What Sauces To Serve With Spinach Ravioli

When served with any number of sauces, spinach ravioli becomes an even more exquisite pasta dish. The question is, what sauces go best with spinach ravioli? Cream sauce enriched with melted Parmesan cheese is a traditional accompaniment to ravioli. Creamy tomato sauce flavored with chicken broth is another delicious option. Serve it with some fresh herbs or a traditional alfredo sauce if you want to keep things basic. Find out how to serve this Italian staple and the best sauces you can make in less than 15 minutes by reading on!

How To Make Spinach Ravioli

Although making spinach ravioli at home may seem like a difficult task, it is actually very simple and enjoyable! Although you can choose to use store-bought ravioli, we advise making your own if you want ravioli with an incredible flavor that can easily compete with that of a restaurant. Because most of the sauces on our list call for pasta water, making fresh ravioli at home is another reason to do so. So let’s seize this chance to the fullest!

You must first prepare the spinach filling before you can proceed. We’ll be using a filling that’s been infused with pine nuts to give it a rich flavor that goes well with just about any ravioli sauce!

Ingredients

1 oz pine nuts
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp butter
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 handfuls of spinach leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
A pinch of fresh nutmeg powder
1 cup ricotta cheese
A pinch of fresh lemon zest
¼ cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Fresh lasagna sheets
1 egg, for egg wash
1 tsp liquid of choice (ex. water, cream, or milk), for egg wash

Instructions

To extract the moisture, toast the pine nuts with a pinch of salt. Roast until the potatoes are golden brown. Set aside after processing in a blender or food processor.
Add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and the minced garlic to the same pan. Cook the garlic in the butter until golden brown.
Season the spinach leaves with salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly before adding the nutmeg powder.
Remove the spinach from the pan and place it on a cutting board once the majority of the water has evaporated.
Finely mince the spinach with a knife, then pat it dry with a paper towel to remove any excess moisture.
In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, lemon zest, and (our favorite) freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Mix well, then add the minced spinach and toasted pine nuts. Mix thoroughly, then taste the filling to adjust the flavor.
Make sure the ravioli filling isn’t too runny, chunky, or dry. The consistency should be that of a thick paste.
Roll out a long sheet of fresh lasagna — you can buy them or make your own using any recipe you like. Cut the sheet’s corners to create a perfect rectangular shape.
Divide the pasta sheet into sections visually and drop 1-2 tablespoons of the prepared filling on the sheet, evenly spacing the fillings.
Fold the pasta sheet over the fillings to form an envelope, then seal with a light egg wash.
Cut the pasta sheet into equal squares, one for each filling. Voila! You have made fresh spinach ravioli successfully.
Boil the ravioli in a pot with a pinch of salt and water. Cook until the ravioli floats to the surface, indicating that the pasta is cooked.
Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside to keep warm while you make the sauce. Save the leftover water to use in your favorite sauce recipe.

Best Sauces For Spinach Ravioli

Now that we know how to make spinach ravioli at home, here are our top sauce recommendations to pair with this delicious dish, plus how to make them!

1. Classic Ravioli Red Sauce

Try this mouthwatering red sauce for ravioli made with fresh herbs, chicken broth, and tomato paste! This sauce is superior to white sauces and works best with spinach ravioli.

Add butter and garlic to a pot. until golden brown, sauté.
Add 2 tsp of flour, 1 tbsp of tomato paste, as well as 1/2 tsp of each dried basil, dried oregano, and dried onion powder. Add a dash of mustard powder on top and combine well.
Add 1 tablespoon of pasta water, stir well, and then drizzle in chicken broth. Continue mixing to ensure that there are no lumps. Once the sauce is the proper consistency, add 1 tbsp more chicken broth at a time.
Add a little milk, then continue cooking the mixture until it thickens up once more. Add 2 tbsp of cream cheese and 2 tbsp of green chili-flavored Rotel at this point.
After adding parmesan cheese to finish thickening the sauce, warm the spinach ravioli.
Red chili flakes and parsley chopped for garnish. Enjoy!

2. Classic White Sauce

Keep it traditional and simple by making a tasty white sauce in less than 10 minutes. This sauce will provide a familiar flavor and will round out the spinach ravioli’s flavor.

Melt some butter in a pan. Once melted, add 1-2 minced garlic cloves and sauté for a minute or two.
2 teaspoon flour (or cornstarch). Combine the flour, butter, garlic, and a little of the reserved pasta water in a mixing bowl.
Continue to mix the flour into the pasta water until all lumps are gone. If the water starts to evaporate, add a little more until you have a smooth, thick paste.
Add 12 cup whole milk (you can also use skim milk), then reduce until the mixture is smooth and slightly thick.
12 teaspoon pepper, 12 teaspoon dried oregano, and salt to taste Combine thoroughly.
Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce, then top with 12 cup cream. Gently fold the pasta into the sauce and cook until the sauce reaches the desired consistency.
Enjoy with chopped parsley (optional).

3. Simple Italian Seasoning Sauce

Want to start eating the ravioli right away? Then you should look into this incredibly easy and delectable recipe, which uses no fancy ingredients but will greatly enhance the flavor of the spinach ravioli.

You can also use a dash of an Italian seasoning spice blend if you have one. Melt butter in a pan and add a sprinkle of dried thyme, oregano, basil, and sage.
About 30 seconds after mixing and cooking, add a little pasta water.
Add freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to the sauce to thicken it, then continue cooking.
Add the ravioli to the pan and cook for a few seconds.
Add a little extra freshly grated cheese as a garnish. Voila!

4. Sun-Dried Tomato Pesto

To enjoy a dish on par with restaurants, prepare this 5-minute ravioli sauce at home.

Any brand of sun-dried tomato pesto and two minced garlic cloves should be added to a medium-heated pan. For about 1-2 minutes, cook.
12 cup of cream and three to four slices of basil are added. Give the mixture another one or two minutes to simmer.
To make the sauce a bit looser, add a little of the pasta water that was saved, and then gradually reduce it until it is the right consistency.
Add the cooked spinach ravioli and season with salt and pepper to taste. If you feel the sauce is too dry, you can also add a little more pasta water.
Enjoy with a parmesan cheese garnish!

5. Creamy Tomato Ravioli Sauce

We adore this traditional ravioli sauce with a strong tomato base and lots of umami. If you want to impress someone, this sauce goes fantastically with spinach ravioli!

One finely diced onion should be added to a pan after a drizzle of olive oil. Cook the chopped onions until they are soft.
Cook for about 30 seconds after adding a couple of minced garlic cloves. In order to prevent the garlic from burning on one side, stir constantly.
Add a few slices of red bell pepper after that. For about a minute, stir and cook.
Add two tablespoons of Italian seasoning, a pinch of salt, a few chili flakes, and some black pepper. Mix thoroughly, then cook for about a minute.
Add 2 tablespoons of tomato puree, then thin it out with a little white wine (optional). Cook the mixture for a couple of minutes to slightly reduce it.
Add 2/3 cup of the roasted cherry tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chicken stock, and 1/3 cup of cream.
Add a splash of pasta water to the top, then simmer until the desired consistency is reached. Add the ravioli and toss the pasta and sauce together gently.
Add some freshly chopped spinach and grated Parmigiano-Reggiano as a garnish. Take the sauce off the heat once the cheese has melted and the spinach has wilted.
Enjoy! Add freshly chopped parsley to your dish.