We didn't mean to make Spinach Ricotta Beef Ravioli Filling, but we thawed a 2-pound container of ricotta cheese, and now we had to use it. We were leaving in a week, so we didn't have much time to come up with lots of recipes. A promising recipe popped up, but we ended up with this spinach ricotta beef ravioli filling recipe instead.
Jump to:
Finding the right spinach ricotta beef filling
You see, the first recipe {Plan A} used only one-half cup of the 2 cups of ricotta. That wouldn't do. We needed to use it all up. You can't refreeze ricotta cheese, the quality of the cheese decreases.
So, here we were making Plan B, a cheesy spinach ricotta beef ravioli filling.
Plan B suited us just fine! Who doesn't like having dozens of ravioli in the freezer, just waiting to make into a delicious dishes?
Start with the ravioli dough
We began by making our usual pasta dough recipe. The pasta roller was on the Kitchen Aid mixer, waiting to start cranking out our long sheets of pasta.
Our little assembly line was going just great.
- Honey was feeding the pasta into the pasta roller unit
- I was using our ravioli form to fill and seal the delicious spinach ricotta beef filling between the two sheets of dough.
All of a sudden, as Honey was feeding in the long sheet of dough, the dough started to catch on the rollers. It was folding itself into a sad looking accordion.
Problem pops up
Honey stopped the mixer, cleaned off the rollers and started again to feed the dough sheet into the pasta machine.
It happened again! Production came to a standstill.
The mechanical person in the family (certainly not me) took a closer look at what could be causing the problem.
Would you believe the plastic scrapers on either side of the roller were cracked?
Cracked!
The entire unit is of heavy-duty polished metal. Surely it was made to last a lifetime?
We called the manufacturer -- nope -- nothing they can do.
I admit we do make a LOT of pasta and that pasta machine has cranked out countless sheets of pasta, but the unit itself looks like new. *sigh* There would be no replacement part.
Why didn't the manufacturer foresee plastic wearing out before metal?
Dozens of spinach ricotta beef ravioli
Luckily, we got to make five dozen ravioli before the pasta unit broke.
Now, we're in the market for another pasta roller, and unfortunately, most of the rollers come with a set of spaghetti and fettuccini cutters.
We don't need the whole set -- we already have them and ours are in perfect condition. We just need the pasta roller .
Luckily, after a Google search, we found just the pasta roller. It wasn't cheap, but we had so many pasta recipes waiting, the expense was going to be worth it.
A versatile pasta filling
The Spinach Ricotta Beef Ravioli Filling isn't just for ravioli; it's so versatile .
You can use it for other pasta dishes
- manicotti
- large shells
- lasagna
If you make a large of a batch like we did, you may want to use it for several other Italian dishes. The filling is super easy to whip up and spiced just right.
We hope you mix up some of this delicious filling soon, and if you do, let us know how you used it.
Watch how we make the ravioli
Tutti a tavola è pronto!
Un caro saluto e alla prossima.
YOU MAY NEED...
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Our pasta rollers for our Kitchen Aid are attachments we use constantly. Forget about trying to roll your pasta thin. This tool gets it right where it should be. Perhaps that's why we wore it out. The nice part about these attachments is that they fit every heavy duty mixer we've owned.
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Rustic Italian Spinach Ricotta Filling
This filling is fantastic, and you can use it with any pasta. Make a special Valentine's Day dinner by making ravioli, manicotti, and even lasagna roll-ups with this special spinach ricotta beef filling. Another cheese and spinach-filled pasta dish I know you and your family will love is our No-Fuss Three Cheese Spinach Cannelloni recipe made with lasagna noodles.
📖 Recipe
Spinach Ricotta Beef Ravioli Filling
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon of Olive oil
- 2 teaspoons butter
- 1 package 10 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 2 pounds ricotta cheese
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Garlic powder to your taste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 egg lightly beaten with 1 Tablespoon water to egg wash.
Instructions
- Place the thawed spinach between paper towels and squeeze out all of the water.
- In a large fry pan, cook the ground beef in the olive oil and butter until done. Add the spinach and season with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Don't be shy with the seasonings. If there is a lot of moisture in the meat mixture put it in a strainer and make sure to get the juice out.
- Place the meat mixture in the bowl of a food processor and pulse several times until the meat is the same consistency.
- In a large bowl add the ricotta and mix it with the eggs, parsley and Parmesan cheese until smooth.
- Add the spinach/meat mixture and mix well. Chill in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. This makes it easier to handle.
- Assemble your ravioli as you normally would or as we did in our Italian ravioli recipe --https://allourway.com/2014/08/24/homemade-italian-ravioli-meat-cheese-filling/ This time we added another step. We painted a little of the egg wash along the edges of the ravioli before adding the top sheet. Sometimes, although it is very rare, I have the tendency to overfill and a part of the ravioli edge doesn't seal properly. The egg wash helps make a firmer seal. You may eliminate this step if you wish.
- Prepare ravioli as you normally would or freeze on cookie sheet lined with wax paper and when they are frozen package them in an air-tight freezer container.
Nutrition
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Christine
Hello,
What's considered one serving here? I'm looking to make huge batches of this and want to understand how many raviolis this will make.
Thank you,
Christine
Marisa Franca
Hi Christine! A serving is considered 5 to 6 per person. We doubled the original recipe to use up the 2 pounds of ricotta cheese we had in the fridge when we made this recipe. You'll get anywhere from 80 to 100 ravioli, depending on how much you fill each pillow pocket. If you have BIG eaters, expect them to eat a few more. We always make a LOT and freeze them. That's why we're always doubling recipes. But this filling should get you quite a few. Have a very Merry Christmas season.
Emily M Middlestetter
Hi! I made this for my boyfriend, and it was so delicious. But I want to make it for his family. His brother has an allergy to eggs. Are the eggs needed???
Marisa Franca
Hi Emily!! I'm so glad you liked the ravioli. The egg wash is NOT essential. It just insures that the pasta layers bind. You can also do this with a bit of water like you would the egg. That is very sweet of you making it for your boyfriend's family! You'll get a gold star!! xoxo
Joyce
I've only made ravioli once (with my young granddaughters a few weeks ago). Have now bought the pasta roller for my kitchen aid and your recipes look delicious!
Just a couple questions. Can I use fresh spinach, instead of frozen? Also, do I drain the ricotta overnight (that's what the recipe we used said, otherwise it's too runny) is it necessary with your recipe?
Marisa Franca
Hi Joyce, Yes you may use fresh spinach by first plunging it to salted boiling water for 30 seconds then drain and cooling it under cold unning water. Make sure to remove all water then finely chop.
Yes! It's important to drain the ricotta cheese, otherwise there is too much moisture.
Let me know how it goes! Happy pasta making!!
Joyce
Thank you for your quick reply, made it today, only made 1/2 recipe of filling and got 40 ravioli and then with the rest of the dough and filling made an 8" lasagna, using my other 1/2 lb of ground beef with onions, garlic, celery, tomato sauce and a bunch of herbs and spices layered with the spinach filling. Fantastic! Thank you so much.
Leslie
Your Spinach Ricotta Beef Ravioli Filling recipe is perfect! This recipe is one the whole family will enjoy!
kerri
oh man. look at how nice and thick those ravioli are! i've not ever made my own ravioli, but this looks doable! excited to try it!
Jacqueline Debono
I love the sound of this ravioli filling. I've used the classic ricotta and spinach many times but without meat. Going to plan a ravioli making day for next week and give this a try.
Paula Montenegro
It's been ages since I made homemade ravioli, and this post is the perfect excuse! Beautiful filling too, one of my favorites. And I relate so well to having extra ricotta. It never seems to be used completely, haha! Thanks for sharing.
Veronika
Nothing can beat homemade ravioli! They are perfectly comforting and soooo delicious! I'm going to make them this weekend and will let you know how they came out!
Chef Dennis
I can't wait to give your recipe a try, my family is going to love it!
Denise
I have never made homemade pasta, but your recipes inspire me. These ravioli are mouth watering just looking at them!
Sandra Shaffer
Th9is is my kind of comfort food. There is nothing like homemade ravioli - love the idea of freezing some of these to savor them a little longer!
Jo
Who doesn't love homemade pasta and this looks amazing! The filling is so amazing and that you managed to do it inspite of all the trouble sounds like you did an amzing job!
Jenni LeBaron
This Spinach Ricotta Beef Ravioli Filling looks absolutely scrumptious! I can see using this as suggested in ravioli or stuffing shells with it as well. This is comfort food at it's best!
Lori | The Kitchen Whisperer
What a great flavor combination of beef and spinach with the ricotta! I love making homemade pastas as I find it just so cathartic. Plus everyone loves it.
Thanks for sharing such a lovely recipe!
Paula Montenegro
Ricotta is probably my favorite pasta filling, so this recipe is going straight into my Pinterest! I'll be making it very soon! Can't wait. It looks amazing!
uma
Ravioli is my favorite one. But I never made my own recipe. This looks like fun and easy! I will try this recipe for the holiday dinner.
Veronika
I love ravioli but never made them myself before! I think it's time for me to finally make this sometime soon) Saving the recipe!
Danielle
Fabulous ravioli to have over the holiday table. The shape is perfect, and I am sure the filling is unbelievably tasty! And thank you for the note on freezing - super important.
Kelly Anthony
I love how versatile this spinach ricotta beef filling is. I can't wait to use it in a lasagna that I plan to make over the holidays. There is nothing more comforting than homemade lasagna.
Leslie
Your homemade ravioli is stunning! Mine always looks like a sloppy mess! This is a great, versatile recipe here!
Ben
This recipe makes me actually want to put in the effort to make ravioli. This looks amazingly delicious.
Becky
Can you use fresh spinach? How do you prepare it?
Marisa Franca
Yes Becky, you can use fresh spinach. You would need to cook it in a sauce pan with a bit of water. Put a lid on the saucepan and let the spinach wilt down. Once it is wilted let it cool. Blot all the moisture from the spinach. Put the spinach on a cutting board and chop it. You want the spinach chopped in small pieces so it will distribute evenly in the ricotta cheese. Then follow the instructions as for the frozen spinach. To get the same amount in a 10oz package of frozen spinach you will need 1 1/2 pounds fresh spinach. If you have any other questions please don't hesitate to ask.
Wendy
Can you freeze the filling by itself? I have alot left over
Marisa Franca
Hi, Wendy! Yes, you can. We have frozen it and then used it for stuffing shells, cannoli or whatever else you want.
Alexis
I love spinach ravioli but I've never had success making it at home. I'll have my daughter try this recipe to see if we can find success of making pasta at home.
Ashley - Forking Up
I LOVE homemade ravioli but they never come out looking this pretty! I need one of those forms.
Natalie
Homemade pasta is so good. My nona makes delicious. I love her ravioli too. But I never tried anything like this. I need to give her this recipe. She will make me this for sure. Looks so flavorful and delicious.
Catherine
Nothing compares to homemade pasta. I love the sound of our ravioli and can only imagine how delicious they must have been! Homemade ravioli brings back so many fond memories for me...I need to make them more often! XO
swathi
This is delicious, I have tried only spinach and cheese version, with beef will be wonderful idea. Homemade is always best. If you are staying near buy I will ask you to send some for me.
Eileen Kelly
There is no substitute for the amazing flavor of fresh pasta. These ravioli look delicious! I love the Ricotta-Spinach Beef Filling. So delicious! I have a hand-cranked pasta maker and I have the Kitchen Aid on my wish list. I am so glad you were able to bet a new pasta roller! I am looking forward to making these this week. We had a huge drop in temperature and I need some good comfort food!
Celeste
It's been years since I've made fresh ravioli and this looks amazing. I think it's time for me to take out my ravioli making tools and get busy. Ravioli is one of my daughter's favorite meals.
Veena Azmanov
I love that ravioli pan you have. This sounds so simple and delicious. I love beef ravioli but have never made it myself. I usually make sweet potato, cheese and those kinda but not tried meat. Going to have to try this.
michelle
These look amazing, I've never made ravioli before but i'm very tempted now
Karyn
First you need to write a book. Your recipes are amazing! I wish I had a pasta machine to make this. it looks scrumptious. I've never made homemade pasta. It's on my food bucket list
Jenni LeBaron
I love homemade pasta and a filling like this really seals the deal for me. I am also in awe of how much filling you are able to get in your ravioli as mine are usually a bit smaller in order to keep their seal. These look great!
Claudia Lamascolo
Seriously a work of creative art. The family always appreciate this hard work involved of a labor or love. Home made pasta is the best my mama never made boxed of any kind and I think back of how hard she worked and miss those days. This reminded me of her. thanks Marisa
Christine
Oh my goodness, these look amazing! So beautiful and delicious. Definitely want to take a shot at this recipe one day soon!
Marisa Franca
Hello, Christine. It's a soup I'm sure you'll enjoy.
Amanda Mason
I've always wanted to make my own pasta and this recipe inspires me! My kiddos love ravioli and i'm sure they would love this is I made it for them! Looks beyond delish!!
Ashley @ Big Flavors from a Tiny Kitchen
I looooove homemade ravioli! I have to admit I've never had one that had beef in with the spinach and ricotta - and now I can't stop thinking about it. YUM!
Nicoletta @sugarlovespices
You have quite a production going on! 😉 Glad to hear your new roller has been ordered. In the meantime, you're stocked up in ravioli 🙂 . Ravioli ricotta and spinach are my favorite. Never seen or had them also with beef. They look good!
Tina
Oh no, sorry to hear about your pasta machine. Your ravioli looks amazing though!
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Tina! They did taste delicious!
Helene
I don't like to roll out pasta with the pasta machine because I have always had some problem with the machine. I am sorry to read that your machine cracked at the side but at least you have used yours properly over the years, no?
wow that's a huge amount of filling in the bucket! =D
I am going to make ravioli your way next time but I think I will stick with rolling out the dough as I always do.
Marisa Franca
Hi, Helene! Whatever works for you. I never pooh-pooh what works for anyone. Let me know how your ravioli turn out! 🙂
Sharon Glascoe
So sorry to hear about your trouble! Still looks like you managed to make a fabulous ravioli. Can't wait to make this.
Kushi
Love the combo. Looks so perfect and delish
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Kushi!
Analida Braeger
These look amazing and I love homemade pasta! I don't have a ravioli form but I think I can make agnolotti which uses a roller cutter. Thanks for sharing!
Marisa Franca
You're welcome, Analida. I love the forms just for the ease of filling and sealing them. There are so many variations we can make. I even bought a larger size. Have a great week.
Jenni
These ravioli look super tasty! I'd love to make a batch. What a great example of home-cooked love.
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Jenni! They are really fun to make. When we get started we make enough to freeze. Hope you had a Happy New Year. xoxo
Christie Hawkes
Those ravioli look delicious! Thanks for linking up at #BloggingGrandmothersLinkParty.
Marisa Franca
Thank you, Christie! That's a great party, isn't it?
Pat
Your ravioli look fabulous! I rarely add meat to mine but I think I'd like to try this mixture
Marisa Franca
Ciao, Pat! It really is good. We usually try to make up a huge batch so we have to freeze. Let me know if you give it a try. Buon weekend.
Maggie
This recipe looks delicious I was just wondering how much of the filling this makes/ how many raviolis it makes. This is also my first time with ravioli. Should I bake or boil the pasta? Can you roll out the dough with just a rolling pin? Do you have any suggestions for sauces with the ravioli? Thanks!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Maggie!! This recipe will make about 100 ravioli, depending on how you fill the little pockets. We normally double the pasta recipe and we have that on another ravioli recipe on our blog. To be honest, we've never made pasta without a pasta roller. We started out with a hand crank one and moved up to the pasta maker attachment that goes with the Kitchen-Aid mixer. That was a Christmas present from our son. I'm not sure how well it will do to use a rolling pin. First of all, you put the dough through the pasta maker to work the dough several times.
With the crank pasta maker, you can use it to make spaghetti, fettuccini, lasagna, etc. it's worth the investment.
You boil ravioli in salted water, just like you would pasta. Since it is fresh pasta, we just boil it long enough so that it floats, a few minutes. We freeze our pasta so it may take us just a bit longer.
Any sauce will compliment this recipe. We like to use a tomato base sauce like a marinara, or a simple fresh tomato sauce since this recipe already has meat in the filling.
If you would like more information I would be glad to talk to you on the phone. Just let me know. We love making fresh pasta and it is so much better than store bought.
Maggie
Thank you so much I am definitely going to try this recipe it looks wonderful
Rosalva
Hello, I want to make but just wonder how much spinach? 10 oz. box or 1 lb? Thank you!
Marisa Franca
Hello, Rosalva. I'm sorry, I should have specified the size. I will correct that on the recipe. Our frozen packages are usually around 10 oz. and that's what we would have used. One pound would be too much. If you have any other questions let me know. I'm sure you'll enjoy the taste.
Sara | Life's Little Sweets
Wow, this looks amazing! I have never made my own ravioli, I want to try!
Marisa Franca
Hi, Sara! They are really fun to make and it is great having them ready in the freezer.:-)
nagi.maehashi@gmail.com
You know why I'm here but I HAD to check out this recipe! YOU ROCK Marisa! I am totally trying this, ravioli is my weekend project!!
Marisa Franca
Thank you Nagi!! I know you're ravioli will turn out fantastic!! Just think of all the fillings you can stuff in those delicious little pasta pillows 🙂
Marisa Franca
I can just imagine the variety you'll make, Nagi!! Oh the dough pockets to be filled - my mind is swirling 🙂
Joyce from Live Laugh Love Post
Yummy! I'd love to try the spinach ricotta beef. But I am so curious if the spinach ricotta beef filling is leftover, how long will it take in the refrigerator or freezer? And I've pinned yours in my pinterest. In the meantime, I found yours from Marilyn's Thursday Favorite Things 🙂
Marisa Franca
Hello Joyce! I'm glad you found me. You can keep it in the fridge two days and in the freezer one month. I just wouldn't want to press the quality of the filling. Now, we've had ravioli in the freezer for two months and they were great. We did make sure that they were in freezer bags with all air removed and then in freezer containers. Let us know how it goes 🙂
Rosemary @anitalianinmykitchen.com
Hi Marisa, glad you got your pasta machine sorted out. Nothing like homemade pasta and this recipe sounds amazing, can't wait to try it. Thanks for sharing at the Thursday Favorite Things Blog Hop.
Marisa Franca
Hi Rosemary! Thank you for hosting the Blog Hop. It is always great to be able to put recipes out there so more people can see them.
Chiara
your ravioli looks delicious Marisa, spinaci e ricotta is my favourite filling, have a nice week my dear, un abbraccio !
Marisa Franca
Grazie, Chiara! Hope you have a wonderful week also! Un abbraccio forte!
KariAnne
I can't believe the machine broke without any replacement parts!
Seriously!
It's not fair. 🙂
On the positive side, it looks like what you were able to make is super yummy!
Happy day friend!
karianne
Marisa Franca
Hi KariAnne! Well we did get a new roller press and the old Kitchen Aid will cranking out dough very soon. Have a wonderful week!!
Frank
Did you say five dozen ravioli? My, that's quite a production! I make spinach and ricotta ravioli often, but I have to admit, I've never tried them with beef. Will need to give it a go next time.
Marisa Franca
Hi Frank! I think you'll really like the meat ravioli. We've been tempted to try some lamb ravioli along with chicken and seafood. Although not all in one 🙂
Laura | Wandercooks
Oh my gosh what a (potential) disaster! Who would have thought that both scrapers could have cracked at the same time. You must have put it through some heavy duty in its lifetime 😉 😉 So glad you could find the replacement parts you needed, super lucky! Also, can you believe we've never made our own ravioli before? Plenty of pasta and noodles but never ravioli, and ravioli is my favourite! We need to try this ASAP!
Marisa Franca
Hey there Wandercooks!! You've got to make ravioli -- just think of the wild and delicious fillings you could come up with?? I can't wait to hear what you made. Have a great weekend.
Sharee @ Savory Spicerack
Oh my these look beautiful! I love homemade pasta! Pinning for later!
Tara
Oh no! So sorry about your pasta roller. At least it made some amazing looking ravioli during its last run. That filling sounds incredible.
Marisa Franca
Hi Tara! Well, the new pasta roller is on order! Can't wait to get the assembly line going again 🙂
Gloria @ Homemade & Yummy
I have made homemade pasta, but have not tried making ravioli yet. Love the sound of this great dish.
Marisa Franca
Hi Gloria! You can't believe how very easy it is -- hope you try it!
Angie@cuisinestudy
These look so good and so easy!!!!! I'll have to try ravioli! Yummmm!
Marisa Franca
I hope you do try them Angie! They are good.
The Food Hunter
My kind of meal! they turned out perfect
Marisa Franca
Thank you! We enjoy making them. 🙂
Judy
Your recipe sounds really good. Will try it soon as learning how to make ravioli is on my "bucket list."
I've made them several times in the last DECADE, the most recent a month ago, using the forms shown in your pictures. Unfortunately, about 20% of my ravioli blew up in cooking - I do not boil rapidly, very gentle - but I believe there was "air" in the ravioli causing the explosions. Some air I "pinched" out with a toothpick and "resealed" the hole, but I need a better plan. How do you insure getting out all the air when using the forms? I just bought a beautiful pricey ravioli pin (not yet used) and have to try that soon, too.
Is your dough recipe available?
Marisa Franca
Hi Judy! My problem was that I'd overfill. Now when we lay the top sheet on the form, I start rolling from the center to the top. Then I'll roll from the center towards me. This way the dough is stretching evenly. Sometimes we've had too much flour on the dough and it will not seal as well. This time I tried the egg wash to put around the filling -- before I add the top sheet. Yes it is on our site -- here is the link https://allourway.com/2014/08/24/homemade-italian-ravioli-meat-cheese-filling/ . I show how I do the ravioli on our form. I've been wanting to get some of the larger forms -- think we will since I want to do more fillings. Let me know how it goes 🙂
Jovina Coughlin
Oh my Marisa. My favorite Italian dish - ravioli. they look so good. I have the same ravioli maker that you have. Glad you were able to save the day with a new roller.
Ciao Chow Linda
So sorry your machine broke, but luckily you got a lot of delicious looking ravioli to tuck away in the freezer.
Marisa Franca
We did stash away some ravioli goodies, Linda! Perhaps, we should have kept our old hand crank pasta machine. When we got the Kitchen Aid attachment we gave the hand crank one to my daughter-in-law.