FROZEN RAVIOLI IDEAS RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350º and grease a 9”-x-13” baking dish with cooking spray. Warm a large, nonstick skillet over medium heat and add ground beef and onion. Season with salt and pepper and cook until beef is browned and onion is soft, about 10 minutes, then drain fat and return to skillet. Stir in garlic and marinara, then reduce heat and simmer for flavors to meld, 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, add ricotta, egg, 1/4 cup Parmesan, basil, garlic powder, and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine.  Spread 1/3 of the meat sauce into prepared pan. Top with a single layer of ravioli, half of the remaining meat sauce, half of the ricotta mixture, and half of the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. Repeat layers, ending on cheeses.  Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbly, 15 minutes more. Sprinkle with remaining basil and serve.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour and salt. Pour flour mixture out onto a clean surface. Using your hands, make a well in center of flour. Crack eggs into well and use a fork to slowly whisk flour into eggs until a shaggy dough forms. Use your hands to knead dough until smooth and no longer sticky, about 5 minutes. Add flour to surface as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Wrap dough tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.  Meanwhile, make filling: drain pumpkin by placing in a fine mesh strainer set inside a large bowl. Cover exposed pumpkin with plastic wrap, then place a small bowl on top to lightly press pumpkin. Let drain 15 minutes. When pumpkin has drained, transfer to a medium bowl. Add parmesan, egg yolk, sugar, and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. When ready to roll pasta, cut dough into quarters. Wrap all but 1 back in plastic wrap and place back in the refrigerator.  On a lightly floured surface, roll uncovered dough into a long rectangle about 1/4” thick. Set pasta maker to widest setting and pass the rolled out dough through 2 times. Fold short ends of dough to meet in center of rectangle, then fold in half so that the dough is in quarters. Roll out again so the dough is 1/4” thick, then pass through pasta maker 2 more times.  Reduce setting by one degree. Repeat process of rolling and folding 2 to 3 times before going to the next setting. Repeat this process all the way to the thinnest setting. If your pasta sheet becomes too long to work with, cut it in half. Repeat with remaining dough in refrigerator. Keep rolled out dough covered with a clean kitchen towel.  Lay one piece of dough out on a lightly floured surface. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling every 1 inch. Using your finger, lightly wet in between each pile of filling with water. Gently lay a second piece of dough on top and press between filling to seal, making sure to press out as much air as possible. (Air trapped in the ravioli will force them to the surface when boiling.) Using a biscuit cutter or knife, cut between each pocket to make individual ravioli. If desired, use fork tines to seal ravioli shut. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Refrigerate until ready to cook.  When ready to serve, melt butter in a medium skillet. Add pumpkin seeds and cook, swirling pan occasionally, until pumpkin seeds are toasted and butter is browned and smells nutty, 6 to 8 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more, then remove pan from heat. In a large pot of boiling salted water, working in batches, add ravioli and cook until tender, about 1 ½ minutes. Use a spider to remove from water and place directly in brown butter. Gently toss to coat. Serve warm with Parmesan.