Spinach ravioli with feta cheese and yogurt. If you love homemade fresh pasta as much as I do, then this is a recipe you shouldn’t ignore.
Do you like Greek spinachrice (a.k.a. spanakoruzo)? I do! The Greek spinach-rice is a recipe based on sauteed spinach, rice and dill. When served is almost obligatory to accompany it with some feta cheese.
My spinach ravioli with feta cheese and yogurt recipe is based on this Greek staple dish. I decided to incorporate spinach into the pasta dough, and to fill my ravioli with some feta, yogurt and fresh dill.
Ravioli dough
One of the things I love in cooking is the fact that I can make anything I want from scratch. So for me, making my own pasta dough is a pure pleasure. Sometimes even psychotherapy.
I am fascinated by the fact that I can incorporate into a pasta dough so many delicate and tasteful ingredients. So, during winter I couldn’t leave the spinach unused.
In order to incorporate spinach into the dough, it had to be softened first. I didn’t choose to boil it because I didn’t want any unnecessary extra humidity. So, by using coarse salt, I shredded the leaves together and got the result I wanted. Spinach extract its juices and its leaves were soft enough.
Tips for making ravioli
In previous posts (homemade Cuttlefish Ink Pasta and Homemade fresh garganelli pasta) I have mentioned some tips about making fresh pasta. Let’s remind them again.
The ingredients
- The flour: Good pasta stands out from its texture. Right texture can be achieved through fine semolina (or semola flour), do not use only flour. In the recipes that I have made I add put fine semolina and 00 type flour in a ratio of 1:2, or 2+. There are recipes that contain only semola flour, but I have not tried so I have no opinion.
- Moisture: Moisture in pasta dough comes from eggs, olive oil, water, cuttlefish ink or even pulp of ground vegetables such as spinach. Whatever lectures you choose, keep in mind the following rule: measure the amount of flours and add 30% liquids and 1% salt. Also, have in mind the temperature of the liquids, not hot or cold. Keep them at room temperature. While, they should be added slowly to the flour mixture.
Kneading & Resting
- Kneading: Whether you choose kneading by hand or by using the mixer, remember one thing: the dough will never be a nice smooth dough, it will have something some crumbs. You have to result in a smooth and elastic dough. In order to test the dough, press it with your finger, if it bounces back it is ok.
- Resting: Like any dough, pasta dough needs rest. Resting allows the flour to hydrate, so the dough becomes smoother and more workable. The dough should rest for at least 30 minutes, ideally for an hour. You can also put it in the refrigerator for one night, just before using it, leave it out of the refrigerator for 30 minutes to come to room temperature before rolling.
Rolling & boiling
- Rolling: After resting, the dough is elastic and ready for shaping. I use a classic pasta cutter for transforming my pasta dough into fettuccine, spaghetti or even ravioli. But you can do it by using a very sharp knife. Cut sheets of pasta in many ways without any particular shape. Strips, noodles, or fold the sheet over and cut to make rounds to form tagliatelle.
- Boiling: You should add enough salt in the boiling water, because the pasta will be a short time in it. Two or three minutes of boiling. How much salt? If you try the water and think you drink sea water then it’s ok.
Spinach ravioli with feta cheese and yogurt
Ingredients
For the dough
- 100 gr fresh spinach
- 3/4 tbsp coarse salt
- 1 1/2 cup 00 flour
- 2/3 cup fine semolina
- 2 eggs
For the filling
- 400 gr strained yogurt
- 250 gr feta cheese
- 50 gr grated Parmesan
- 4 tsp finely chopped dill
- freshly ground pepper
- zest from one lemon
For serving
- extra virgin olive oil
- grated Parmesan
Instructions
- In a bowl add the spinach and the coarse salt. Rub the leaves of the spinach until extracting its liquids.
- Separate the leaves from the liquid. By using a blender or a knife, finely chop the leaves until making pasta. Add some of spinach liquid.
- Mix the flour with the semolina and add the eggs. Stir with the help of a fork.
- Add the spinach pasta and stir. Use your hands if needed.
- Add the spinach liquids to the mixture gradually. Be careful because you may not need to add the whole quantity, it depends on the flour.
- Knead for 5 minutes or until dough can be uniform when squeezed. If the dough looks particularly tough, add a teaspoon or two of spinach liquid.
- Wrap the dough with a bee wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- By using pasta cutter or a sharp knife cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Press and flatten one piece of dough in order to be able to come through the rollers of a pasta machine. Dust the rollers with some flour and feed the dough through them. After rolling, dust of excess flour and then fold the rolled dough into thirds. Lightly dust with more flour as needed, then feed the dough through the rollers again. Repeat this rolling and folding process once or twice more until the dough is smooth. Once smooth, stop folding and start increasing the roller settings one at a time until the desired thinness is achieved.
- Add a teaspoon of the filling on top of each sheet, leaving a distance around 3-4cm and cut into even pieces. Wrap the ravioli and stick together the edges. If it is hard to seal them use some drops of water. Press with your fingers to thin the surface of the two sheets, until they are as thin as the sole of the ravioli. This will help ravioli to evenly boil. Be careful not to trap air in the ravioli. If there is air press from the folded point outward to remove excess air.
- In a large pot add enough water and bring it boil. Add 2 tbsp. of salt and then carefully add the ravioli. Boil for 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully remove the boiled ravioli and serve them on the plate. Add extra virgin olive oil
and freshly ground parmesan.
I would be over the moon if you make my spinach ravioli with feta cheese and yogurt recipe. It’s a recipe that will lead you to a super delicious dish that will not disappoint you. Just remember to follow my tips on how to make fresh pasta.
Will you make my recipe? Just let me know either on Instagram, or Facebook or Twitter!
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