Ravioli in the UK: what it is, how to order it, where to find it
Quick answer
Ravioli are squares or rounds of fresh pasta enclosing a filling, most often ricotta and spinach, or meat, or pumpkin. They are the best known of the stuffed pastas, and the fresh, made-in-house version is a different thing from the dried supermarket kind. A good plate of ravioli is dressed lightly so the filling and the thin pasta lead.
Calories and nutrition
- Calories
- 480
- Protein
- 20 g
- Carbs
- 48 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Salt
- 1.6 g
380–600 kcal
Portion: One portion, about 220 g.
A meat filling is higher in protein and fat; a butter sauce adds richness.
Estimates for a typical portion, based on standard UK and USDA food composition data. Actual values depend on the recipe and the restaurant.
What ravioli are
Two thin sheets of egg pasta with a filling piped between them, sealed and cut into squares or half-moons (when folded from one sheet they are agnolotti or mezzelune). The classic fillings are ricotta and spinach, dressed with butter and sage or a light tomato; meat, for a richer plate; and pumpkin (zucca), a speciality of Mantua, sweet and served with butter and amaretti. The pasta should be rolled thin enough to see the filling through it. Fresh ravioli are cooked in three or four minutes and served with a restrained sauce.
How to judge them
The pasta should be thin and tender, the filling generous and clearly flavoured, and the sauce light enough not to bury either. Thick, doughy ravioli with a mean filling are the mark of an industrial product. House-made ravioli are worth seeking and worth paying for; ask whether the pasta is made on the premises. Butter and sage is the dressing that shows good ravioli off best.
The stuffed-pasta family
Tortellini are small rings, traditionally filled with pork and Parmesan and served in broth (in brodo) in Emilia-Romagna. Cappelletti are similar. Agnolotti are folded, a Piedmontese speciality. Ravioli is the general term most UK menus use. A restaurant that makes any of these fresh is a serious Italian kitchen.
Where it is done well in the UK
Look for trattorie that make their pasta fresh, especially those from Emilia-Romagna, Italy's pasta heartland. Our directory lists areas with the most Italian restaurants.
How to order it
Order ravioli where the pasta is made fresh in house; ask if unsure. Ricotta and spinach with butter and sage is the safe classic; pumpkin is worth trying in autumn. A light sauce is correct; a heavy one buries the filling.
Where it's done well
UK councils with the most ravioli specialists, by restaurant name, in our directory.
Restaurants near you
Search by postcode or use your location to find restaurants likely to serve ravioli near you.
Make it at home
Serves 4 · 75 min
Ingredients
- for the pasta: 200 g '00' flour, 2 eggs
- for the filling: 250 g ricotta, 150 g cooked spinach squeezed dry, 40 g Parmesan, nutmeg, salt
- to serve: 60 g butter, sage, Parmesan
Method
- Make a pasta dough from the flour and eggs, knead for ten minutes, wrap and rest for 30 minutes.
- Mix the ricotta, chopped spinach, Parmesan, nutmeg and salt.
- Roll the dough thin in sheets. Pipe small mounds of filling at intervals on one sheet, brush around them with water, lay a second sheet on top and press out the air, then cut into squares.
- Boil in salted water for three to four minutes until they float.
- Toss gently with foaming butter and sage, and Parmesan.
Roll the pasta as thin as you can and press out all the air around the filling so they do not burst. Do not overfill.