Homemade pasta is one of those things that intimidated me for a long time. Now I know it just takes practice and couldn’t be more simple. Once you get the hang of making the dough, the world is your oyster! You can change the shape, the sauce, or in the case of ravioli, the filling. I feel like there is a lot of mystique and subsequent anxiety that comes along with homemade pasta, but I hope this recipe helps alleviate some of those fears and gets you in the kitchen!

My kids LOVE getting in the kitchen for our weekly pasta making adventure. Bring them in around the rolling portion to use rolling pins or help you with the pasta machine. Or, with older kids, bring them in around the kneading portion and let them see the dough transform from clumpy to smooth and elastic. You know they’ve kneaded enough when you can poke your finger into the dough and it springs back right away.

Lemon Ricotta Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce

Ingredients

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

zest of 1 lemon

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

6 Tablespoons butter

4 fresh sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Instructions

1. Start a large pot of water to boil.
2. Make your ravioli filling by combining your ricotta and lemon zest in a small bowl.
3. Mix salt into flour.
4. Reshape mound and use a clean egg to make a well in the center of your flour.
5. Crack eggs into the center of your well. Add olive oil to the center of the well.
6. Using a large fork, stir the eggs and oil until they slowly begin to combine with the surrounding flour.
7. Don’t worry too much if your eggs leak out, but try your best to reshape the mound to contain them until your dough forms.
8. Knead your dough for 3-5 minutes until smooth. Cut in half and wrap one portion in plastic wrap while you roll out the other half.
9. Using a rolling pin or pasta machine, roll out your ravioli dough.
10. Cut out your ravioli shapes. Place 1/2 teaspoon filling in each ravioli. Brush water around the rim of each ravioli and fold over each shape. Try to press out all the air and seal each ravioli by pressing down around each edge.
11. Salt water once it begins boiling.
12. Boil ravioli in batches of about 10 for 4 minutes, or until they float.
13. Remove ravioli from water with a slotted spoon or spider tool and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
14. While your ravioli is boiling, make sauce. Melt butter over medium heat.
15. Cut sage leaves into short strips and add to butter sauce. Add garlic powder.
16. Cook butter sauce over medium heat until butter foams, turns lightly tan, and starts to smell nutty.
17. Pour sauce over ravioli and serve warm.