Burrata Ravioli With Fresh Tomato Sauce
There is nothing like homemade ravioli. When they are well made, even a simple cheese filling can make the most satisfying meal, not to mention when the ravioli are served with fresh homemade tomato sauce.
The great news when it comes to this recipe is that you can make a restaurant-worthy dish even at home!
This recipe makes a lot of ravioli. You can use some immediately, but they are excellent for freezing. If you have time on your hand, you can double the ingredients and make enough ravioli to have a nice stash on hand!
On the other hand, if you want to make just two servings of ravioli, then you can halve the recipe. With a little effort, you will be amazed how you can make perfect little pillows of cheesy goodness at home.
Making Burrata Filling
This recipe calls for burrata cheese filling. Burrata cheese is a rich cheese with a milky, buttery flavor and a texture that combines a delicate creamy interior with a soft fresh exterior.
Burrata, which means “buttered” in Italian, is cheese made from a pouch of mozzarella cheese filled with fresh cheese and/or cream.
Because of that extra liquid, before you use burrata cheese, you must drain it. If you don’t drain the cheese, you will get a filling that will make your dough too soft, and it will break eventually.
To drain the burrata, just cut it into pieces and place them on paper towels to absorb the extra liquid. Don’t worry, you won’t lose any creaminess, just extra moisture.
I did not add extra cheese, but if you want you can add 1-2 tbsp of freshly grated parmesan. When it comes to seasoning, just plain salt and pepper are enough.
To break up cheese into a fine puree, I recommend using a food processor. The food processor gives it a nice and smooth texture, not only making it pleasant to eat but also easier to pipe onto the sheets of pasta!
If you do not have a food processor, just take extra time and mash it with a fork.
Making Tomato Sauce
Making fresh tomato sauce is not hard at all and will taste better than anything canned or any sauce you have ever tried. This sauce will perfectly compliment the burrata ravioli — why ruin such good pasta with store-bought sauce?
To make the fresh tomato sauce you can use either fresh tomatoes or canned tomatoes.
The difference here is that fresh tomatoes must be peeled, which will require more cooking time, while with canned tomatoes you will reduce cooking time significantly.
To peel fresh tomatoes, make an “X” sign at the bottom of each tomato before submerging them in simmering water for 30 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon and peel off the skin. Chop the tomatoes before you make the sauce.
Then, heat some olive oil in a saucepot or a large skillet. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add tomatoes and cook them until tender, mashing during the cooking. Season the tomato sauce to taste and serve with fresh ravioli.
You can leave your sauce chunky or puree it with a food blender for a smooth and silky sauce.
Making Dough
The dough for the ravioli is a simple egg-based dough. It is not hard to make; you just knead the dough until it is smooth. Make sure to let the dough rest before you roll it out.
To roll out the dough, you can use a rolling pin or a pasta machine. I find it easier to use a pasta machine, but if you do not have one, a rolling pin will do the job.
Make sure you have a large, flat surface on which you can roll out your dough. The dough needs to be almost translucent — let that be your guide when it comes to thickness.
To fill the ravioli, place around a teaspoon of a cheese mixture on the thinned dough, leaving 1 ½ inches of space in between.
Place another piece of the dough over the cheese and press the dough around the cheese gently. Cut the ravioli out using a ravioli stamp or a cookie cutter.
If you are using a cookie cutter (these ones are fun), you can use a fork to seal edges better or just brush the bottom dough with water before sealing the two sheets of the dough together.
PRO TIP: Make sure you are placing your ravioli on a flour-dusted surface when you close them so that they do not stick to the surface.
To cook the ravioli, place them in a pot of gently boiling water. When the ravioli float on the surface it is time to remove them with a slotted spoon. Add freshly cooked ravioli to the tomato sauce, stir gently, and serve.
Burrata Ravioli With Fresh Tomato Sauce
Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the pasta dough:
- 3 cups “00” flour or all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Semolina flour, for dusting
For the filling:
- 10 oz. burrata cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. fresh tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the garnish (optional):
- Fresh basil leaves
- 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
1. Prepare the pasta dough; mix flour with salt. Make a well in the center and add eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil.
2. Stir until the dough starts to pull away from the sides. You can do this with a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. If needed, add up to 4 tbsp of water, adding one tbsp per time.
3. Scrape the dough and transfer it onto the kitchen counter, dusted with semolina flour. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour while preparing the cheese filling and tomato sauce.
4. When ready to use, leave the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes.
5. Make the cheese filling; chop the burrata cheese. Wrap it in a towel, press it, and leave to drain for 1 hour.
6. Season the cheese with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then either mash it or use a food processor until you have a smooth mixture.
7. Prepare the tomato sauce; if you are using fresh tomatoes make an “X” sign at the bottom of each tomato. Submerge tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds. Peel the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces.
8. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
9. Add chopped tomatoes and spices. Cook the sauce for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened. Add water during the cooking if needed.
10. Make the ravioli; divide the dough into 4 pieces. It is easier to work with smaller pieces if you are using a pasta machine. Pull the dough through the pasta machine until you have an almost translucent sheet of dough.
11. Place the sheet of the dough on a kitchen counter. Place a teaspoon of the cheese onto the dough, leaving 1 ½-inch space between.
12. Roll out the second piece of the dough. Close the cheese with the second piece of the dough. Gently press the dough around the cheese filling.
13. Finally, cut out the ravioli with a ravioli cutter or a cookie cutter. If you are using the cookie cutter, press the sides to seal them well. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
14. Cook the ravioli in a pot filled with salted, barely boiling water. Add ravioli to the pot with water and cook until they start to float on top.
15. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon and add the ravioli to the tomato sauce. Stir the ravioli gently.
16. Serve the ravioli warm. If you’d like, garnish with freshly grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
Burrata Ravioli With Fresh Tomato Sauce
There is nothing like homemade ravioli. With a little effort, you will be amazed how you can make restaurant-worthy, perfect little pillows of cheesy goodness at home!
Ingredients
For the pasta dough:
- 3 cups “00” flour or all-purpose flour
- ¾ tsp salt
- 3 eggs
- 3 egg yolks
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Semolina flour, for dusting
For the filling:
- 10 oz. burrata cheese
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the tomato sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2-4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb. fresh tomatoes
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the garnish (optional):
- Fresh basil leaves
- 4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta dough; mix flour with salt. Make a well in the center and add eggs, egg yolks, and olive oil.
- Stir until the dough starts to pull away from the sides. You can do this with a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. If needed, add up to 4 tbsp of water, adding one tbsp per time.
- Scrape the dough and transfer it onto the kitchen counter, dusted with semolina flour. Wrap the dough and refrigerate for 1 hour while preparing the cheese filling and tomato sauce.
- When ready to use, leave the dough at room temperature for 20 minutes.
- Make the cheese filling; chop the burrata cheese. Wrap it in a towel, press it, and leave to drain for 1 hour.
- Season the cheese with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and then either mash it or use a food processor until you have a smooth mixture.
- Prepare the tomato sauce; if you are using fresh tomatoes make an “X” sign at the bottom of each tomato. Submerge tomatoes in simmering water for 30 seconds. Peel the tomatoes and chop them into small pieces.
- Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add chopped tomatoes and spices. Cook the sauce for 20-30 minutes or until the tomatoes are softened. Add water during the cooking if needed.
- Make the ravioli; divide the dough into 4 pieces. It is easier to work with smaller pieces if you are using a pasta machine. Pull the dough through the pasta machine until you have an almost translucent sheet of dough.
- Place the sheet of the dough on a kitchen counter. Place a teaspoon of the cheese onto the dough, leaving 1 ½-inch space between.
- Roll out the second piece of the dough. Close the cheese with the second piece of the dough. Gently press the dough around the cheese filling.
- Finally, cut out the ravioli with a ravioli cutter or a cookie cutter. If you are using the cookie cutter, press the sides to seal them well. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling.
- Cook the ravioli in a pot filled with salted, barely boiling water. Add ravioli to the pot with water and cook until they start to float on top.
- Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon and add the ravioli to the tomato sauce. Stir the ravioli gently.
- Serve the ravioli warm. If you'd like, garnish with freshly grated parmesan and fresh basil leaves. Enjoy!
Notes
This recipe makes a lot of ravioli — you can use some immediately, but they are excellent for freezing.
If you have time on your hand, you can double the ingredients and make enough ravioli to have a nice stash on hand!
If you want to make just two servings of ravioli, then you can halve the recipe.
