Easy Cheesy Ravioli

Easy Cheesy Ravioli (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

2 pkg.  (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli or tortellini

1  red pepper, chopped

1 tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup  frozen peas

1 cup  shredded Italian cheese

Directions

1.)    Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2.)    Cook and stir peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved water, cream cheese spread and peas; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and peas are heated through.

3.)    Add pasta; stir to evenly coat. If sauce is too thick, thin with remaining reserved cooking water. Top with shredded cheese.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but wanted to include the basic information here.  First, I used tortellini instead of ravioli because it was lower in calories and sodium!  I could not find the low fat version of the cream cheese spread, but if your local store has it, go for it.  I used fresh instead of frozen peas because we had them in our CSA bag.  I followed the directions as above, but should have thrown in the fresh peas with the red pepper.  As is, they are quite crunchy (a little too much).  I also did not use the shredded cheese, I don’t feel that the dish really needed it.

Now, on to the taste of the dish.  I thought it was OK, but I didn’t love it.  I did add in some chopped garlic greens in the leftovers and that has really helped the flavor!  My husband liked it as is, so I guess it all depends on your preference for cream cheese (by the way, he also did not add extra cheese, which is a big deal!).  I recommend adding some pepper or garlic if you make this recipe.  If I make it again, I might try one of the other flavored cream cheese, just to see if that works a bit better.

Easy Cheesy Ravioli

Easy Cheesy Ravioli (slightly adapted from Kraft Recipes, Total Time: 25 minutes, Servings: 6)

Ingredients

2 pkg.  (9 oz. each) refrigerated cheese ravioli or tortellini

1  red pepper, chopped

1 tub  (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Chive & Onion Cream Cheese Spread

1 cup  frozen peas

1 cup  shredded Italian cheese

Directions

1.)    Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water.

2.)    Cook and stir peppers in large nonstick skillet on medium heat 5 min. or until crisp-tender. Add 3/4 cup of the reserved water, cream cheese spread and peas; cook and stir 2 to 3 min. or until cream cheese is melted and peas are heated through.

3.)    Add pasta; stir to evenly coat. If sauce is too thick, thin with remaining reserved cooking water. Top with shredded cheese.

I made a few adjustments to the recipe, but wanted to include the basic information here.  First, I used tortellini instead of ravioli because it was lower in calories and sodium!  I could not find the low fat version of the cream cheese spread, but if your local store has it, go for it.  I used fresh instead of frozen peas because we had them in our CSA bag.  I followed the directions as above, but should have thrown in the fresh peas with the red pepper.  As is, they are quite crunchy (a little too much).  I also did not use the shredded cheese, I don’t feel that the dish really needed it.

Now, on to the taste of the dish.  I thought it was OK, but I didn’t love it.  I did add in some chopped garlic greens in the leftovers and that has really helped the flavor!  My husband liked it as is, so I guess it all depends on your preference for cream cheese (by the way, he also did not add extra cheese, which is a big deal!).  I recommend adding some pepper or garlic if you make this recipe.  If I make it again, I might try one of the other flavored cream cheese, just to see if that works a bit better.

Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli with Chive Butter Sauce

Mushroom & Spinach Ravioli with Chive Butter Sauce (from AllRecipes, 6 servings, 2.5 hours)

Ingredients

Ravioli

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 ½ Tbsp. water, or more if needed
• 2 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour, or more if needed
• ¼ tsp. salt

Filling

• 1 tsp. olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ½ cup chopped onion
• 1 (8 oz.) package fresh mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• ½ cup mozzarella cheese
• ½ cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh chives
• 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley (I used ¼ tsp. dried parsley)
• ½ tsp. ground cayenne pepper
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 egg white, beaten

Sauce

• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. Whisk together olive oil, water, and whole eggs in a bowl until evenly blended; set aside.
2. Combine flour and salt in a separate large bowl, and make a well in the center. Pour the egg mixture into the well and stir just until combined.
3. Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth, 5-10 minutes, adding more flour or water as needed. Wrap dough tightly with plastic wrap, and set aside to rest.
4. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic and onion; cook and stir until the onion begins to soften, about 2 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms, and continue cooking and stirring until the vegetables are soft and the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.
6. Beat cream cheese in a bowl until smooth. Stir in the cooled mushroom mixture, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, spinach, chives, parsley, and cayenne pepper. Season with salt and pepper.
7. Using a pasta roller, roll pasta sheets to 1/16 inch. Cut 3- to 4-inch circles using a large cookie or biscuit cutter.  Working with one circle at a time, brush the pasta lightly with the egg white. Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoon full of the mushroom filling onto the center of the pasta, then cover with a second piece of pasta, pinching the edges to seal. Place the finished ravioli on a floured baking sheet, and repeat the process with the remaining pasta and filling. Do not stack the ravioli, they will stick together.
8. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ravioli and return to a boil. Cook until the pasta floats to the top, 3-4 minutes; drain.
9. To make sauce: Melt butter in a skillet over high heat, cooking and stirring until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Allow butter to cool slightly, then stir in chives. Serve over hot ravioli.

I was feeling quite ambitious when I made this dish, which is good because it is a bit more work than I am used to, but the end product is worth it.  My husband and I both loved this dish!  The dough was easy to work with and had a slightly chewy texture after it was cooked.  The brown butter sauce adhered nicely to the pasta.  The filling was creamy and cheesy, but the veggies add some color to it, which is pleasing to the eye.  I did have some filling leftover because I only had about ½ Tbsp. in the first few raviolis – I didn’t want to overfill them and then have the cheese mixture seeping out the sides.  If you fill them just right, each bite has a great taste of pasta, cheese, and brown butter!

I have never made brown butter sauce before, so I was a little nervous about burning it, luckily, didn’t burn the sauce, but I did fry the chives.  Be sure that you let the butter cool prior to adding the chives. 

Toscana – Wilmington, DE

To begin the meal, we ordered crepes, stuffed with cheese, and served in a cream sauce.  I kind of wish I had ordered it as my meal because it was beyond delicious.  The crepes were soft and creamy – wrapped around a pillow of cheese and sitting in a delectable cream.  My mouth is watering now just thinking about it!

In an effort to enjoy the warm weather, my husband I decided to sit outside at Toscana.  It’s not the best outside eating area, but the food more than makes up for that!  There are a number of vegetarian items on the menu, which makes for a difficult choice, but also means that I can go back for more delicious experiences!

I continued my culinary journey with the House Green salad – local lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and roasted shallot vinaigrette.  Pretty good taste, but has paled in my mind because of the wonderful appetizer.


As my entrée, I had the Triangoli – triangle shaped ravioli filled with robiola and ricotta.  Atop the pasta was Reggiano Cream, sweet corn, and Kennett mushrooms.  Very tasty, soft and bursting with cheese.  The corn and mushrooms were a nice touch.


We ended our meal with a Trio of Chocolate dessert – mousse, mini cake (with hazelnut), and another chocolate cake (I don’t really remember that one because my husband ate it!).  The mousse and the hazelnut cake were very rich and very chocolaty.  Good!

Trader Joe’s Arugula & Parmigiano Reggiano Ravioli w/ Tomato-Cream Sauce

Yum, yum!  

I saw the ravioli at Trader Joe’s and liked the sound of it – something different, not your usual cheese ravioli.  I didn’t want to do a plain tomato sauce with it, so I tried out a new recipe (http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Tomato-Cream-Sauce-for-Pasta/Detail.aspx).  I had concerns that the Tomato-Cream sauce wouldn't taste good with the ravioli, so I kept them separate until they were on the plate together.  It tasted really good!  

I used less onion in the sauce (probably about 1/2) and used light cream instead of heavy.  I liked the flavor, but I will leave it on the burner for a shorter period of time or use more cream next go around – it wasn't as creamy as I like my cream-based sauces.  (That’s OK though!)  It made three servings – perfect for me, the fiancée, and the next day’s lunch!