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Homemade Ravioli Without a Pasta Maker

Written by Rebecca Peters-Golden

I think that nearly everyone who loves to cook, even those of us who enjoy complicated projects when the mood strikes, have a culinary kryptonite or a baking bête noire.

You know, that one thing that you’ve never made because it’s intimidating or it seems overly complicated. Mine has always been homemade ravioli.

homemade ravioli with mushroom and arugula filling
Photo: Casey Barber

I love to eat it, sure, but it has always seemed so . . . fussy (or potschke, as my grandparents would say).

I suppose all the fussiness stemmed from my lack of fancy equipment in the kitchen. I don’t have a pasta maker–not an old hand-crank one nor a fancy stand mixer and a pasta roller attachment.

But I do have a rolling pin, and a pizza cutter, and a pair of hands, along with a burning desire for homemade ravioli in my belly.

So how did I conquer the beast? Well, wine, of course–and the power of friendship.

homemade ravioli
making homemade ravioli
Photos: Casey Barber

My lovely friend T and I decided that we were going to crack open a bottle a bottle of Pinot and rid ourselves of our homemade pasta virginity.

And you know what? It didn’t hurt a bit. To the contrary, it’s pretty easy, and homemade ravioli is now one of my go-to dishes for even a mid-week pasta craving.

homemade ravioli with mushroom and arugula filling
Photo: Casey Barber

And the best part of making homemade ravioli? Having total control over your fillings.

You can take advantage of awesome seasonal ingredients in tons of combinations without having to pay twenty bucks at an Italian restaurant for the ravioli special.

The video and recipe features one of my favorites–mixed mushroom and arugula with goat cheese–but even plain ricotta cheese ravioli with a glug of olive oil and a grind of salt and pepper are scrumptious when they’re homemade!

homemade ravioli with mushroom and arugula filling
Photo: Casey Barber

Watch the video and read the tutorial below for step by step instructions on how to make homemade ravioli without a pasta maker.

homemade ravioli
homemade ravioli with mushroom and arugula filling

Homemade Ravioli with Mixed Mushroom and Arugula Filling

Yield: 2 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Here's how to make homemade ravioli without a pasta maker or stand mixer attachments. Try our recipe for mushroom filling or use your favorite!

Ingredients

Filling

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil
  • 1/4 pound (4 ounces; 113 grams) mushrooms, finely chopped (I like to use a mixture of shiitake and cremini)
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced
  • kosher salt
  • 1/4 pound (4 ounces; 113 grams) fresh ricotta cheese
  • 1 4-ounce log log goat cheese, at room temperature
  • a large handful of arugula, roughly chopped
  • freshly ground black pepper

Ravioli

  • 9 ounces (255 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

Sauce

  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt, for pasta water
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 dozen micro sage leaves or 1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
  • finishing salt, such as Maldon
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the filling:

  1. Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
  2. Add the mushrooms and stir to coat, then cook without stirring for 3-4 minutes to brown.
  3. Add a pinch of kosher salt and the garlic, then stir cook for 2 minutes more.
  4. Scrape the mushrooms into a medium mixing bowl and allow to cool to room temperature.
  5. Stir the ricotta, goat cheese, and arugula into the mushrooms.
  6. Season with pepper and additional kosher salt to taste.
  7. (Mushroom filling can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate until needed.)

Make the ravioli:

  1. Make and knead a batch of pasta dough following our homemade pasta dough recipe and video tutorial.
  2. Let the kneaded dough rest under the mixing bowl for 15 minutes.
  3. Lightly dust a work surface with flour.
  4. Cut the ball of dough in half. Roll out one piece of dough with a rolling pin into a rectangle about 16 inches long and 8 inches wide. The dough will fight you and bounce back, so continue to roll and stretch gently with your hands until the dough is as thin as you can make it. making homemade ravioli
  5. Repeat with the second piece of dough.
  6. Spoon scant tablespoons of filling onto one of the pasta sheets like you’d put cookie dough on a baking sheet, leaving about 1 inch between scoops. You should be able to fit 12-16 tablespoons on each sheet in two rows. making homemade ravioli
  7. With a pastry brush, brush a bit of water between the scoops of filling and around the outside of the sheet so that the two sheets of pasta will stick together. making homemade ravioli
  8. Lay the second sheet of pasta on top, and press down between the filling mounds to seal the sheets together and eliminate any air pockets.
  9. Cut the ravioli into rectangles using a pastry cutter, pizza cutter, or sharp knife, or into rounds with a cookie cutter. Press any edges again to make sure they're sealed. homemade ravioli

To serve:

  1. Bring a large (6-8 quart) pot of water to a boil and add 1 tablespoon kosher salt.
  2. Add the ravioli and cook, stirring occasionally, until the water returns to a boil and the ravioli float easily to the top of the pot.
  3. While the ravioli cook, melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat.
  4. Toss the ravioli with the melted butter in a serving dish.
  5. Sprinkle with sage, finishing salt, and pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

To freeze uncooked ravioli, place on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet and freeze in a single layer until completely frozen. Transfer to a zip-top bag for up to 3 months.

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29 Comments

  1. These all sound amazing! And how terrific to be able to do it all without fancy gadgets! Can’t wait to give it a try.

  2. I make a lot of homemade pasta, and though I usually mix it by hand, I do have a pasta roller (just the hand cranked version, but still!). I love that you made this by hand, and all of the ravioli flavors sound divine!

  3. I have a stand mix with pasta attachment and every time I try to use it, it destroys my dough. I think I may just give up on it, and try this instead!

  4. I’ve never attempted homemade pasta of any kind, and I wanted to do something special for my husband and my first Christmas married. In the instructions you recommend rolling the dough so thin. I second that! I thought the dough was okay in thickness – I even worked up a sweat working it down and had the hubby try his hand at rolling it out. But our ravioli still turned out pretty dense and doughy on the ends. Nonetheless, it’s a delicious recipe and so incredibly fresh that everything tasted okay (just really thick). We filled ours with spinach, basil, chopped pine nuts, garlic and Ricotta, parmesan and Romano cheeses, and made our own tomato, garlic and onion sauce. Also, in the instructions it doesn’t say anything about cook time – I boiled the raviolis for about 15 minutes (they were thick ravioli!) but I imagine for thinner dough the boil time would be less.
    Thanks for making me feel like a real chef in the kitchen :)

  5. Great article! I tried homemade tortellini YEARS ago with a rolling pin and the stretchiness of the dough made the task insurmountable. I’m sure resting the dough a bit does help, but I’m going to stick with my pasta roller.

    I don’t have a stand mixer, so I use my cuisinart to mix up the dough, and the pasta roller does an amazing job of “kneading” the dough. I typically do not enjoying cooking, but to watch the dough transform into a soft silkiness after pushing it through the pasta roller 10x is very satisfying.

    You’ve inspired me to try ravioli! I love the stuff…

    1. The pasta roller is a great tool, isn’t it? But it’s fun to think about making dough by hand, like our Italian ancestors did… just to try it once.

  6. Am I reading this wrong? Or does it say I use 9 oz of flour or 2 heaping cups? Wouldn’t that be 16oz? Am I missing something??

  7. Love this idea! No one in the house could decide whether they wanted pulled pork or ravioli tonight, so we’re borrowing your idea and making both. Thanks for writing this!!

  8. So I love to cook and probably should have been born Italian….I suddenly had a craving for homemade fried ravioli…this recipe just changed my culinary life….who knew it would be this easy……I make home made rolls bread sticks all the time…..by hand… thank you….i get so creative in the kitchen this will add to my culinary resume (prowess)

  9. Hi,

    i would like to make this in home more precise and quick so I wonder if you know some machine or mold to make this, or wherever I could get it.
    Your help will be highly appreciated.
    thanks
    kevin

    1. Kevin, although this post focuses on way to make ravioli without machines or molds, a number of options are available at specialty kitchen stores like Williams-Sonoma or Sur la Table, or on Amazon.

    1. The ravioli just need a few minutes of boiling time before they’re done, since they’re made from fresh pasta dough. Typically waiting to see them float is a good visual cue to determine doneness (this goes for frozen ravs and tortellini too!).

  10. Thanks for the technique. I also have been kind of hesitant to attempt ravioli. Tonight I am going for it!

  11. Thank you for posting this. I used your dough and made a turkey butternut squash filling, it turned out great for my first time attempt at a fresh pasta recipe! Yum!

  12. Love this and thank you very much to allow me to do this without electrical assistance. I do need my hand held a bit more…what are you doing for sauces or simple additions for finishing the dish? Your picture with the herbs, and parmesan(?) looks fantastic.

    1. Shelly, you could simply melt butter in a saucepan and then sprinkle chopped herbs like sage, parsley, or basil into the pot to make a very easy sauce. Garnish with Parmesan or Pecorino and you’re good to go! Or you can use your favorite tomato sauce, make pesto with your favorite herbs, or try this rich mushroom sauce recipe from The Kitchn. Play around and see what you like!

    1. Yes use leftover hamburger meat chop into small pieces put cheddar cheese with it. Use salt and pepper for flavor and presto it is done.

  13. how can I make beef raviolis without a blender or a handroller is it possible please help me want to know

  14. As an avid cook (from Switzerland) I just loved your Ravioli making method and forwarded this to my daughter in law in Rome Italy and she was equally exited.
    Please keep those fantastic tips coming – and for your second lovers: I made a shrimp/cream filling and not a morsel was left ! Thank you !!!

  15. I loved the simplicity of this!
    Beautiful silky ravioli with not a pasta maker in sight:-)
    I made a filling of fresh prawns diced with a few small garlic cloves and dill then a creamy sauce to top and it was absolutely magnificent.
    Thanks a bunch. Keep up the great work :-)

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