How to Make Easy Homemade Ravioli with Cheese
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Homemade Ravioli is easier to make than you might think. Roll out fresh dough from scratch, stuff it with basil and cheese, then boil until tender — that’s it! Make this easy cheese ravioli recipe in only an hour. Fresh homemade ravioli is the best!
It’s actually not hard to make homemade pasta dough!
This step-by-step guide proves that making and creating the ravioli process is so much better than buying frozen ravioli from the store.
Be careful – making these little pieces of dough is addictive. There’s nothing like the flavor of fresh homemade pasta!
Homemade Ravioli
Nothing beats a bowl of pasta, and it tastes so much better when you make it yourself!
This cheese ravioli recipe makes enough to feed the whole family or have leftovers for lunch.
You can even keep a batch of fresh ravioli in the freezer and add it to this sausage skillet!
While you’re here, check out more of my homemade recipes featuring easy alternatives to your store-bought favorites.
Cheese Ravioli Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Drain the filling. There will be excess liquid in the ricotta mixture, which will make it harder to properly seal the ravioli.
Be sure to let it drain for the full 30 minutes before assembling. - Use a pasta machine. It’s quite a bit easier to get the dough nice and thin with this versus doing it by hand.
Start on the thickest setting and continue running it through, stopping on the second to last setting. Otherwise, the ravioli will break apart when you cook them. - Don’t forget to seal them! This prevents the filling from bursting out in the boiling water.
A thin layer of water around the outside edges helps the dough pieces to stick together. - Cook in batches. Too many ravioli in the water at one time will lower the temperature, causing them to cook unevenly.
Crowding will also cause them to stick to each other.
How To Serve Fresh Ravioli
The flavor in this homemade ravioli recipe is so incredible, all you really need is a drizzle of olive oil for serving!
A flavored oil and some fresh basil and Parmesan would also be delicious. Or, warm up a little marinara or alfredo sauce to spoon over the top.
Pair this homemade ravioli recipe with a side of garlic bread or breadsticks and a fresh salad to make it a complete meal.
Storage and Reheating
Once cooked, you can refrigerate leftover homemade ravioli in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Or, freeze them for up to 3 months.
You can also freeze the ravioli prior to cooking, if you prefer. Follow the ravioli recipe as directed, then sprinkle a light layer of flour on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Place the pasta in a single layer on the pan and flash freeze for about an hour, until firm. Then, transfer to a storage bag and store for up to 2 months.
Drop frozen homemade ravioli straight into a pot of boiling water and increase the time to 5 or 6 minutes.
Homemade Ravioli Recipe FAQ
The telltale sign is when they float on the surface of the boiling water. Fresh ravioli will lighten in color and expand as well.
If they start to bloat or break apart, they are overdone and should be removed immediately.
Yes! You can easily use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to slice the dough into squares — you just won’t get those classic wavy edges. And, don’t forget to seal the edges!
There are lots of different varieties that can be used for your ravioli recipe, depending on availability. All purpose flour works perfectly well, is budget friendly, and most people already have it on hand.
00 flour – also used for pizza dough – will create a silkier texture, while semolina flour will make for a chewier pasta.
I’m a big fan of marinara sauce, as I think that this is the best way to get fun flavor. You can easily change the dip for this great recipe to whatever you’re craving when the mood strikes.
You don’t even have to dip these into anything – just top with parmesan cheese and enjoy! Another simple option is to pair it with the sauce of your choice.
While it can help with the pasta sheets and the dough rolling, you don’t have to have a ravioli machine to make this meal. Have a clean work surface, a rolling pin, and the ravioli dough, and get started on the process.
Pasta recipes like this are versatile, and however you decide to make this filled ravioli, you’ll enjoy bite after bite of this incredible filling.
I do think that using a pasta machine for this recipe will yield the best results – but it doesn’t have to be a stop sign if you don’t have one.
If you can’t eat all that is made for the dinner table, pop them in the freezer for later. This means that you can enjoy that flavor a second time or warm them up for future use.
The first time that you make fresh pasta dough, you’ll never buy store-bought ravioli again!
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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How to Make Easy Homemade Ravioli with Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 4 large eggs, divided
- 1 1/2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 16 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, plus more for garnish
- 4 tablespoons of semolina flour for dusting
- Flavored olive oil for serving, optional
Instructions
- Mound flour on clean countertop or cutting board.
- Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of olive oil and three eggs to a well in the center of the flour.
- Use a fork to whisk the eggs, drawing in the flour as you whisk until as much of the flour is incorporated as possible. Use your hands to continue mixing the dough when most of the flour is incorporated.
- Knead the dough for 10 minutes, noticing that the shaggy dough gradually becomes more soft and pliable.
- Form a ball with the dough and place in a plastic bag or wrap with plastic wrap. Set aside to rest for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, stir together 1 egg, ricotta, parmesan, salt, and basil to make the ravioli filling. Place the filling in a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to drain excess liquid. Allow the filling to drain for the 30 minutes while the dough sits.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Divide the pasta dough into 2-4 sections. Work with one section at a time, keeping the remaining sections wrapped.
- Use a rolling pin or a pasta machine to roll out a long rectangle of dough. Roll it as thin as possible if working by hand. With a pasta machine, roll the dough on gradually smaller settings until you can roll it out on the second to thinnest setting. Shape the dough into as close to a rectangle shape as possible.
- Sprinkle work surface generously with semolina flour. Place one sheet of pasta dough onto the dusting of flour.
- Use a 1 ½ tablespoon scoop to mound filling onto the rolled pasta dough. Space the filling about 1 1/2” apart.
- Brush a very thin layer of water onto the pasta dough to help the top layer of pasta stick.
- Place a second sheet of pasta dough over the filling. Use your fingers to press the top layer down and around each scoop of filling, sealing the two layers of pasta together and working out as much trapped air as possible.
- Use a pastry cutter (wavy edge) or a ravioli stamp to cut the raviolis apart. Dust with more semolina flour so they don’t stick together.
- Place raviolis in the boiling water and cook for 2-3 minutes until the pasta is cooked through – it will lighten slightly in color and expand a bit.
- Cook raviolis a handful at a time. Lift from the boiling water to drain.
- Drizzle cooked raviolis with a great flavored olive oil (I like a Meyer lemon olive oil) and sprinkle with freshly grated parmesan cheese and chiffonaded basil.
- Serve immediately.
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published October 2021, updated and republished January 2024
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Love the ease of recipe! Thank you..
This was my first try of homemade ravioli, since this came out so good I’m going to try tortellini next! This will be a staple in my house from now on.
When I tried to feed pasta dough into the Marcato, the rollers turned but did not grab and pull the dough through.