Mushroom, Arugula and Spinach Ravioli in a Parmesan "Cream" Sauce

Tonight I tried my hand at making ravioli for the first time! And right off the bat I'll tell you- I didn't make the pasta. I know I know... I bring shame to my Italian family. But trust me, these were enough work even with the pre-made pasta. So if you've got some time to kill, or a couple midterms you want to avoid studying for (points to self) give these a go!

As for the recipe, I adapted recipes from Cooking Light Magazine and Giada De Laurentiis to sort of create my own. So many ravioli recipes call for heavy cream in the sauces, which pains me to use in any of my cooking since it's basically obesity in a bottle. So I tried to lighten things up with a faux-cream sauce, and it turned out just as tasty as the real thing!

the ingredients

Things you'll need:

For the sauce:

• 1 cup low-fat milk
• 2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons of Spinach/Mushroom mixture
• salt and pepper to taste

**You'll make the spinach/mushroom mixture for the raviolis, but save a bit for the sauce. It adds a nice touch.

For the Ravioli:

• 1 package wonton wrappers
• 1 package fresh spinach
• 1 package fresh arugula
• 8 oz baby portobello mushrooms
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg, beaten with 1/2 tsp water
• olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste

What to do:

 

For the Ravioli:

In a large skillet, sauté the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat for about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add in the arugula and spinach, cover with a lid, and allow the greens to wilt. Once wilted, add the mushroom/greens mixture to a food processor and pulse until a course mixture is formed. If you don't have a food processor, a blender should work just fine.

The mushrooms and greens are ready for the food processor when they look something like this.

Empty the mixture from the food processor into a medium bowl, and combine with the ricotta and the grated Parmesan. Mix thoroughly and set aside until you are ready to fill your raviolis.

Ravioli filling

Now you are ready to fill your raviolis! Lay out wonton wrappers on a plate/surface and brush each one of them with the egg wash. Using a tablespoon, spoon a scoop of the mushroom/greens mixture into the middle of each wonton wrapper. Save about 2 tablespoons of your mixture, you'll need it for the sauce.

Next, place another wrapper on top of each open ravioli. Make sure no air bubbles are in your raviolis- this will cause problems later (trust me!). 

Seal the edges of the ravioli with a fork, and place them on a floured baking sheet. Cover with a towel so they don't dry out. 

In a large pot, boil the raviolis (3-4 at a time) for 2-3 minutes. Remove from pot with a slotted spoon. Repeat the process until all your raviolis are done, and then add the sauce to them!

To make the sauce, heat the milk and the flour over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat, and add the Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper, and remaining spinach/greens mixture. Stir, and add to ravioli. Garnish ravioli with some chopped arugula and additional grated Parmesan cheese.

Final Product!