Sweet Potato Ravioli
Ingredients
Ravioli: 1 -2 Sweet Potatoes (1 lb.) 1 ½ T. Honey 2 t. Cinnamon 1 t. Nutmeg Wonton Wrappers (Image)* Sauce: 2 T. Butter or Margarine ¼ C. All-Purpose Flour 2 C. Skim Milk Dash of Pepper 4 oz. Mozzarella Cheese, Shredded Handful of Fresh Spinach (about 2 oz) 3 oz. Chopped Walnuts 3 oz. Dried Cranberries Supplies Crockpot/Oven/Microwave (to cook potatoes) Medium-Large Bowl (to mix ravioli filling) Wax Paper (Optional) Medium Saucepan (to make sauce) Large Pot (to boil ravioli) Stirrer Fork |
Directions
Prepare Sweet Potatoes: Cook the sweet potatoes until tender (should be easy to poke with a fork). Wash them, poke with fork (to allow steam to escape), and then (1) stick them in a crock-pot for two hours with a little water covering the bottom, or (2) cook in the oven at 350 degrees for about 55 minutes, or (3) put sweet potato in bowl with little water in bottom, cook in microwave 5 minutes, then turn potato over and cook another 5 minutes. Allow potatoes to cool until able to touch with hands. Can cool overnight and finish ravioli next day. Filling: Remove skins, place potatoes in medium-large mixing bowl. Mash with fork. Add honey, cinnamon and nutmeg. Can stop here and place in fridge until next day. Folding: Clear a space on your countertop to fold the ravioli. Can lay down wax paper for easy clean-up. Place one teaspoon (not too much!) sweet potato mix in center of wonton wrapper. Wet finger and moisten outer edges of wonton wrapper. Fold edges together to make triangle. Press around sweet potato filling to make sure it’s sealed shut on all sides. Wetting the wonton wrappers acts like glue when you fold them together. Moisten side corners and fold inward (see photo on right), to create a “tuxedo style” ravioli. Can stop here and place in fridge until next day. Sauce: Melt 2 tablespoons margarine or butter in saucepan over low heat; blend in flour. Heat milk to lukewarm, then add milk and pepper to saucepan. Turn heat to medium-high, stirring constantly until thick and bubbly. Once sauce reaches desired thickness**, reduce heat to low. Add cheese and stir until melted. Mix in spinach, walnuts and cranberries. Cooking Ravioli: While you are making your sauce go ahead and boil a few inches of water in a large pot. Add some of your ravioli (you’ll be doing this is 2-4 waves depending on pot size). Boil about 3 minutes. Ravioli will rise to the top when ready. When removing, place ravioli in a bowl or large plate and drizzle olive oil across each layer to keep ravioli from sticking to each other and tearing apart. Or put directly on individual plates. It’s ready! I like to sprinkle a little extra of the cheese, walnuts and/or cranberries on top because it adds color. Notes: *Found in the refrigerated tofu section of your local grocery store; mine is in with the produce. It's a little high in sodium but convenient. **You don’t want your sauce to be too thick. It will continue to thicken as you add the other ingredients, plus if it’s too thick it won’t slide over your ravioli as easily. So basically not runny, but not approaching a solid consistency. Don’t overstuff the ravioli. More than 1 teaspoon in each wonton wrapper will make it difficult to wrap. To save time if you’re making the ravioli for an event, prepare the ravioli filling and wrap them the night before. Just stick them in the fridge and then they’ll be ready to go the next day. So many options to mix up this recipe! Instead of sweet potato use butternut squash or pumpkin and then experiment with different spices. Many other sauce options as well… different cheese, different toppings mixed in, a tomato based sauce or even a meat sauce. Servings: 5 (48 ravioli wraps in a package) Prep and Cooking Time: -10 minutes-2 hours to cook sweet potato depending on method (can do in advance) -30 minutes ravioli prep and folding (can do in advance) -30 minutes making sauce and cooking ravioli |
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