Few things taste like springtime more than sweet baby peas and mint. In fact, that is one of my all-time favorite flavor combinations. The winter months have felt exceptionally long for some reason, and this dish just tastes like Spring on a fork to me.
I know not everyone is going to take the time to make their own pasta dough and roll it out for ravioli (although with the stand mixer attachment, it is incredibly simple). In case you aren’t that adventurous but would still like to try these magnificent creations, you can pick up a package of fresh wonton wrappers from the supermarket instead (my local Publix keeps them in the produce department). The filling takes about 2 minutes to bring together. If you use the supermarket shortcut, it becomes a weeknight meal that is worth serving to company.
The ravioli filling is so light that a heavy sauce would just overpower it. I stick with a simple lemon-infused butter, which takes no more time than heating the pasta water. Add a little grated parmesan, some crusty bread, a salad – and dinner is done in about 30 minutes. To make it even easier, you can assemble the ravioli on a weekend, freeze them, and dinner can be done in no more than 10 minutes – how’s that for fast?
So if you need a little pick-me-up after a long, hard winter, then these little emerald bundles are just the ticket.
Pea Pesto Ravioli
Use this quick and simple recipe to get rid of the winter blues by adding some green to your plate.
Pasta Dough
- 2 C all purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 2 T olive oil
- 2-3 T water
- pinch of salt
- You can substitute prepackaged wonton wrappers if you do not wish to make your own dough. You will need a total of 96 wonton wrappers
Filling
- 1 1/2 C frozen baby peas (thawed)
- 1/2 C marscarpone cheese
- 1 garlic clove (rough chopped)
- 12-15 mint leaves
- salt & pepper to taste
Sauce
- 8 T unsalted butter
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 C frozen baby peas (thawed)
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/4 t freshly ground black pepper
- grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Pasta Dough
- In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, eggs, olive oil, and salt.
- Mix until combined.
- Add enough water to pull the dough together.
- Continue kneading for 3 minutes.
- Form dough into a ball, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand on counter for 1 hour before rolling.
Filling
- Add 1 1/2C thawed baby peas, marscarpone cheese, chopped garlic, and mint leaves to the bowl of a food processor.
- Pulse into combined and relatively smooth, 6 or 8 pulses.
- Transfer into a small mixing bowl and cover until needed.
To Assemble Ravioli
- Working on a lightly floured surface, cut ball of pasta dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Work with one piece at a time, keeping the remainder covered.
- Follow manufacturer’s instructions to pass dough through pasta roller until you reach thickness level 6. Rolled dough should be approximately 4″ x 36″.
- Lay dough horizontally in front of you.
- Using 1/4 of the mixture, place 1t of filling at a time about 1″ up from the bottom edge, and 1″ from the left edge.
- Moving right, repeat this process, spacing the filling about 3″ apart, until you have 12 filling mounds.
- Use a pastry brush to brush the visible dough around the filling with water, which acts as a sealer.
- Fold the top half of the moistened dough over the filling, meeting the top edge with the bottom edge.
- Use your fingers to carefully seal all around the filling mounds, making sure to remove any air pockets along the way.
- Use a knife to cut the ravioli into 12 pieces.
- (Note: if you are using wonton wrappers instead, place 1t of filling in the middle of 1 wrapper, brush the edges with water, and place a second wrapper on top, sealing the edges, and eliminating any air bubbles.)
- Move the ravioli pieces to a floured baking sheet, arranging in a single layer, and cover with a towel.
- Repeat with the remainder of the dough and filling until you have 48 ravioli.
- At this point, the ravioli can be frozen on the baking sheets, gathered into a freezer bag, and stored for later use.
To Cook
- Fill a large pasta pot with salted water and begin to heat on the cooktop over medium-high heat.
- At the same time, place a large pan on a separate burner over low heat.
- In the cool pan, add lemon zest and butter. The lemon zest will infuse the butter as the pasta water comes to a boil.
- When the pasta water comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and place approximately 12 ravioli into the simmering water.
- Once the ravioli float to the top, continue to cook for 3 more minutes.
- Gently drain the ravioli and transfer to the pan with butter sauce.
- Toss gently.
- Repeat with the remainder of the ravioli.
- Once all the ravioli are in the butter sauce, add 1 C thawed frozen peas, and gently toss.
- Serve with grated parmesan cheese, if desired.