Make your own homemade ravioli at home in minutes! This recipe for Cheese Ravioli with Peas and Butter Sauce will soon become one of your family’s favorites. Plus, it makes several batches that you freeze and pull out as needed.
The Easiest Homemade Cheese Ravioli with English Peas
Confession time: I have never made my own pasta. It seems so time-consuming to me, and a bit intimidating. Maybe because I have an Italian mother-in-law?
Anyway, I like to use wonton wrappers as a stand-in for pasta. My husband said these wouldn’t taste good without the homemade pasta, but I think he would agree with me that he was wrong! These are delicious, super simple, and you make them in batches to pull out on the nights when you just don’t feel like putting together dinner.
What Is Ravioli Traditionally Filled With?
You might be more familiar with ravioli that’s filled with meat or cheese, or both – but in fact, you can put just about anything into ravioli. In addition to cheese fillings and meat fillings, you’ll find traditional ravioli made with seafood, veggies, and any kind of combination you can imagine. This recipe uses two kinds of cheese and fresh green peas – so good!
The Ingredients You’ll Need
To make these easy little cheese ravioli, you only need a few basic ingredients, like store-bought wonton wrappers and peas. Fresh or frozen is fine! Here’s the list:
- Peas: If you are using fresh, you will need to shell and wash them. For frozen peas, thaw them out.
- Cheese: Grated parmesan, plus some part-skim ricotta.
- Egg: One large, whole egg.
- Salt and Pepper
- Wonton Wrappers: These are often found in the produce section, along with other foods like kimchi and tofu.
- Butter: Unsalted is my preference.
- Herbs: Fresh sage and basil leaves, slivered.
How to Make Cheese Ravioli with Peas and Butter Sauce
If you’ve got great knife skills (or just plenty of patience), you can make this filling by hand, chopping up the ingredients finely. But using a food processor makes the process even smoother (see what I did there?)!
- Make the Filling. Place the peas in a food processor, and quickly chop. Then add the parmesan cheese, ricotta, and egg. Puree until blended well. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
- Set Up Your Station. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour. Have additional sheets of parchment ready to the side.
- Form the Ravioli. Lay wonton wrappers out on the lightly floured work surface, and place a teaspoon of the filling on each one. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the edge of the wonton wrapper, and fold over. Press to seal, and place the ravioli on your baking sheet.
- Repeat. Continue making ravioli until the baking sheet is full, making sure not to let them touch. Then lay another sheet of parchment on top of the ravioli, and continue making more, until you run out of wrappers or filling.
- Freeze. If you’re not cooking right away, place the baking sheet in the freezer for a few hours. After the ravioli are frozen, place enough in a freezer bag to pull out later for dinner. I usually get 3 bags full of ravioli when I make this recipe.
- Cook. When you decide you are ready to cook these guys, bring a pot of water to boil. Add salt, and then drop frozen ravioli into the boiling water. Don’t crowd the pan! They should be finished in about 4-5 minutes.
- Make Butter Sauce. While the ravioli cook, add butter to a skillet. Melt it, and then let it cook with the sage over low heat until the butter bubbles and lightly browns.
- Serve. Throw the cooked ravioli into the butter sauce, toss to coat, and sprinkle basil on top. Enjoy!
Do You Boil Ravioli Like Spaghetti?
Yes, essentially you will boil the ravioli just like you would any other pasta. However, while dry pasta can be thrown into a pot of boiling water, these fresh cheese ravioli are a little more fragile. I recommend having a gentle boil, not a fast-and-furious rolling boil. You can gently drop each ravioli in, or lower them in with a slotted spoon. And don’t forget to salt the water! It really brings out the best flavors. Pasta and ravioli cooked in plain water are less flavorful and satisfying.
Tips for Success
Making cheese ravioli with wonton wrappers is a convenient and delicious alternative to traditional pasta dough. Here are some tips to help you make the most of your wonton wrapper ravioli:
- Choosing Wonton Wrappers: Look for square wonton wrappers, rather than round ones. It’s easier to line up corners and straight edges!
- Filling: Be careful not to overfill the ravioli – it might seem like a teaspoon isn’t quite enough filling, but if you add more, the ravioli can pop open during the cooking time – not good.
- Sealing: To seal the ravioli, lightly moisten the edges of the wonton wrapper. A pastry brush and water will do the trick, or you could use egg wash if you’d rather. If you don’t have a pastry brush, you can use your fingertip.
- Cover the Wonton Wrappers: If you’ve ever made wontons or dumplings, you’ll already know this tip – make sure to cover the wrappers with a damp kitchen towel or paper towel while you work. That way, they won’t dry out.
Tempting Side Dishes
This light, fresh dish is perfect to serve for a pasta course before the main course, if you’re planning on a big meal. For a more simple dinner, you can serve the ravioli with a side dish or two, like these:
- A Summery Salad: This Cantaloupe and Cucumber Salad is perfectly balanced, with the crunch of toasted pine nuts, the saltiness of feta, and a simple homemade dressing with red onion and honey.
- A Simple Soup: Any light, creamy soup would make a fantastic pairing here. Everyone loves potatoes and peas together, so this Light Potato Cheese Soup would be a great choice!
- Tomato Confit: While the herb-butter sauce is all you need to make a perfect dinner, adding some Tomato Confit to spoon over each serving would add a whole new dimension of deliciousness.
How to Store and Reheat the Leftovers
While wonton ravioli are best serve fresh, you don’t have to toss the leftovers! To store and reheat them, just follow these simple steps:
Storing: Cool the ravioli down, and then place them on a plate covered with plastic wrap, or in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Reheating: You can reheat the ravioli in a skillet of simmering water, or in additional butter sauce. Be sure to use gentle heat and handle with care, because they tear easily.
Freezing and Make-Ahead Guidelines
To freeze these cheese ravioli (cooked or uncooked) just arrange them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and place them in the freezer until they’re completely frozen. At that point, transfer them to a freezer-safe bag or airtight container, and store for up to one month. Cook directly from frozen in gently boiling, salted water, for 2 – 4 minutes.
Cheese Ravioli with Peas and Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups of frozen peas thawed
- 2 cups grated Parmesan Cheese
- 1/2 cup Part Skim Ricotta
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper
- Package of Wonton Wrappers
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 sage leaves slivered
- 8 basil leaves slivered
Instructions
- Place peas in food processor and quickly chop.
- Add cheese, ricotta and egg and puree until blended well. Add salt and pepper to taste and stir.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and lightly flour. Have additional sheets ready to the side.
- Lay wonton wrappers out on a lightly floured surface and place 1 teaspoon of pea mixture off center on each wonton wrapper. Using a pastry brush lightly coat the edge of the wonton wrapper and fold over pea mixture to make a triangle, press to seal and lay on baking sheet.
- Continue on until baking sheet is full, making sure not to touch ravioli, lay the second sheet of parchment on top of ravioli and continue until you have run out of wrappers or pea mixture.
- If not cooking right away, place the baking sheet in the freezer.
- Freeze for a few hours before cooking, after ravioli are frozen, place enough in a freezer bag to pull out later for dinner. I usually get 3 bags full of ravioli.
- When you decide you are ready to cook these guys. Bring a pot of water to boil, in the meantime add butter to skillet with sage over low heat and allow butter to bubble and lightly brown.
- When water is boiling add salt and remove ravioli from freezer add immediately to boiling water, do not over crowd the pan, using medium size stockpot I can usually get in around 10 ravioli at a time. Ravioli should be finished in about 4-5 minutes.
- Throw cooked ravioli in the butter sauce toss to coat, plate sprinkle basil on top and serve!
that is not true. im looking for the thumb print turtle cookies
has anyone ever told you you are spoiled???
Even if you’re not the biggest pea fan (I’m not) you must try this!! So easy to assemble, the recipe yields about 5 dozen ravioli so you’ll have another dinner or two stored in the freezer for later, and so delicious you will want to lick the plate clean (and I did).
Glad you liked!! Thanks for the Feedback, much appreciated. Hope Jack liked as much as Ben. Jacob keeps eyeing the freezer with the extras. 🙂