Ripieno di Ricotta

My mother would make this filling for ravioli, but you can also use it for stuffed shells, manicotti, or lasagne. The one change I’ve made to her recipe is the addition of grated whole nutmeg in 1992, as suggested by Wendy.

The ricotta filling in Italy typically includes spinach. I like this one more because the ricotta stands out more. I have also seen this one in Italy, but typically with Parmigiano-Reggiano (and more salt) rather than pecorino, also shown below, and I use that version for tortelloni and sfoglia lorda.

I always make my own ricotta. This is actually the biggest change. It’s surprisingly easy (20 minutes) and makes a huge difference in flavor.

Note: when making ravioli, this recipe is the amount of filling needed for the pasta all'uovo with 500g total flour. When I make ravioli, I normally triple both of these recipes, so 6 lbs of ricotta here and 1500g total flour there. When making tortelloni, I use half this recipe for 500g total flour, so it really depends on what kind of pasta you are making.

DEFAULT version with pecorino:

2 lbs (908 g) whole-milk ricotta (in order of preference: freshly made, then Calabro brand, then Polly-O brand)

3 (168 g) large eggs

1 cup (120 g) grated Pecorino Romano cheese

5 Tbl chopped curly parsley (no stems)

1/3 tsp (2 g) salt

½ whole nutmeg, grated finely

 

ALTERNATE version with Parmigiano-Reggiano:

2 lbs (908 g) whole-milk ricotta (in order of preference: freshly made, then Calabro brand, then Polly-O brand)

3 (168 g) large eggs

1 cup (120 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

5 Tbl chopped curly parsley (no stems)

2/3 tsp (4 g) salt (note that this doubled because parmigiano is less salty)

½ whole nutmeg, grated finely

 

1.     In a large bowl or pot (I use a 12-quart pot), thoroughly mix all ingredients. If you use a food processor to chop the parsley, I recommend using very short pulses to avoid over-chopping it.

2.     Cover and refrigerate until needed. When you do use it for ravioli, spoon out only enough to fill a cereal bowl at a time, leaving the rest to chill in the fridge.