Ravioli with Cashew Spinach Ricotta

I don’t think I’ve ever been one to shy away from my love of carbs (except for during a brief Atkins diet period in the early 2000s.) There is just something wonderful about fresh homemade pasta. I will pretty much eat any pasta, but homemade pasta is something otherworldly. I discovered this recipe for homemade pasta from Vegan Dad years ago and I’ve used it pretty consistently since then. One of my favorite recipes for ravioli is filled with butternut squash, but it’s not really squash season anymore.

We love this cashew spinach ricotta in my vegan lasagna recipe, so I knew it would be a hit here.  I added a touch of miso paste this time around, but it’s totally optional so if you don’t have any, don’t fret. You may need to adjust the salt level without the miso, so be sure to taste the cashew ricotta for quality control purposes. Or, you know, general hunger purposes. This recipe made about 30 ravioli for me, but if you plan to make square ravioli with an overlapping pasta layer, be sure to double the dough recipe.

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup semolina flour
• 1/2 tsp kala namak salt (or regular)
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 3/4 cup water

Filling:

• 1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 6-8 hours or boiled for 15 minutes
• 2-4 tbsp water to thin
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp nutritional yeast
• 3/4 tsp white miso paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp lactic acid or 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 6 ounces chopped frozen spinach, thawed and drained

Directions:
1. In a food processor fitted with a dough blade, combine both flours and salt. Pulse, and add olive oil and 1/4 water. Pulse again until a crumbly dough starts to form. Continue to blend while adding the rest of the water and knead with food processor for about 2 minutes. Remove the dough and knead by hand to form a ball. Oil the ball and wrap in plastic wrap, rest for 30 minutes.
2. Blend the cashews, water, oil, miso, nutritional yeast, salt, and lactic acid together until smooth, scraping down sides of blender as needed. Add more water if necessary.  Remove from blender to a medium bowl and stir with thawed and drained spinach.
3. After pasta dough has rested, cut ball in half.  Roll out into a very thin layer on a lightly floured surface, not quite thin enough to see through. Cut out 2 inch squares of dough. Dollop 1 tbsp of filling in the center of each square, and fold diagonally over the filling. Seal the edge by pressing down with a fork. Repeat until you run out of dough and filling.

4. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Add ravioli gently and boil for about 3 minutes, or until ravioli float. 

5. Drain and serve with your favorite sauce; I suggest a homemade marinara. I topped mine with a bit of shredded Daiya Monterey Jack block.

This recipe can be frozen for a later meal (although I don’t know why you wouldn’t want to eat it immediately!) Place ravioli on a wax paper lined pan and freeze until solid. Remove to a large freezer bag. When you cook the ravioli, add a few extra minutes of cooking time to fully heat up the insides, or thaw thoroughly before cooking.

Tags: cashew, cheese, dinner, food, homemade, italian, pasta, plant-based, ravioli, recipe, spinach, vegan, vegetarian