Ravioli Fillings: 5 Italian Classics

5 super easy Italian Classic Ravioli Fillings recipes, to make your homemade ravioli as a real Italian housewife would do!

This post may contain affiliate links, which means that as an Amazon Associate I receive a profit from eligible purchases. There is no additional cost to you. Please read my disclosure for more info.

From the north to the south of Italy, ravioli pasta, you know, makes everyone happy! And in fact, it is no coincidence that Ravioli represent one of the most popular made in Italy pasta, all around the world.

Those who follow us have certainly already seen that some time ago we published a step-by-step guide on How to make Ravioli at home.

For this reason, we refer you to our post you will find step by step the directions to make an excellent pasta for ravioli by hand.

But, in our short guide, we have voluntarily left aside the ravioli fillings chapter.

Wonder why we left the Ravioli Fillings chapter apart?

The main reason, to answer this question is because the fillings for ravioli is a whole different story.

At first, as you will see below, in Italy each area has its own traditional recipes. In fact, all kinds of stuffed pasta mostly reflect the regions of northern Italy. So, in places like Piedmont or in the mountains of the Alps there have been exceptional recipes for centuries.

Then, there are the seaside regions – like Sicily and Liguria, where women have always enriched their recipes with what is caught in the sea.

In addition, every family has evergreens recipes that everyone loves and that they use to make on Sundays or in Festive lunches with relatives and friends.

So here is our top 5 recipes for Ravioli Fillings

1. Piedmontese Ravioli with cheese and ricotta
2. Traditional Ravioli filled with Ricotta and Spinach
3. Ravioli Mantovani with pumpkin and amaretto
4. Sicilian ravioli stuffed with fish and potatoes
5. Casunzei Ampezzani stuffed with beetroot

1. Piedmontese ravioli with Castelmagno cheese

For this recipe you will need:

• 200 g Castelmagno cheese
• 50 ml milk
• 100 g Ricotta cheese
• 50 g Parmigiano Reggiano
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 pinch of salt

This typical recipe requires Castelmagno cheese, which is a crumbly cheese with some blue-green veins and a delicate taste. Anyway, it may be hard to find this overseas. A few valid Substitutions are Fiore Sardo Italian Cheese, Aged Provolone Cheese, Sottocenere Truffled Cheese, or Moliterno Italian Cheese.

Cut the cheese into small pieces and place it in a saucepan dipped in milk. Melt the cheese in the milk on the low heat stove. Remove from the heat and add the ricotta and the parmigiano. Then, separate the yolks from the eggs and add them to the dough. Add a pinch of salt and leave to cool for at least 20 minutes in the fridge.

The cooking time for Piedmontese Ravioli with Castelmagno cheese is about 4 minutes from boiling. This recipe is exceptional when served with White Truffle Butter!

2. Ravioli with Ricotta & Spinach

Probably, this filling is perhaps the most classic of Sunday lunches throughout Italy.
Preparing the ricotta and spinach ravioli is really quick and easy. In addition, it is very easy to customize, using the vegetables you love most.

Ingredients:

• 250 g boiled spinach
• 200 g cow’s milk ricotta
• 100 g Parmigiano o grana padano
• 1 pinch of salt
• nutmeg (optional)

Once you have boiled the spinach in salted water, drain and let it cool. When they are cold, squeeze them to remove the water. Meanwhile, pour the ricotta with the Parmigiano cheese, salt and nutmeg into a bowl.

Finely chop the spinach with a knife, or blend them with an immersion blender. Add the spinach to the mixture and stir to combine. Let it rest for at least 20 minutes in the fridge. If the dough is too soft, you can agglomerate with another dose of Parmigiano or breadcrumbs.

Take it out of the fridge and use the dough to stuff your ravioli.
Cooking time for the Ricotta & Spinach Ravioli is about 2 minutes from boiling. Best if served with a light basil and tomato dip!

3. Ravioli alla Mantovana with Pumpkin and Amaretto

The specialty of this recipe lies in the combination of pumpkin with amaretto, the typical Saronno biscuit.

To create this autumn filling you need:

• 500 g Pumpkin Pulp
• 250 g of Parmigiano Reggiano or Grana Padano
• 100 g of Amaretti
• 2 tablespoons of mustard
• 2 pinches of sale
• nutmeg

Cut the pumpkin into large pieces and bake it in the oven for 10 minutes at 160 ° C. It can also be steamed but the original cooking is “in the oven”. Alternatively, you can use canned pumpkin if you want, but be careful to squeeze well to get rid of the liquid.
Puree the pumpkin pulp. In a bowl, mix the pumpkin with the crumbled amaretti and mustard. Add the Parmigiano, salt, and grated nutmeg.
Let the mixture rest overnight in the fridge.

Once you have made your ravioli, cook a little at a time for about 5 minutes from when it boils.
Then, drizzle Ravioli with plenty of melted butter in a few sage leaves and a sprinkle of cheese.

4. Casunzei all’Ampezzana

The “casunzièi” are typical ravioli of the Dolomites. They have a half-moon shape and are filled with beetroots. They are the specialty par excellence of the famous ski resort of Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Let’s see how to make the filling:

• 350 g red beetroots
• 1 large potato
• 1 yellow beetroot (optional)
• 2 pinches of coarse salt
• 1 pinch of salt (if needed)
• Poppy seeds

Boil the potatoes in salted water, drain when ready and peel them still warm, then mash them with a potato masher and collect the puree in a bowl.

Cook the beetroots in salted water, peel them, and mash them with a grater. Drain all beetroots so that they lose most of the liquid. Combine the red beetroots mixture with the boiled yellow beetroot and the mashed potatoes. Salt and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Once the Casunzei Ravioli has been filled, cook one portion at a time in salted water, draining them 2 or 3 minutes after they have come to the surface.

For the chef-proof dressing, sauté the Casunzei in melted Alpine butter and sprinkle with poppy seeds and Aged Parmigiano Reggiano!

5. Sicilian Ravioli with fish and potatoes

This is a kind of ravioli filling that you can customize in the way you like best.

Here I leave my favorite version:

• 450 g fish fillets (such as sea bream, sea bass, or red snapper)
• 2 boiled potatoes
• 2 pinches salt
• 1 pinch of white pepper
• 1 egg
• zest of ½ lemon
• a few leaves of marjoram

Cook the fish in a pan for 10 minutes. In alternative bake it in the oven on a baking sheet greased with a little oil for about 15 minutes at 180 C °.
Mash the boiled potatoes in a bowl. When the fish fillets are cooked, deprive them of the fish bones and chop them into the potato. Add the egg, grated lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Chop the marjoram leaves and add to the mixture. Mix everything to create a full-bodied dough. Let it rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.

The Sicilian Ravioli with fish and potato cooks in a pot for 4 minutes after boiling.
Season them on Sicilian style, with a fine and luscious Pistachio Pesto.

If you loved this post and found it useful, let us know by leaving a comment below, or sharing it with whoever you want! Follow us on Pinterest, Instagram, or on our Facebook Page to be always updated with new ideas and recipes with an Authentically Italian Flavor.