Because I ravio (love you) so much, I knew I had to share this amazing recipe that is sure to make your loved ones’ hearts skip a beat! These are vegetarian ricotta ravioli with roasted garlic — wow my mouth is already watering. Not to mention, the best part about it  — it’s heart shaped! It’s the perfect Valentine’s Day meal.

Emily Liu / Daily Nexus

Servings: 2

Prep time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Cook time: 6 minutes

Ingredients for regular dough: 

  • 2 cups all purpose or semolina flour (250 grams)
  • ½ cup and 2 ¼ tablespoons water (lukewarm 85 F / 35 C) (150 grams)
  • ¼-½ teaspoon salt (depends on how salty you like it)

Ingredients for pink dough:

  • 1 medium-sized beet
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon salt 
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil 
  • ⅓ cup water

Ingredients for filling:

  • 1 whole butternut squash, peeled, cubed and roasted, or steam-in-the-bag squash, totaling about 4 cups cooked squash
  • 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • A generous pinch of salt and pepper

Ingredients for sauce:

  • ⅓ cup butter
  • 2 teaspoons minced garlic 
  • 1 tablespoon whole wheat or white flour 
  • 1 cup whole milk
  • Pinch of dried oregano, basil and parsley
  • Salt and pepper to taste 

Directions for regular dough (adapted from: An Italian in My Kitchen):  

  1. In a large bowl add the flour, make a well in the middle and add the water and salt. Mix it with a fork to combine, then move to a flat surface and gently knead for about 3-5 minutes. Form a compact dough ball. If the dough is too dry, add a little more water (1 tablespoon at a time).
  2. Cover the dough with a tea towel and let rest for 30 minutes. Knead the dough a couple of times, then roll it out on a lightly floured flat surface. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6-7 minutes.

Directions for pink dough (adapted from Cilantro and Citronella) 

  1. Cook the beet however you would like. I roasted it whole drizzled with olive oil and wrapped in foil at 200 F for about 45 minutes then peeled it. You can also peel it, cut it into quarters, cover with water and boil until soft. Once cooked, puree it in a food processor or blender with one tablespoon olive oil.
  2. Mix the flour and salt together on the counter. Make a well in the center and add the olive oil and 3 tablespoons of the beet puree. Add a bit of water and use a fork to begin mixing in the flour little by little. Continue adding water and mixing it with the flour until the dough starts to come together and you can begin kneading it together with your hands. You may end up adding more or less water depending on the brand of flour that you use. You want a soft dough that holds together but isn’t sticky. Knead the dough for 10–15 minutes then wrap it in plastic film and let it rest for an hour.

Filling directions (adapted from Pinch of Yum): 

  1. Place the cooked squash, ricotta, Parmesan, olive oil, seasonings, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse it until mostly smooth. The mixture should be very thick and sticky, like cookie dough.

Watch this video for folding directions (adapted from Linda Miller Nicholson: SaltySeattle Tiktok)

Before folding, break the dough in half so that you have 2 pink dough balls and 2 regular colored dough balls; you will need to do this process twice so you will have 2 slabs of dough at the end. 

  1. Cut the pink pasta dough into strips.
  2. Roll out the regular pasta dough, making sure that it’s evenly rolled out on all sides. 

It helps if you place 2 chopsticks around the dough and roll the dough out until the rolling pin hits the chopsticks; this will ensure an even surface.

  1. Place the strips of pink dough on top of the slab of regular dough. 
  2. Use the rolling pin to roll the 2 pieces of dough together. This will create the striped pattern on top of the dough. 
  3. Grab a cookie cutter and mark where to pipe your filling on the slab of dough. 
  4. Pipe your filling onto the dough and leave 2 inches in between each filling section.
  5. Place the second slab of dough on top creating a sandwich around the filling and use a cookie cutter or knife to cut out heart shapes.
  6. Grab a fork and press it against the edges closing the sandwich around the filling. Make sure there are no openings so it won’t come out when you boil the pasta.
  7. Cook in boiling salted water for about 6-7 minutes.

Directions for sauce (adapted from Happily Unprocessed):

  1. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Don’t let it sizzle or burn. Once it begins to melt, take it off the heat and swirl the pan to allow the butter to continue to melt. Once it’s fully melted, add the garlic and cook for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute, stirring often.
  2. Add the flour and stir for 1 minute to cook off any raw flour taste.
  3. Slowly add about ¼ of the milk, whisking constantly. Add the rest while whisking, then add the spices. Continue cooking for a few minutes until thick. Keep warm until ready to serve.

This meal is art. It’s so personal and will make any person feel special. Pasta seems hard to make, but hopefully this has made you see how easy it really is! You can do anything you set your mind to and this pasta will taste and look amazing — totally Instagram worthy! I hope you try this out. 

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