Lemon Avocado Pesto Ravioli

As a deceitful robot crustacean once said, “Ravioli. Ravioli. Give me the formuoli.”, and that’s exactly what I’ve done. Below is my “formuoli” for Lemon Avocado Pesto Ravioli.

Ravioli Dough Ingredients:

• 1 3/4 Cups All Purpose Flour
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Cup Water

Filling Ingredients:

• 8 oz. Vegan Ricotta (I used the Almond Ricotta made by Kite Hill)
• 2 Tbsp. Fresh Basil (Finely chopped)
• 1/2 Tsp. Lemon Zest
• 1/4 Tsp. Ground Black Pepper
• 1/4 Tsp. Salt
• 1 Tbsp. Non-Dairy Milk

Note: You can use a 14 oz. package of tofu in place of a premade vegan ricotta if you prefer. Just place the tofu in a blender and blend until smooth. Then put the blended tofu into a bowl, add in your finely chopped basil and other spice and mix thoroughly.

Pesto Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Fresh Basil
• 1/4 Cup Fresh Mint
• 1 Garlic Clove
• 1 Avocado
• 1 Tbsp. Raw Unsalted Pumpkin Seeds
• 2 Tbsp. Raw Unsalted Cashews
• 1/2 Tbsp. Lemon Juice
• 1 Tbsp. Lemon Zest
• 1 Tbsp. Nutritional Yeast
• 1/2 Tsp. Salt
• 1/2 Tsp. Groud Black Pepper
• 1 Tbsp. Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Water

Cooking Directions:

1. To make the pasta dough start by mixing flour and salt in a bowl. Next add water and begin mixing to form a dough. During mixing the dough will start to become too thick to continue in a bowl so take it out and mix in the rest of the flour on a clean flat surface by moving and pushing the flour and dough together with your hands. Once a ball of dough has formed and all ingredients are combined and well worked together, place the dough ball in a bowl, cover, and place the bowl in the fridge.
2. The next step is to make the ravioli filling. You can use a pre-made vegan ricotta (as I did in the video below) or you can make your own by blending a package of tofu. Using your premade vegan ricotta or your homemade ricotta from blended tofu, add it to a bowl along with finely chopped basil, lemon zest, ground black pepper, salt and non-dairy milk and mix together to combine. Once the ricotta and spices have been mixed together, cover the bowl and put it in the fridge.
3. To make the pesto add all the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
4. The next step is to put it all together. Take your pasta dough out of the fridge. You can use a pasta sheet crank if you have one and gently coax the dough through the machine to form flat sheets or you can sprinkle some flour on a clean, dry surface and roll out the dough. The dough should be very thin (about 1/16th – 1/8th of an inch in thickness).
5. Trim the edges of the dough to create a large rectangle or square. Then cut the dough into long strips resembling wide lasagna noodles. You should have strips that are the same size.
6. Take the ricotta mix out of the fridge and scoop a tablespoon of the ricotta onto the strips of dough about 3 inches apart.
   Fill a cup with a little water and dip your finger in and line the area around the ricotta to create a seal.
7. Next take another strip of pasta dough and cover the strip that has ricotta on it. Press the pasta strips together and guide your finger on the top layer of pasta and around the ricotta to make sure there aren’t any air pockets. Push out any air from the ravioli.
8. Using a pizza cutter, knife, or pasta cutting tool, cut out ravioli squares making sure you have enough room surrounding each pocket of ricotta so they don’t open during the cooking process.
9. Bring a pot of water to a light simmer and reduce heat slightly to prevent the ravioli from breaking apart. If water is boiling, reduce heat until the water is no longer bubbling. Next gently drop in a few ravioli squares at a time. Allow them to cook for about 2-3 minutes. When the ravioli floats to the surface of the pot scoop them out and place them on a drip tray or drying area for a few minutes.
10. When all raviolis have been cooked, cover with pesto sauce and enjoy!