Cheese Ravioli with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

You haven’t tasted pasta until you’ve tried this Homemade Cheese Ravioli with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce! Making both the pasta dough and the sauce from scratch means this recipe is bursting with flavor and freshness. It does take extra time to cook from scratch, but this ravioli recipe isn’t difficult to make and is worth the effort. A perfect weekend dinner!

Looking for more delicious pasta dishes? Try our Garlic Chicken Pasta with Prosciutto or these simple Stuffed Pasta Shells.

Making homemade pasta is a labor of love, not only because it takes extra effort to make it from scratch but also because it tastes so amazing. If you really want to treat yourself or wow someone with an impressive dish, this homemade ravioli is the recipe to try! Think of making this for Valentine’s Day or a special romantic dinner. We make it as a family meal because our daughter just adores cheese ravioli. Whoever you are making it for, they will see the love!

What is Cheese Ravioli Made of?

How to Make Cheese Ravioli

This Cheese Ravioli with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce is made in three parts – the dough, the sauce, and the ravioli packets. First, you make the pasta dough. The dough requires only three ingredients: All-Purpose Flour, Eggs, and Olive Oil, and it is mixed up quickly in a food processor.

Pasta Dough

Add the flour, eggs, olive oil, and 1 1/2 tablespoons of water to the bowl of a large food processor. Blend just until the mixture forms into a ball. If the dough is dry, you can add a drop of water at a time until it starts to come together, but the dough should be firm and not sticky.

Once a ball has formed, blend for 15 seconds more to knead, then turn out the dough onto a cutting board and cover with a tea towel and inverted bowl. Let it rest for one hour at room temperature.

Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

While the dough is resting, prepare the Red Pepper Tomato Sauce. In a large saucepan, combine canned plum tomatoes with their juices, chopped red bell pepper, minced garlic, chopped onion, and chicken or vegetable stock.

Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook covered, stirring occasionally, for 30 to 40 minutes or until the vegetables are very tender.

Using a handheld blender, puree the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste and return the marinara sauce to a covered simmer until it has reduced and is thickened.

Cheese Filling

While the sauce is cooking, prepare the cheese filling for the Ravioli. In a medium bowl, combine freshly grated Parmesan cheese, grated mozzarella, ricotta cheese, fresh chives, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir the ravioli filling until well combined. Set aside.

Now, we’re ready to turn the pasta dough into ravioli! Divide the dough ball into four equal portions. Feed the portion of dough through a pasta machine on the widest setting.

Then, fold the dough in half and put it through the pasta machine again. Adjust the pasta machine to one size smaller and run the dough through. Continue to adjust the machine smaller and smaller until you reach the desired thickness for your dough. It should be thin enough to see the outline of your hand through the dough, about 1/32 inch thick.

Making The Ravioli

Using a ravioli maker helps make the process of assembling the ravioli easier and more uniform. If you don’t have a ravioli maker, simply lay the dough out on a flat, lightly floured surface and cut the ravioli to size with a pizza cutter or knife. *See pro tips below for full instructions.

If using a ravioli maker, drape the rolled pasta dough over the base of the ravioli maker. Firmly press the rounded form into the dough to create wells for the cheese filling. Scoop a rounded teaspoon of the three cheese filling into each of the wells.

Then, drape another sheet of rolled dough on top of the filled layer and press a rolling pin firmly along the top to seal the ravioli. Turn the form over and gently tap the dough out onto your lightly floured surface.

Finishing

Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or a ravioli cutter wheel, cut the ravioli into squares.

Repeat the process with the remaining pasta dough and filling.

Next, bring a big pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Working in batches, place 6-9 ravioli packets in the well-salted boiling water for approximately 6 minutes; using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate. (I use a paper towel to dab up any excess water from the plate) Continue in this manner until all the pasta packets are cooked. Place 4-5 ravioli per plate and top with sauce, Parmesan cheese, and chives. Delicious!!

Eat this delicious Cheese Ravioli while it’s still warm. The three cheeses inside of each ravioli square will be melty and gooey, and the fresh pasta is delightfully tender. The red pepper sauce is so flavorful and is a wonderful twist on a traditional marinara sauce. This is an Italian pasta dinner for the books and is sure to impress!

Recipe Pro Tips!

*If you are not using a ravioli maker, assemble the ravioli as follows:

Lightly flour your counter and lay the dough out flat. Place a rounded teaspoon-sized amount of your cheese filling approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart along with the bottom third of the dough. Lightly moisten all the edges of the dough, and in between each dollop of filling, with water; fold the dough in half over the filling.

Seal all the edges around each mound, then using a pizza cutter or knife, cut between each cheese packet. Place each one on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a slightly damp tea towel. Continue with the remaining 2/3s of the pasta dough in the same manner.

Can I Freeze Ravioli?

Store frozen ravioli in an air-tight bag by first freezing them on baking sheets in a single layer. Frozen ravioli will last for 2-3 months. No need to thaw, just cook right from frozen.

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Cheese Ravioli with Red Pepper Tomato Sauce

Tara Noland

Homemade Cheese Ravioli made from scratch. The most delicious fresh pasta you'll ever taste!

4.75 from 4 votes

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 40 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4 to 6 servings, about 30 ravioli

Calories 584 kcal

Ingredients

 

For The Sauce:

• 28 oz. can plum tomatoes
• 1 large red bell pepper chopped coarsely
• 2 large cloves garlic minced
• 2 onions chopped coarsely
• 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock

For the filling:

• 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• 4 oz. mozzarella grated coarse
• 1/2 cup ricotta
• 2 Tbsp. snipped fresh chives

Pasta Dough

• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 large eggs beaten lightly
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 1/2 Tbsp. water plus additional if necessary

For Serving

• Chives for garnish
• Parmesan for garnish

Instructions

 

To Make The Pasta Dough

• In a Food Processor, blend flour, eggs, oil, and 1 1/2 Tbsp. water until the mixture just begins to form a ball. Add additional water, drop by drop, if the dough is too dry. Dough should be firm and not sticky. Blend dough for 15 seconds more to knead and let stand, covered with a tea towel and an inverted bowl for one hour at room temperature. Yield: 1 lb

To Make The Sauce:

• While the dough is resting, make the sauce. In a saucepan, combine the tomatoes with their juice, bell pepper, garlic, onions, and stock, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce and simmer the mixture covered, stirring occasionally for 30-40 min. or until vegetables are very tender.
• Using a handheld blender, puree the ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste and simmer until the sauce has reduced and is thickened.

To Make the Filling:

• Combine all filling ingredients, gently mixing them and adding salt and pepper to taste.

Making the Ravioli

Rolling out the dough:

• With a pasta machine starting on the widest setting, put 1/3 of your dough through the machine. Add a sprinkling of flour to one side, fold in half, and put the dough through the pasta machine again. Adjust the pasta machine to one size smaller and run the dough through. Continue to adjust the machine smaller and smaller until you reach the desired thickness for your dough. It should be thin enough to see the outline of your hand through the dough, about 1/32 inch thick.
• (If you are not using a ravioli maker, see note below) Using a ravioli maker, drape the rolled pasta dough over the base of the ravioli maker. Firmly press the rounded form into the dough to create wells for the cheese filling. Scoop a rounded teaspoon of the three cheese filling into each of the wells.
• Drape another sheet of rolled dough on top of the filled layer and press a rolling pin firmly along the top to seal the ravioli. Turn the form over and gently tap the dough out onto your lightly floured surface. Using a sharp knife, pizza cutter, or a ravioli cutter wheel, cut the ravioli into squares.
• Repeat the process with the remaining pasta dough and filling.

Finishing the Ravioli

• Working in batches, place 6-9 ravioli packets in well-salted boiling water for approximately 6 minutes; using a slotted spoon, remove to a plate. I use a paper towel to dab up any excess water from the plate; continue in this manner until all the pasta packets are cooked. Place 4-5 ravioli per plate and top with sauce, Parmesan cheese, and chives. Delicious!!

Equipment

Cuisinart Food Processor 14-Cup Vegetable Chopper for Mincing, Dicing, Shredding, Puree & Kneading Dough, Stainless Steel, DFP-14BCNY

5 Pieces Ravioli Mold Set Ravioli Maker 12 Holes Ravioli Maker Press Ravioli Stamp Maker Cutter with Wood Rolling Pin Ravioli Stamp Pasta Making Kit for Ravioli Press Mold Pasta Making Tools

Pasta Machine, ISILER 9 Adjustable Thickness Settings Pasta Maker, 150 Roller Noodles Maker with Aluminum Alloy Rollers and Cutter for Pasta, Spaghetti, Fettuccini, Lasagna

Notes

If you are not using a ravioli maker, assemble the ravioli as follows:

Lightly flour your counter and lay the dough out flat. Place a rounded teaspoon-sized amount of your cheese filling approximately 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart all the way along with the bottom third of the dough. Lightly moisten all the edges of the dough, and in between each dollop of filling, with water and fold the dough in half over the filling.

Seal all the edges around each mound, then using a pizza cutter or knife, cut between each cheese packet. Place each one on a lightly floured baking sheet and cover with a slightly damp tea towel. Continue with the remaining 2/3s of the pasta dough in the same manner.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 584kcalCarbohydrates: 62gProtein: 31gFat: 23gSaturated Fat: 10gPolyunsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 797mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10g

Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.

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