet paprika and parsley flakes generously. Continue cooking stirring occasionally.

3. Add ground beef (or your other choice of meat) to the pan and finish cooking, stirring frequently.

4. You can put the cooked mixture through the blender to ensure the smooth texture. I find the good stirring is enough.

Directions: Ravioli Making

1. Roll the dough as thin as you can. This is key! Make sure you use a good rolling pin. Use the extra flour on the dough and the pin to make sure the rolling pin doesn’t stick to the dough.

2. Use a small cup or a cookie cutter to make small circles in the dough.

3. Sprinkle some flour on the bottom of the metal or aluminum tray. Place the dough circles on the tray.

4. Spoon each of the fillings on top of each circle (1 tsp is enough). Place another circle over the filling and seal the edges.

5. Place the formed ravioli into the fridge if you plan to make them quickly or freeze. They will cool in the fridge in about 10 minutes.

6. To cook ravioli: drop ravioli in the boiling salt water and cook for 10 minutes.