Pink Beetroot Cheese Ravioli for Valentine’s Day

Making homemade ravioli from scratch is so simple and delicious, dying it a natural pink color with beetroot makes it the perfect Valentine’s Dinner meal! 

This pink cheese ravioli recipe was inspired by a Valentine’s Day dinner I hosted for my daughter and her friends.  Nothing is more magical to little girls than all things pink and purple and hearts.  Well, at least for my little girl!  

This recipe combines earthy beetroot powder and my classic pasta recipe for the perfect pink color for any special occasion, but especially for Valentine’s Day dinner. No worries if you’re not a beet lover, my whole family agreed we couldn’t even taste the beets.

Check out my homemade egg pasta recipe here that can be used in any number of quick pasta recipes – once you start making delicious pasta from scratch, you won’t want to go back.  You can use this basic recipe to make any type of pasta – spaghetti, linguini, lasagna, and of course, fresh ravioli.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This easy recipe doesn’t require using fresh beets, cooked beetroot, or beet puree – just beetroot powder and a few simple ingredients!
• There’s no beet flavor so you can use this pink ravioli with any sauce or ravioli recipe and you can use any ravioli filling you like.  We made a ricotta/parmesan cheese filling and creamy shrimp sauce for our pink ravioli, which was delicious.  But any simple white wine sauce, alfredo sauce, or even a red sauce will do.

What you’ll need for this pink pasta recipe

RAVIOLI DOUGH INGREDIENTS

• 2 scant cups (230 grams) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (20 grams) beetroot powder
• 4 large eggs (200 grams)
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) salt
• 1 teaspoon (5 grams) extra virgin olive oil
• Additional flour for dusting

CHEESE FILLING INGREDIENTS

• ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded Italian cheese blend
• salt

TOOLS

• large mixing bowl & wooden spoon
• plastic wrap for pasta dough
• sharp knife or bench scraper
• pasta maker – I use an Atlas 150 pasta roller
• options for cutting and sealing the ravioli: pizza cutter and fork, crimped pasta wheel, or ravioli mold
• if you don’t want to make pasta by hand, a stand mixer with a dough hook or food processor can be used

Spend the day with me prepping some Valentine’s Day recipes including my favorite pasta with a pink twist!

Step-By-Step Instructions

Make the beetroot pasta dough

• Add the flour and beetroot powder to a large bowl and whisk to combine.
• Use the bottom of a measuring cup or the back of a spoon to make a well in the flour.
• Add the whole eggs, salt, and olive oil into the well. 
• whisk the egg mixture together with a fork or your fingers and then work into the flour.
• The dough will be shaggy when you first start mixing – keep mixing until it comes together into a ball.  If it’s too dry, add a little water.  If too wet, add an extra tablespoon of flour.  Pasta dough is very adaptable – just add what you need until you get the right consistency.  The dough should be easy to knead and not sticky.
• Once the dough has reached the right consistency, knead for about 5 minutes until smooth, it should be a very vibrant color.
• Shape the dough into a ball and wrap it with plastic wrap.  Then let the dough rest at room temperature for about 30 minutes.  I’ve forgotten about my dough and let it rest for much longer – it was just fine as long as its wrapped and not exposed to air.

Roll out the ravioli dough with a pasta machine

• Unwrap the dough and divide it into two equal pieces.  Re-wrap one of the pieces of dough until you’re ready to roll it out.  Homemade pasta dough begins to dry out quickly and then is very difficult to roll out. Keeping it wrapped is important to prevent it from drying.

• Use a rolling pin or the heel of your hand to flatten the half of the dough you’ll be rolling out.  It needs to be thin enough to fit through the pasta machine’s widest setting.
• Set the pasta machine to 0 and pass the dough through 2-3 times.  The dough will begin to stretch out into a long sheet with each pass through the roller.

• After 2-3 passes through on a 0, lay the sheet of dough on the counter and fold it in on itself lengthwise, and then widthwise to make a thin strip of dough. 
• Use a rolling pin to flatten the strip so it fits through the machine & then roll it through the machine on 0 one time.
• Adjust the machine to the 1 setting and pass the dough through 2 times.
• After the last pass on 1, fold the dough in half lengthwise.
• Roll the folded dough through the machine on 1, one more time.
• Adjust the machine to a 2 and then roll the sheet of dough through 2-3 times.  Repeat this process until you reach your desired thickness, 5 is standard for ravioli.

Cut, fill, & seal the ravioli

• Trim the ends of the sheet of pasta so each end is square, then divide the long pasta sheet in half.  One half will be the bottom layer of the ravioli and the other half will be the top layer.  
• Scoop a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling onto one of the sheets in two rows, about 3/4 inch apart if making square ravioli.  

• Then lay the other sheet over the top of the cheese filling, press the edges down all around the sheet to meet each other, then cut and seal with a crimped pasta cutting wheel or cut with a pizza cutter and seal the edges of each piece of ravioli with a fork.

• If making heart-shaped ravioli, cut out pieces with a heart-shaped cookie cutter and then place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling in the center of each heart.  Top with another heart-shaped piece of pasta and seal the edges with a fork.
• Cook the ravioli al dente immediately in a large pot of salted water and serve with a creamy cheese sauce or place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and freeze.

Storage

Fresh ravioli can be stored frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container.

FAQ

1. Do I need any special equipment to make homemade ravioli?
   • While not essential, having a pasta machine or pasta attachment on a stand mixer can make the process a lot easier. Using a crimped pasta wheel to cut and seal the ravioli or a ravioli mold makes the process much easier.
2. How long should I let the ravioli dough rest before rolling and filling it?
   • Allowing the dough to rest for around 30 minutes to an hour is recommended. This helps relax the gluten, making the dough easier to roll out and shape.
3. How long should I cook homemade ravioli?
   • Cook time may vary, but homemade pasta typically cooks faster than dried pasta. Fresh pasta generally cooks in just a few minutes. It’s important to taste the pasta for doneness, as the cooking time may differ based on thickness and shape.  Time also may vary when you’re using different pasta recipes.  For example, when making homemade lasagna, fresh lasagna sheets do not need to be pre-cooked at all, they will cook in the oven along with the assembled lasagna.

TIPS

Choose the right flour. All-purpose flour is commonly used for homemade pasta, but you can also experiment with different flours like semolina flour for different textures and flavors.

Measure ingredients accurately. Properly measuring the flour and eggs is important for achieving the right dough consistency. Use measuring cups or a kitchen scale for precise measurements.

Knead thoroughly. Kneading the dough for sufficient time is key to developing the gluten and achieving the best results. Knead until the dough is smooth, elastic, and no longer sticky – but still easy to handle and not dry or stiff.

Rest the dough. Allowing the dough to rest after kneading gives the gluten time to relax, resulting in a more pliable dough. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 30 minutes to an hour.

Dust with flour as needed. While rolling and cutting the pasta, dust the dough and work surface with flour to prevent sticking. However, use flour sparingly to avoid making the dough too dry.

Cook ravioli in well-salted water. For optimal flavor, cook the ravioli in a large pot of salted water. Cook the pasta al dente, meaning it is still slightly firm to the bite.

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