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Red beet ravioli rack
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5 from 3 votes

Red Beet Ravioli with Spinach and Goat Cheese

Red Beet Ravioli is fun to make with kids or friends and a delight to eat. It's a healthy way to celebrate the end of summer and the start of fall. If the Red Beet Ravioli are served as a main dish, figure on each person eating between six and eight. See notes below re: time needed.
Prep Time1 hour 40 minutes
Cook Time2 hours
Total Time4 hours 40 minutes
Course: Main Dish, Pasta
Cuisine: International, Vegetarian
Keyword: Fall, Summer
Servings: 10 people
Author: Belgian Foodie

Ingredients

Dough

Filling

  • 640 g spinach cooked and drained
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 shallots or a bit less if you prefer.
  • 2 tbsp red beet pureed (optional) (see notes)

Topping

  • 350 g goat cheese medium soft inside, chewy crust outside
  • 120 g baby spinach leaves raw
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/3 tsp salt grey
  • pepper
  • 2 tbsp pumpkin seeds hazelnuts or walnuts (lightly roasted) (optional)

Instructions

Preparing the Dough

  • Follow the link to see recipe for Red Beet Pasta. Prepare Red Beet Pasta according to instructions described.

Preparing Filling

  • Wash and cook the spinach to be used in the filling (not the spinach leaves to be added on top).
  • Put the cooked spinach in a drainer over a bowl to eliminate excess liquid. Press down on the spinach to remove as much liquid as possible.
  • Put the olive oil in a pan over a medium-high heat. Dice the shallots and add them to the pan. Cook the shallots about 2 minutes until they are translucent.
  • Add the drained cooked spinach to the pan and continue to cook a couple minutes. Add salt and pepper. Optional: Add some pureed red beets to enhance the flavor of the beets in this dish. (See notes below). Let cool.

Assembling the Ravioli

  • Roll the Red Beet Pasta dough according to the instructions described in the recipe. You can roll out the Red Beet Pasta dough by hand or by machine.
  • There is no need to let the dough dry very much before they are filled. You can let them dry more after they are filled. Place the strips of pasta (rolled by machine) or the discs of pasta (rolled by hand) on a lightly floured surface. Use a glass with a diameter of about 7 cm (2.75 inches) to cut out round discs for the ravioli. Roll again the unused dough and continue in the same manner until all the dough is used. If you do not care about each disc being perfect, you can also roll each part (1/3 of 1/3/) into a log about 1 cm (1/2 inch) wide and then cut into about 7 or 8 pieces. Roll out each piece separately.
    Cutting Red Beet Ravioli
  • Take each disc in the palm of your hand. Add about a teaspoon of the filling in the middle. About one-third of the disc should be filled. Close one half over the other half into a half moon shape. You can close the edges with your fingers like you would the top of a pie crust or use a fork to press down the edges until they stick together. If the dough is still a bit moist, no extra moisture is needed. If the dough is dry, it might crack as you prepare the ravioli and you'd need to wet the edges before closing the ravioli.
    Red Beet Ravioli Filled
  • Place the assembled ravioli on a baking sheet or other surface covered with baking paper. If you need the ravioli to touch, add a little flour to avoid them from sticking together. Let the ravioli rest a little until you are ready to cook them. If you will not cook them relatively soon, put them in the refrigerator until the final cooking stage. NOTE: at this time if you like you can place the lined baking sheet into the freezer for about 30 minutes if you want to keep them for another day. After the 30 minutes in the freezer, place the semi-frozen raviolis in a plastic freezer bag for storage. See notes below.

Cooking the Ravioli

  • Bring large cooking pots filled about 2/3 with water to a boil.
  • Add about 8 raviolis into the boiling water. Be careful not to overcrowd the pot as the raviolis will expand while they cook. They will need to cook about 10 minutes from the time you place them in water. The raviolis usually come up to the surface of boiling water after approximately 2 minutes and then need to cook another 8 minutes before they are ready. These times are estimates and they may vary depending on the size of the ravioli.
  • If you are not serving the ravioli immediately, place them in a baking dish with a little olive oil to avoid sticking. Place the dish in a warm oven (low heat only to keep warm) until you are ready to serve the ravioli.
  • Continue to cook the ravioli until they are all ready. If possible, you can have two pots going simultaneously to save time.

Serving

  • On each plate, place a handful of washed raw baby spinach leaves. Cover with about 6 to 8 cooked raviolis.
  • Crumble 30 to 40 grams (about 1 ounce to 1.3 ounces) goat cheese on top.
  • Drizzle a little olive oil (or a blend of olive oil and a nut oil) (see notes) on top. If you are adding some seeds or nuts on top, add them now. (Don't however add the seeds or nuts if you are also mixing some nut oil with the olive oil for the top). Finish with a pinch of grey salt and a dash of black pepper freshly grounded. Serve and enjoy!
    Red Beet Ravioli Served

Notes

1.  The time needed to prepare one recipe for 10 people may seem daunting.  However, you should note that several tasks can be happening at the same time.  For instance, you prepare the filling as the dough rests in the refrigerator or as you cook the red beets for the dough.  In addition, you can break up the work into several steps performed at different times. The dough may be prepared one or two days in advance or up to 1 or 2 months in advance if you choose to freeze it. If you prepare the ravioli with children or friends, people can perform different tasks simultaneously.  One person can roll out the dough while another fills them, for example.  The time indicated above is the total time if you were to perform all of the tasks at one time by yourself. 2.  Contrary to what you would think, these ravioli do not have a strong red beet flavor.  If you enjoy the taste of red beets, you can add a little red beet puree to the filling to enhance the flavor. 3.  The flavor of the ravioli is delicious and subtle.  I'd recommend trying it as suggested the first time.  If you want to add a little additional flavor without overpowering the dish, try blending some nut oil (pumpkin seed, walnut or hazelnut) with the olive oil on top OR adding some crushed roasted nuts or seeds on top.  If you are using organic red beets, try roasting the greens of the beets in a little olive oil and water in the oven or in a pan on the stove.  They should cook until they are softer to eat yet still give a little crunch.  Add these cooked beet greens to the top of the plate when serving to add some additional color and beet flavor. 4. If you freeze the dough to be used at a later time, be sure to defrost before using to roll out. 5.  If you freeze the red beet ravioli, do not take them out to thaw in advance.  Put the frozen ravioli directly in the boiling water and let cook an extra 2 minutes or so.  

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Red Beet Ravioli with Spinach and Goat Cheese
Amount Per Serving (187 g)
Calories 328 Calories from Fat 126
% Daily Value*
Fat 14g22%
Saturated Fat 7g44%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 5g
Cholesterol 99mg33%
Sodium 277mg12%
Potassium 433mg12%
Carbohydrates 38g13%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 15g30%
Vitamin A 0IU0%
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 0mg0%
Iron 0mg0%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.