Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce

Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce. Impress your guests with this delicious and elegant homemade ravioli, made with wonton wrappers. A perfect meatless meal.

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This recipe was featured in the March 2018 issue of Stillwater Living Magazine.

Everyone who knows me, knows that I am a big fan of pasta. Always have been, always will be. I’m good about portion control at home, and only cook what I will eat. Because if I make a big batch, rest assured I’ll eat way more than I should at one sitting. The only exception is my Baked Homemade Mac and Cheese, but that’s another story.

As much as I love pasta, I don’t recall my parents ever making filled pastas other than lasagna when I was growing up. So the only time I ever ate ravioli, stuffed shells, manicotti, etc. was at restaurants. As I’ve been growing my blog recipe collection, I’ve had filled pastas in the back of my brain. But that’s where they have stayed. I think it’s partially out of fear that they won’t turn out well. But I’ve conquered that fear with other recipes, so it’s time to get over it. Heck, I bought a KitchenAid Mixer 3 years ago and in the first couple of months conquered homemade bread, pasta and pizza dough. But the mixer stays in a cabinet above the fridge, so…out of sight, out of mind.

For my first filled pasta recipe I wanted something relatively simple. And as we head into spring, it’s the perfect opportunity to create a spring-inspired dish that can be enjoyed year round. I decided to start with ravioli, and searched Pinterest for inspiration. I figured it would be a great excuse to break out the KitchenAid again. Instead, I found that you could make ravioli with wonton wrappers instead of pasta! Who knew?! So I got my creative juices flowing and created Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce

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My goodness, these Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce are so delicious! Delicate and so flavorful, with a wonderful combination of textures.

The asparagus was a last-minute addition, and I’m so glad I did. It’s a great way to add more green to the dish, and I love the contrast of the tender-crisp asparagus to the creamy ravioli. I use fresh baby spinach for this Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce. Yes, you could use frozen, but then you have to thaw it and squeeze out all the liquid. And then you’re stuck with all that extra spinach. Besides, you can find fresh spinach in the produce section all year long, so use it. I also use fresh asparagus…again, you can find it all year long in the produce section.

KEYS TO THE PERFECT SPINACH RAVIOLI WITH ASPARAGUS GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Wonton Wrappers – you can find these in the produce section of nearly every grocery store. They’re usually displayed alongside tofu and other vegetarian options
Seasonings – spinach, ricotta cheese and mozzarella are pretty bland on their own, so I punch up the mixture with Onion Powder, Garlic Powder, Nutmeg, salt and pepper. Just remember, a little nutmeg goes a long way, and it’s best to grate whole nutmeg if possible
Garlic butter sauce – yes, use real butter. It melts better than margarine or imitation, and it has so much more flavor. I also add dry white wine; the alcohol cooks out, and leaves more flavor. The key is to use wine that you like drink! If you don’t, you’ll end up with a sauce you don’t like. I love garlic so I leave it in the finished dish. But if you don’t want pieces of garlic, remove them before serving
Saute the asparagus in the garlic butter sauce. The asparagus will soak up the beautiful flavor, and cooks to a perfect tender-crisp
Finish with both toasted Pine Nuts and some fresh-grated Parmesan cheese. Toasting the pine nuts releases the natural oils and nutty flavor. Fresh Parmesan is a must…so much better than the stuff in the can

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MAKING RAVIOLI WITH WONTON WRAPPERS

So let’s go back to the wonton wrappers for a minute. The first time I saw this I thought it wouldn’t work. But you know what? It does…and it’s very easy. But there are a couple of keys to remember, so that the ravioli does not burst while it cooks:

Don’t use more than 1/2 tablespoon of filling per ravioli. Otherwise, the filling will spread too close to the edges and they won’t close properly
When you put the top wrapper over the bottom wrapper, press out all of the air pockets. If not, that will be the first place they will burst
Seal the edges of the ravioli. I use an egg wash around the edges to form an initial seal. And then I take a fork and press around all 4 sides to add a cool look, and to further seal them
Wonton wrappers are delicate and fresh, like homemade pasta. The ravioli only needs to cook for about 2 minutes
Use a large pot of boiling water to cook the ravioli, and cook them in 2 batches. If you try to cook too many at a time, they will stick together

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Full disclosure, Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce is a little bit labor intensive on the first try. And my kitchen looked like the fridge exploded! But once I made them a couple of times, the process got much faster. Plus, you can make the filling up to a day ahead and keep it in a sealed container in the fridge.

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I am definitely keeping Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce on my regular meal plan rotation. Plus, I’m excited to try all kinds of different ravioli fillings.

SHOP THIS RECIPE

Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce

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RAVIOLI

24 wonton wrappers
2 teaspoons avocado oil or olive oil
1 1/2 packed cups baby spinach, rinsed and drained
1 clove raw garlic, minced
1 Tablespoon yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup low fat ricotta cheese
1 ounce mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon fresh-grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon fresh-cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 large egg
1 tablespoon water

ASPARAGUS GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

12 spears asparagus, tough ends removed, spears sliced in half
1 1/2 Tablespoons butter
1 clove raw garlic, thinly sliced
2 Tablespoons dry white wine (optional)
1/2 Tablespoon pine nuts
fresh shaved Parmesan (for garnish)

Add pine nuts to dry skillet. Toast pine nuts over medium-low heat until golden . Watch carefully, to ensure they don’t burn. Remove pine nuts and set aside
Add 2 teaspoons oil to skillet over medium heat. Once warm, add minced onion and cook for 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach and cook until wilted, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow mixture too cool for about 5 minutes
In large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt and pepper.
Transfer cooked spinach to cutting board and chop into small pieces. Add to bowl with cheese and seasonings, and mix well until fully combined. Taste mixture, and adjust seasonings if necessary
Lay wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Scoop 1/2 Tablespoon of spinach mixture to the center of 12 of the wrappers.
Combine egg and water, and beat well to create egg wash. Using your finger, spread a thin layer of egg wash along the edges of the wonton wrappers with the filling.
Cover each filled wonton wrapper with a plain wrapper. Press lightly in the middle to remove air bubbles, and then firmly press the edges.
Take a fork, and press the edge of the fork tines around all 4 edges of each ravioli.
Melt 1/2 Tablespoon butter in skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and saute for about 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove asparagus and set aside
Melt remaining butter in skillet. Add garlic and wine, and simmer for about 5 minutes
Carefully add ravioli to a large pot of salted, boiling water. Work in batches of about 5 ravioli at a time, and cook ravioli for 2 minutes
Drain ravioli and immediately toss in garlic butter sauce. Plate ravioli and sauce, and top with asparagus and pine nuts. Finish with a shave of fresh Parmesan