In my world, pasta equals love and carbs equal comfort food. These Red Beet Ravioli Hearts say I love you with carbs. Or maybe they just say Happy Valentine’s Day, depending upon your relationship with carbs.
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Many people are intimidated by the idea of homemade pasta. However, the process is much easier than most people believe. That is to say, was my dough for these Red Beet Ravioli Hearts perfectly smooth and elastic? No. Regardless, it is smooth and elastic enough for a delicious result. It was also dang fun to create.
Simply add red beet powder to the Red Beet Ravioli Hearts pasta dough to create this lovely red color. The pasta itself is flavorful. Consequently, It pairs well with a simple filling. I mixed up leftover ricotta and parmesan cheeses and seasoned the mix with salt and pepper.
On my last trip to Europe, I found this cute heart-shaped ravioli cutter in one of the shops and promptly forgot about it. However, after recently rediscovering it in one of my cabinets. I put it to use for this Valentine’s Day dish.
I don’t have Salty Seattle pasta skills. Regardless I am “pretty pleased” with how these turned out. Take a page from her book and use natural ingredients to turn your pasta vibrant colors. For example, Turmeric, charcoal or spirulina powders will transform your plain pasta dough into rainbows of fun.
Serve Red Beet Ravioli Hearts with a light cream or tomato sauce. Alternately, simply drizzle some good quality olive oil over the tops of them, Add a sprinkling of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Red Beet Ravioli Hearts
Ingredients
For the Filling:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the red beet ravioli:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons beet root powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 4-6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon good quality extra virgin olive oil.
Instructions
Make the Ricotta Filling:
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In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta and parmesan cheeses.
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Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.
Make the beet ravioli:
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In a bowl, whisk together the flour, beet powder and salt.
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Crack the eggs into a separate small bowl and beat with a fork.
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Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients. Add the eggs.
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Mix into a dough. Add the water, one tablespoon at a time until the dough is no longer crumbly but stiff.
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Roll the dough out on a floured workspace. Alternatively, if you have a pasta machine, run it through the machine using it’s narrowest setting. The dough should be about 1/8 inch thick.
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Cut even-sized rectangles out of the dough. Place 1 teaspoon of the ricotta filling a half-inch apart along one dough rectangle.
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Brush the other side with water and place on top of the piece with the filling. Gently press it down around the filling part with your fingers merging the top and bottom parts around the filling.
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Us a ravioli cutter or sharp knife, to cut out ravioli shapes.
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Cover with a dish towel while repeating the process combining the scraps with any remaining dough.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
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Add the ravioli and cook for 4 minutes or until the ravioli float to the top.
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Use a slotted spoon to gently remove the ravioli from the pot to a cutting board.
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Pat any excess water off with a paper towel and transfer to a serving platter.
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Drizzle with olive oil. Season with additional salt and freshly ground black pepper if desired and serve.
Like these Red Beet Ravioli Hearts? Try some of these other savory Valentine’s Day recipes:
