These homemade mushroom ravioli have a delicious earthy, creamy filling made with both fresh mushrooms and dried porcini for maximum flavor. Such a tasty vegetarian pasta, that's well worth the effort.
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Homemade pasta has always been a fan favorite in our house, and it's a meal the kids are always happy to help make, too. True, it can take a little longer, but it's a fairly therapeutic thing to make. And you can easily divide up tasks as I find.
One of the other things we love is that if you make filled pasta, there are so many variations possible. I often make a couple different fillings so that we can enjoy some different flavors as we happily gobble down our efforts. Crab ravioli and pumpkin ravioli are always favorites, as well as tortellini in brodo on cold days.
These mushroom-filled ravioli are another tasty addition to try, with a comforting yet relatively light-tasting filling.
They're made with two types of mushroom - crimini (brown) mushrooms as well as rehydrated dried porcini. Porcini have a much stronger flavor so you only need a little, but it really helps amp up the mushroom flavor, which could otherwise blend in under the pasta and other ingredients.
The other filling ingredients each add a little something to the end result. A touch of creamy ricotta helps the filling by silky smooth, and a small amount of parsley adds a little freshness. All combined, it's one tasty mix.
If you prefer, you can make the filling ahead of time then store in a container in the fridge. However I prefer to make the pasta dough then make the filling as the dough rests. It's a good use of the waiting time and means you then have everything all ready to go.
You can leave the filling more chunky if you prefer or don't have a food processor - just chop the mushrooms very small. However, I feel the filling is best being that bit smoother by blending it up into more of a paste. It both adds to the slight creaminess and makes it easier to scoop as you fill the pasta.
Tips for making homemade ravioli
Here are a few things worth keeping in mind as you make your own ravioli. Don't let these worry you into thinking it's tricky - they are not. But these pointers will help them turn out well:
- Let the pasta dough rest. Make it first, then prepare the filling. This time lets the gluten relax so it's more bendy and stretchy rather than cracks easily.
- Roll the pasta really thin. It might feel too thin, but unless it breaks it's not! Bear in mind fresh pasta gets slightly thicker when it cooks, and you'll have two layers around the edges, so very thin is best. I generally roll to a "6" on my pasta machine. You should be able to see through it a little.
- Just roll part of the dough at a time. Keep the rest of the dough covered to save it drying out. Remember you're rolling it very thin, so a little goes a long way. I use around a quarter, or slightly less, of the dough at a time which should fill a mould top and bottom with a little extra.
- Add pasta dough trimmings to the next amount you roll - don't waste it, it will roll out again! Though make sure you keep the filling right in the indents so it doesn't get mixed up in any trimmings.
- You can make all of the ravioli and set aside a little while before cooking. I'd suggest only around ½ hour at room temperature, or cover with a dishcloth and refrigerate for an hour or two.
- If serving with a sauce, make the sauce before you cook the pasta. That way you aren't trying to watch two pots at once, and the ravioli are best as freshly cooked as possible.
How to serve mushroom ravioli
Since the flavors are relatively delicate, I would recommend keeping any sauce relatively simple. I like them simply with browned butter, but a cream sauce would also pair really well. A flavorful cheese sauce would also be good, such as one made with parmesan, pecorino or blue cheese.
We sometimes like to make ravioli with two different fillings to get a mix of flavors as we eat, but they are also work really well on their own. If you like, you could serve them as an appetizer or a side to steak or chicken, for example. But they're tasty enough to be the star of the meal themselves.
Mushroom ravioli have a wonderful earthy-flavored filling that's also gently creamy and light. Yes, they take a little time to make but it's easy to get in a flow. Plus the result is well worth the effort.
Try these other homemade pastas:
- Squid ink pasta (a black colored pasta from ink in the dough, delicious with seafood)
- Tortelli di zucca, pumpkin ravioli (with a delicious pumpkin and parmesan filling)
- Crab ravioli (a lovely light, creamy filling that's super easy to mix up)
- Beet pasta dough (a lovely pink-colored pasta, perfect as ribbons or filled)
- Plus get more Italian recipes in the archives.
Mushroom ravioli
Ingredients
For the pasta dough
- 200 g flour (200g = approx 1.5 cups less 1 tbsp)
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 eggs (large)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil approx
For the filling
- 4 small dried porcini approximate - see notes
- 450 g crimini mushrooms can also use white mushrooms
- ½ onion
- 1 clove garlic or more if small
- 30 ml olive oil approx, for cooking
- 60 ml ricotta recommend whole milk
- 5 g grated parmesan parmigiano reggiano if at all possible, freshly grated, loose packed
- 30 ml chopped parsley
Instructions
For the pasta dough
- To make the pasta, put the flour and salt in a food processor and pulse briefly to mix. Add the eggs and the olive oil then pulse to mix and until the dough comes together, away from the sides into a ball, or at least into large crumbs.
- Remove the blade, bring the dough together in a ball and remove the dough to a floured surface. Knead briefly for a minute or two. Note it will be firmer than a typical pasta dough but shouldn't crumble.
- Wrap in plastic wrap/cling film and allow to rest at room temperature for around 30 minutes (or at least while you prepare the filling). At this stage, you can keep the dough in the fridge for a day or two until ready to use.
To prepare the filling
- Place the porcini in a small heatproof bowl and pour over boiling water. Set aside to rehydrate and soften while you prepare other ingredients
- Clean the mushrooms - ideally just wipe clean or if they need more then wash but dry them well. Trim the stems as needed then chop the mushrooms into a small dice. Finely dice the onion and garlic.
- Warm the oil in a wide, large skillet/frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion. Cook for a few minutes until it becomes soft and translucent - browning slightly is fine but don't let it burn (reduce the heat and/or add a little more oil as needed) Add the garlic, mix through, then add the mushrooms.
- Cook, stirring frequently, so that the mushrooms release liquid, soften and start to reduce down in size. Meanwhile, remove the porcini from the water and finely chop. Add this to the cooked mushrooms and mix through. Cook a minute or two longer then remove from the heat.
- Add the ricotta, parmesan and parsley off the heat and mix through. If you prefer a chunky filling, you can leave like this, but I prefer to add everything to a food processor and pulse a few times to make it a little smoother. Allow to cool slightly before filling the pasta.
To form ravioli
- When ready, use roughly a quarter of the dough at a time and cover the rest that you aren't working with with a damp cloth or the plastic wrap/cling film to save it drying out. Prepare a large baking sheet/tray by dusting with flour.
- As you work with each piece, flatten it out slightly, dust with flour then put it through your pasta roller on the widest settings a few times (about 2-3 times should be fine) until smooth. Dust with flour in between rolling if at all sticky. Then move up the settings rolling once or twice at each settings until you get to the thickness you would like - I usually go to around 6 on my pasta maker. It should be very thin, with you able to see through it slightly, but not breaking up.
- If using a ravioli mould, lay the sheet of pasta over a ravioli mould then press down the frame to make indents. Fill each with a teaspoon of filling.
- Lightly dampen around the edges of each ravioli with a little water then place another pasta layer to place on top, or fold over the rest of the piece you have if it is long enough, trying to avoid any air getting inside the cavity. Press down with a rolling pin to seal then trim the excess pasta from around the side of the mould and add to a piece to use later. Carefully remove each ravioli from the mould and lay them on the floured trays.
- If not using a mould, you can make them by laying the first piece of pasta out, dotting teaspoons of filling out evenly in lines with gaps between, dampening between then laying another layer on top. Then gently press in the areas between the filling to seal and cut.
- Repeat with the rest of the pasta and filling. Once all the pasta has been used and you are ready to cook, place a few ravioli at a time in a shallow pan of boiling water for around 2-3 minutes until they rise up to the top, then remove with a slotted spoon and cook the rest in batches.
- I often served these with a simple browned butter - warm the butter in a small skillet over a medium-low heat until you can see it brown slightly and the smell is becoming nutty. Drizzle over the top of the cooked ravioli. Alternatively, a cream sauce would also be good.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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