Homemade Wild Garlic and Ricotta Ravioli in Butter
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Wild garlic and ricotta ravioli is fresh egg pasta filled with drained ricotta, parmesan, and blanched wild garlic leaves, boiled for 3 to 4 minutes and tossed in browned butter. The filling turns a pale, grassy green once the wild garlic is chopped in, and the flavor sits somewhere between mild garlic and chives.
I make this in early spring when wild garlic carpets the woods near me, but a farmers market bunch works too. The leaves wilt fast once blanched, so you need more than you’d think, about 80 grams for the filling alone.
One thing that trips people up: skip draining the ricotta and the filling turns watery, which makes the ravioli split open in the pot. Fifteen minutes in a sieve fixes that.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Grassy, garlicky filling made from real foraged leaves
- Comes together in about 85 minutes start to finish
- Freezes well raw for a fast dinner later
- Butter sauce needs only three ingredients
Ingredient Notes
- 00 flour: Fine Italian pasta flour gives a smooth, tight dough. All-purpose flour works as a substitute but the texture is slightly less silky.
- Ricotta: Use whole-milk ricotta and drain it in a sieve for 15 minutes, otherwise the filling turns watery and ravioli split when boiled.
- Wild garlic: Foraged leaves (ramsons) with mild garlic-onion flavor, in season March through May. Swap in baby spinach plus 1 minced garlic clove if you can’t find it.
- Parmesan: Adds salt and depth to both the filling and the finishing sauce. Pecorino is a sharper, saltier substitute.
- Egg yolk: Binds the ricotta filling so it holds its shape once the ravioli hit boiling water.
- Nutmeg: A small pinch rounds out the ricotta’s richness. Fresh grated has more punch than pre-ground.
- Unsalted butter: Browns more evenly than salted and lets you control seasoning in the finished sauce.
Homemade Wild Garlic and Ricotta Ravioli in Butter
Ingredients
Method
- Mound the flour on a work surface, crack the eggs into the center, add salt, and whisk with a fork before drawing in flour from the edges.
- Knead 8 to 10 minutes until the dough is smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic and rest 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Blanch wild garlic leaves in boiling water for 30 seconds, then shock in ice water. Squeeze dry in a towel and chop finely.
- Mix ricotta, parmesan, chopped wild garlic, egg yolk, nutmeg, lemon zest, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth.
- Roll the dough into thin sheets, about 1mm thick, using a pasta machine or rolling pin, keeping unrolled dough covered.
- Spoon teaspoons of filling 4 cm apart on one sheet, brush water around each mound, top with a second sheet, and press out air. Cut into squares or rounds and seal edges firmly.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Cook ravioli in batches for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the edges feel tender, not gummy.
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat until it smells nutty, add sliced wild garlic, and cook 1 minute. Toss in the drained ravioli, plate, and top with parmesan and black pepper.
Notes
- Drain ricotta well or the filling turns watery and ravioli split during boiling.
- Rest pasta dough covered for 30 minutes before rolling, it relaxes and rolls thinner.
- Blanch wild garlic no more than 30 seconds, longer turns it dull and slightly bitter.
- Work with one dough sheet at a time and cover the rest so it doesn't dry out.
Tips for Success
- Drain ricotta in a sieve for 15 minutes before mixing, the same trick that keeps pan fried gnudi with sage butter from falling apart in the pan, so the filling holds its shape when boiled.
- Roll pasta dough to about 1mm thick, thin enough that you can see your fingers through it.
- Blanch wild garlic for 30 seconds only, then shock in ice water to keep the color bright green.
- Seal ravioli edges firmly with your fingers and press out trapped air to stop them from bursting.
- Cook ravioli in gently boiling, well-salted water, they’re done once they float and the edges feel tender.
Variations
- Swap half the ricotta for mascarpone for a richer, slightly tangy filling with a softer bite.
- Add crisp pancetta bits to the butter sauce for a smoky, salty contrast to the wild garlic.
- Use spelt flour for half the dough for a nuttier, more rustic pasta with more chew.
Storage and Reheating
Uncooked ravioli keep in the fridge for up to 1 day on a floured tray, covered loosely with a towel. To freeze, lay them flat on a sheet pan until solid, then transfer to a bag and freeze up to 2 months, cooking straight from frozen with an extra minute in the water.
Cooked leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days. Reheat gently in a skillet with a splash of butter or water, or dip briefly in boiling water for about 1 minute. Skip the microwave, it turns the pasta rubbery.
Serving Suggestions
Keep it simple with browned butter, extra parmesan, and a crack of black pepper, letting the wild garlic filling stay the focus.
A plain green salad with a sharp lemon dressing and warm crusty bread rounds out the plate. A dry white wine like Vermentino or Pinot Grigio cuts through the butter well.
For a heartier spring dinner, add sauteed asparagus or peas alongside, both work with the same grassy, garlicky flavor already in the filling.
FAQ
Why did my wild garlic and ricotta ravioli filling turn watery?
It’s almost always undrained ricotta or wild garlic that wasn’t squeezed dry after blanching. Both hold a lot of water. Drain ricotta in a sieve for 15 minutes and squeeze the blanched leaves in a clean towel before chopping, otherwise the filling leaks and the ravioli split open in the pot.
Can I use spinach instead of wild garlic in this ravioli?
Yes, spinach works as a substitute when wild garlic isn’t in season. Blanch and squeeze it dry the same way, then stir in one small minced garlic clove to replace the flavor you’d lose. The filling won’t taste quite the same but the texture stays close.
Can I freeze wild garlic ricotta ravioli before cooking?
Yes, freeze them raw on a flat sheet pan until solid, then move to a freezer bag for up to 2 months. Cook straight from frozen in boiling water, adding about 1 extra minute so the filling heats through and the pasta cooks evenly.
What goes well with wild garlic and ricotta ravioli?
A simple green salad with lemon dressing, crusty bread, and a dry white wine like Vermentino work well alongside this ravioli. Sauteed asparagus or peas make it a fuller spring dinner without competing with the wild garlic flavor already in the filling.
Is wild garlic and ricotta ravioli vegetarian?
Yes, this ravioli is vegetarian since the dough uses eggs and flour and the filling is ricotta, parmesan, and wild garlic leaves with no meat or fish. It’s not vegan, though, due to the eggs, ricotta, and parmesan in both the pasta and filling.
What’s the difference between wild garlic and regular garlic in this filling?
Wild garlic is a leafy green with a milder, more onion-like flavor than the roasted garlic cloves used in garlic confit roasted chicken, closer to chives with a garlic edge. You use whole blanched leaves chopped into the filling rather than a paste, so the texture and color end up completely different from a garlic-clove version.
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John
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