Love Italian Food? Make Wonton Ravioli On The Cheap

I love making ravioli. They are easy, inexpensive, and can be pretty quick. My trick (and don’t tell my Italian mother-in-law!), is to use wonton skins.

Assembling The Ravioli

Ravioli can be stuffed with just about anything. The important thing to remember is that the stuffing should be cooked fully before being sealed into the pasta, as the actual cooking time for the dumplings is minimal. Once you have your mis en place together, brush the edges of a wonton skin with water or a lightly beaten egg. Put a scoop of filling in the middle, and either fold the skin in half to make a half moon, or put a second wonton skin over the first to make a full moon. Seal the edges with a fork or your fingers. The key to successful ravioli: Don’t overstuff the dumpling.

Cooking Is Lickety Split

Since the filling is already cooked, it takes about three minutes to cook your version of the moon. Options include sliding the dumplings into boiling water, steaming them, or pan-frying these nuggets. Regardless of your cooking method, treat these treats gently.

Dressing For The Meal

Ravioli is certainly delicious as is, but you can heat up some tomato sauce, make a butter sauce, top with a meat sauce—or with sautéed greens or mushrooms. When in doubt, a sprinkling of parmesan cheese adds simple elegance.

Storing Your Pillows

To store the ravioli for a couple of days in the fridge, arrange them in a single layer on a cookie sheet that has been dusted with corn meal. If longer term storage is desired, put that same cookie sheet into the freezer and once the pasta has frozen, transfer into a zip-lock bag. As you seal the bag, suck any additional air from it.

For my favorite ravioli recipes (starting with a basic cheese and adding in extra ingredients), click through our slide show!

View Slide Show

Tell us in the comments: Have you ever tried (or made!) homemade ravioli or pasta?