Spice up your party or your dinner table with these yummy, mouth-watering ravioli dishes. What’s more, you can choose from the variety of sauces mentioned here. Let’s get the ravioli simmering then…
Ravioli is a typical, Italian stuffed pasta and is served in broths or with a sauce. Unlike regular pasta, the ravioli is more of a pocket or a dumpling, stuffed with a filling of your choice. Ravioli can be served as a starter or for supper, and it tastes best with a drizzle of seasoning or dunked in sauce. Easy to make and good to eat, ravioli we can say, is a mini piece of Italy, on your platter.
Simplicity, is the key word to be remembered for most Italian dishes, and this rule applies to ravioli dishes as well. Here’s how, you cook ravioli pasta and dress it, with interesting and mouth-watering sauces
Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Sauce
Ingredients:
- 5 plum tomatoes
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme/1 tbsp. dry thyme
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 4 tbsp. olive oil
- 3 tbsp. chopped basil leaves
- 1 tbsp. basil leaves for garnishing
- Freshly ground pepper
- Chili flakes (optional)
- Salt
Prepare the Sauce:
Poke the tomatoes on all sides, or cut them into four slices each. Preheat the oven to 300F and in a baking tray, place the tomatoes and drizzle it with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and thyme. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes (if you want it spicy). Bake the tomatoes, till they are soft and slightly dried out. You can even microwave the tomatoes on high for 5 minutes. While still hot, crush the tomatoes with a fork to get a rough purée and keep aside.
Heat a frying pan until hot and add the remaining olive oil, sauté the minced garlic till golden brown. Add the tomato purée and cook on slow flame for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped basil leaves and cook for another minute or two. Season it with salt and pepper and your sauce is ready to be served.
Cooking the Ravioli:
While you prepare the sauce, bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Drop a few ravioli into the pot and allow to boil for a few minutes. The pasta when ready, will float to the top. Drain the ravioli and drizzle with olive oil or butter.
Presentation:
Spoon half the sauce into the center of the serving plate. Place the ravioli on top of the tomato sauce and top with the remaining sauce. You can enhance the taste with a generous grating of cheese (optional). Garnish with a few basil leaves.
Ravioli with Creamy Pumpkin and Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 celery stalk sliced
- 2 cups pumpkin purée
- 1 cup mushroom thinly sliced
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tsp. cumin powder
- 1 tsp. butter
- 1 tsp. paprika
- ½ cup cream
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg powder
- ¼ cup chopped parsley/coriander
- Salt to taste
For the Pumpkin Purée:
- 4 cups pumpkin cubes
- 3 cups chicken/vegetable stock
Prepare the Sauce:
In a large pan boil the pumpkin in the stock. Cook covered for 15 minutes or till the pumpkin is soft. Heat a large frying pan and add the olive oil. Sauté the finely chopped onions, garlic and celery till golden brown, set aside to cool. In a blender, make a smooth purée of the pumpkin and sautéed onions using a little chicken broth. In a frying pan, sauté the sliced mushrooms in butter and add the purée. Add the spices and seasoning and allow to simmer for a while. Just before you are ready to serve the dish, add the cream and stir.
Cooking the Ravioli:
While you prepare the sauce, boil the ravioli for a couple of minutes in salted water. Drain the ravioli and drizzle with olive oil or butter. Add the pasta to the sauce and stir lightly, so that the sauce covers the pasta entirely. Allow to simmer for a couple of minutes before turning off the flame.
Presentation:
Gently place the pasta onto a serving plate and top with the sauce. Garnish with chopped parsley or coriander.
Ravioli with Green Pepper and Pea Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4-5 California green peppers
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cups chicken/vegetable stock
- 2 cups green peas
- 4 tbsp. tomato sauce/purée
- 3 tbsp. olive oil
- 2 tbsp. chopped cilantro
- 1 tsp. ground coriander seeds
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. lemon zest grated
Prepare the Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, boil the stock along with the green peas till cooked. Meanwhile, drizzle a small amount of olive oil and roast the chilies on the grill, until the skin is brown. Remove from heat and place in bowl of cold water. Peel the skin and chop off the tops. Slit the chilies and deseed them, keep aside. Once the peas are cool, blend them along with the chilies, chopped cilantro, and onion and blend to get a smooth purée. In a frying pan, heat olive oil and sauté the minced garlic till caramelized. Add the purée, tomato sauce and cook for a few minutes. Add the seasoning, lemon zests, coriander seed powder, and oregano and simmer for a couple of minutes. Add stock to make the sauce thinner in consistency (optional).
Cooking the Ravioli:
Boil the pasta in salted water, you can add a few pepper corns and a cinnamon stick to give flavor. Drain the pasta and drizzle with olive oil or butter to avoid it from sticking to one another.
Presentation:
Spoon the sauce into the dish and place the ravioli on the sauce. Top with a little bit of sauce and cheese. Serve garnished with mint or coriander.
Ravioli with Shrimp and Yellow Tomato Sauce
Ingredients:
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 4 sprigs of mint
- 2 anchovy fillets finely chopped
- 1 onion chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 4 tbsp. virgin olive oil
- 3 cups diced yellow tomatoes
- 2 cups of prawns, shelled and deviened
- 1 tbsp. chopped jalapeño chilies with seeds
- ½ tsp. saffron threads
- ¼ tsp. turmeric powder
- Salt
Prepare the Sauce:
Heat oil in a large saucepan, sauté onion till golden brown. Add the anchovies, jalapeños, turmeric and saffron. Add tomatoes, seasoning and cook till tomatoes are soft. Remove from flame and allow to cool, then blend to get a smooth purée. In a frying pan sauté the prawns in oil, add the purée and allow it to boil. Add water or stock to get a thin sauce. Add seasoning and simmer on low flame. Add the lemon juice and switch off flame.
Cooking the Ravioli:
Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add the pasta and cook till tender and firm. Dress with generous amount of oil, to avoid it from sticking to one another.
Presentation:
Spoon the sauce into the dish, making sure the shrimp is in the pan. Place the ravioli on the sauce. Place the shrimp on the pasta and drizzle with sauce. Served garnished with thin slices of cheese and mint leaves.
Ravioli with Spicy Mexican Sauce
Ingredients:
- 6 tomatoes
- 3 Serrano chilies
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 onion diced
- ¼ cup chicken/beef stock
- 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
- Sea salt
Prepare the Sauce:
Grill all the ingredients till they are slightly blackened. However, ensure that they do not burn. Allow to cool, then blend with salt to get a thick purée. In a saucepan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil, sauté the paste. Add the chicken or beef stock and simmer for a couple of minutes.
Cooking the Ravioli:
Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, add the pasta and cook till tender and firm. Dress with generous amount of oil to avoid it from sticking to one another.
Presentation:
Place the pasta onto the dish and pour the sauce in the center. Serve garnished with coriander leaves. Remember, the sauce is relatively spicy and go easy on the sauce.
These were easy to prepare ravioli sauce recipes that will surely satiate your taste buds. I hope the aforementioned ravioli sauce ideas and recipes prove to be helpful in preparing a delicious and yummy dinner meal for your party tonight.