Roasted Beet Ravioli with Ricotta Filling

It's hard to "beet" the bright fuchsia hue roasted beets give this vibrant, homemade pasta.

If you're up for a fun weekend project, this roasted beet ravioli is it. It's easier than it looks and can make the perfect fun (and creative!) Saturday afternoon. Beets are roasted in the oven and then quickly pureed in the food processor. This is then added to flour, eggs and salt and kneaded to make the bright purplish-pink dough you see in the pics below. Then gradually roll the dough out using a pasta maker and fill with our favorite ricotta filling. Cook and voila, dinner is served!

If you're lucky enough to have a garden, I bet beets aren't the only thing filling your garden tote basket right now. Tomatoes are one garden staple that are in abundance and we have a couple of machines you'll give a (green) thumb's up to. These tomato strainers make quick work pureeing bushels of vine ripe tomatoes. Freeze it and you'll enjoy homemade sauce when those store-bought tomatoes are at their worst. Both the electric Imperia Spremy 1/4 HP Tomato Strainer or the Westen Deluxe Tomato Strainer, along with the hand-cranked Tomato Strainer & Sauce Maker are capable of pureeing tons of tomatoes. Even if you don't have a garden your local Farmer's Market is also brimming with fresh local produce.

Lots of other veggies are in abundance right now as well, so add a Spiralizer to your collection of kitchen gadgets, and you can introduce all kinds of fun, new veggie dishes to your supper routine.

Roasted Beet Ravioli

• 1/2 lb. Beets, peeled, tops and roots removed (about 1 large or 2 small)
• 2 teaspoons Olive Oil
• 2 Eggs
• 2 1/4 cups All-Purpose Flour, plus extra
• 1/2 cup beet Puree (made from beets above)

• 1 cup Ricotta
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1-2 teaspoons Lemon Juice
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• Fresh Basil for serving

Directions:

1. Roast the beets: preheat oven to 400F. Rub 2 teaspoons olive oil over beets and wrap in foil. Place on a sheet pan and bake 50-60 minutes until fork tender. Remove from oven, unwrap and let cool. Use a food processor to puree cooked and cooled beet.

2. Make the beet pasta dough: place flour in a mound on a clean work surface. Make a well in the center. Add eggs, salt and beet puree in the center and whisk with a fork until combined.

• Gradually take flour from the edges and begin incorporating into the liquid mixture until a shaggy dough forms. You may not need all the flour from the edges.
• Continue to knead the dough until smooth, about 10-15 minutes. If the dough becomes sticky, add flour 1 teaspoon at a time as needed. Cover with plastic and let rest 30 minutes.

4. Make the filling: mix together the ricotta, grated parmesan cheese, salt, garlic and lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

5. Make the pasta: portion dough into 4 pieces. Using a pasta roller, roll each piece gradually to a size 5 thickness – start at 0 or 1 and gradually roll the piece thinner and thinner until you reach 5. If the piece becomes too long to easily roll, cut in half and roll each half separately.

6. Make the ravioli: Use a standard ravioli form, or a jumbo ravioli form and flour the top on the metal form. Then place a sheet of pasta over the form. Use the plastic mold and place on top of the metal mold with the pasta sheet and push down gently. This makes the indents (pockets) for the filling. Spoon the cheese mixture into the pockets created by the form. Top with second sheet of pasta and use a rolling pin to cut the ravioli into squares.

NOTE: Ravioli forms make the process of shaping, filling, and sealing simple, and the cutters give the ruffled edge that normally requires an separate tool!

7. Cook the Ravioli: Boil in a stockpot of water for several minutes until each piece floats to the top. You can also pan-fry in a skillet with 2 tablespoons of olive oil until tender and cooked through. Serve with an extra drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese, a little lemon zest and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Need a new cheese grater? The Microplane Grater/Zester is still our favorite for grating Parmesan, or any hard cheese. And, it's a fabulous citrus zester too!

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