Serving pasta is a great crowd-pleasing way to make sure everyone leaves the dinner table satisfied and full. That being said, spaghetti & meatballs can get repetitive after a while. If you’re looking for a way to change up your pasta routine, these 3 stunning stuffed pasta recipes are just what you’ve been looking for! From the fresh pasta dough to the creamy ricotta filling and elegant sauces served with each of these 3 delicacies, these homemade touches will bring even more flavor to your pasta dishes. Our radiant rose raviolis made using beets, playful pinwheel pasta with a tomato-based pasta dough, and garden-fresh tortellini made with hearty spinach pasta will all have everyone leaving the dinner table speechless!
You’ll Need:
For the ricotta filling:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan
- 3 egg yolks
- 1 pinch of grated nutmeg
- salt & pepper to taste
For the creamy parmesan sauce:
- 2½ cups grated parmesan
- 1 onion, sliced
- ¾ cup white wine or vegetable broth
- 2 cups heavy cream
- salt & pepper to taste
For the creamed spinach:
- 1 lb fresh spinach
- 1 red onion, diced
- 1 tbsp butter
- creamy parmesan sauce
Extra:
- hand blender
- piping bag
- cloth
- pizza cutter
Here’s How:
For the ricotta filling, make sure all of the ingredients are at room temperature, then stir them together and transfer them to a piping bag. For the creamy parmesan sauce, sauté the sliced onion in a frying pan with a small amount of vegetable oil. Deglaze the pan with the white wine or vegetable broth, then let everything simmer for about 5 minutes. Add in the heavy cream and let the sauce cook until it has been reduced by half. Use a hand blender to make the sauce smooth and creamy, stir in the grated parmesan cheese, and season the sauce with salt & pepper. For the creamed spinach, heat the butter in a frying pan and cook the diced onions in it until they become translucent. Add in the spinach and let it cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, then stir in some of the creamy parmesan sauce.
1. Radiant Rose Ravioli
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 90 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You’ll Need:
For the rose raviolis:
- 2–3 beets
- 1⅔ cups flour
- 1⅔ cups corn flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ricotta filling
For the sauce & toppings:
- creamy parmesan sauce
- ⅔ cup grated parmesan
- fresh basil for the garnish
Here’s How:
1.1 Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the beets on a baking tray, transfer the baking tray to the oven, and bake at 325°F for 1 hour. Once they’ve baked, peel the beets and let them cool completely. Use a hand blender to blend together 1–2 beets, the salt, and the eggs. Knead together the flour, corn flour, beet mixture, and vegetable oil by hand for about 10 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the pasta dough in plastic wrap, transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it chill for 2 hours. Once it has chilled, divide the dough into smaller segments and roll them out into long rectangles on a clean, lightly floured work surface. Fill a small cloth with flour and seal it at the top, then use the cloth to dust the dough with flour as needed. Once the dough is rolled out, use a pizza cutter to cut the segments of dough into thick waves.
1.2 Pipe a thin line of ricotta filling through the center of the cut segments of dough. Dip your finger in some water and moisten the dough around the ricotta filling.
1.3 Carefully fold the bottom segment of dough up over the filling and press the dough together lightly, sealing in the filling. Gently roll up the dough, making sure not to roll it up too tightly.
1.4 Stand the rolled dough up on the flat end and carefully fold out the top segments of dough so that they look like petals. Repeat this process with the remainder of the ingredients.
1.5 Fill a pot or frying pan with just enough water to cover the roses. Add some salt and the leftover cooked beet to the water and bring it to a light boil. Cook the rose raviolis in the boiling water for 10–15 minutes. Serve these radiant rose raviolis with creamy parmesan sauce, freshly grated parmesan cheese, and fresh basil. They’re almost too pretty to eat!
2. Playful Pinwheel Pasta
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You’ll Need:
For the pasta dough:
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup corn flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the tomato pasta dough:
- ¾ cup flour
- ¾ cup corn flour
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
For the sauce & toppings:
- 4 oz gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
- creamed spinach
Here’s How:
2.1 For the pasta dough, knead together all of the ingredients for the 2 different types of pasta dough separately, each for about 10 minutes. Wrap both types of dough in plastic wrap, transfer them to the refrigerator, and let them chill for 2 hours. Once the pasta dough has chilled, cut an equally sized segment out of both of them. Roll both pieces of dough out slightly on a lightly floured work surface, then stack the 2 types of dough on top of each other and roll them out, using a small cloth filled with flour to dust the dough as needed. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the rolled-out dough into a small square.
2.2 Make 1 cut from each corner of the square towards the center, stopping about halfway. Dip your finger in a small amount of water and dampen the center of the square, then fold the corners inwards towards the center to make the shape of a pinwheel. Repeat this process with the remainder of the ingredients.
2.3 Heat a pot filled with salted water on the stove and cook the pinwheel pasta for 6–8 minutes in boiling water. Serve these delicious treats over a bed of creamed spinach and sprinkle some room-temperature gorgonzola cheese in the center of each pinwheel.
3. Garden-Fresh Tortellini
Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 40 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: 2 hours
Difficulty Level: Moderate
You’ll Need:
For the spinach pasta dough:
- 4 oz spinach
- 1⅔ cups flour
- 1⅔ cups corn flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- ricotta filling
For the sauce & toppings:
- 4 oz mushrooms, sautéed
- 1 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
- 5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- creamy parmesan sauce
Here’s How:
3.1 For the spinach pasta, steam the spinach, rinse it with cold water, and squeeze out any liquid. Use a hand blender to puree the spinach with the salt and eggs. Knead together the flour, corn flour, spinach mixture, and vegetable oil by hand for about 10 minutes, until a smooth dough forms. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, transfer it to the refrigerator, and let it chill for 2 hours. Once it has chilled, divide the dough into smaller segments and roll them out into long rectangles on a clean, lightly floured work surface. Fill a small cloth with flour and seal it at the top, then use the cloth to dust the dough with flour as needed. Once the dough is rolled out, use a pizza cutter to cut the segments of dough into thick rectangles, then cut out a zig-zag pattern on top of each rectangle.
3.2 Remove the small portion you cut off of the top of the dough and stagger the 2 jagged edges of dough with one another. Pipe a thick line of ricotta filling through the center of the dough. Dip your finger in some water and moisten the dough around the ricotta filling. Fold the bottom ⅓ of the dough up over the ricotta filling and press down on the dough, sealing in the filling.
3.3 Gently roll up the dough, making sure not to roll it up too tightly. Stand the rolled dough up on the flat end and carefully fold out the top segments of dough so that they look like leaves. Repeat this process with the remainder of the ingredients.
3.4 Fill a pot or frying pan with just enough water to cover the tortellini so that they don’t fall over while they’re cooking. Add some salt to the water and bring it to a light boil. Cook the garden-fresh tortellini in the boiling water for 8–10 minutes. Serve the tortellini with creamy parmesan sauce, sautéed mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, and toasted pine nuts.
These 3 stuffed pasta recipes will make your dinner plates so colorful and delicious that you’ll never go back to store-bought pasta again! Fresh, flavorful, and absolutely stunning – pasta dinners just got a whole lot more exciting!
Get the recipe for the Classic Homemade Pasta Dishes featured in the bonus video.