The homemade pasta is filled with a broccoli rabe and ricotta filling and then topped with a delicious broccoli pesto. And it’s a wonderful way to pack your ravioli with veggies.

Three white plates with pesto-covered ravioli next to a small bowl od pine nuts.

💚 Reasons to Love Broccoli Rabe

  • Versatile: You can use it and cook it in so many different ways to create different flavors and textures. Using it in pesto is one of my favorite ways!
  • Bitter taste complements many dishes: The slightly bitter taste of brocolli rabe works wonders with savory and fatty meats, as well as rich pastas.
Chopped up broccoli rabe in a silver pan next to a bowl of green pesto and raw broccoli rabe.

⭐️ Tips for the Best Pasta Dough

Roll your dough as thin as you feel comfortable….without the dough tearing. I think thinner pasta has a better taste and texture. When the pasta dough is too thick, it can taste gummy.

A woman stretching out a long peice of beige and green pasta above a floured counter.

The standard is for your dough to be paper-thin if possible, and you should aim for 1/8″ thickness.

Remember you will have to handle the dough after you roll it, so don’t go too thin your first time! However, you can test your thinness boundaries and if it tears, just re-roll it. That’s the beauty of pasta…if you mess up, you can re-roll it and nobody ever has to know!

Hands laying a sheet of speckled pasta over another sheet with balls of cream filling.

Do I need a ravioli stamp?

No. You can use a knife, pastry wheel, or cookie cutter instead! I prefer the ravioli stamp because it makes the ravioli look perfectly pretty. But I don’t always use one. I borrowed this one from a friend! Click here to shop this ravioli stamp.

Hands lifiting speckled pasta up from square cut outs of ravioli on a floured counter.

Substitution for Pine Nuts

Use sunflower seeds instead of pine nuts if you have a nut allergy. Use walnuts, almonds, pistachios, or hazelnuts if you can’t find pine nuts.

🥦 More Creative Ways to Use Broccoli

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Broccoli Rabe Ravioli with Broccoli Rabe Pesto

5 from 8 votes
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The homemade pasta is filled with a broccoli rabe and ricotta filling and then topped with a delicious broccoli pesto.
Prep Time35 minutes
Cook Time30 minutes
Rest Time30 minutes
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Main, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Servings: 4
Calories: 841kcal

Ingredients

  • ½ bunch Andy Boy broccoli rabe trimmed
  • 5 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 cups flour
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 bunch basil stemmed (2.5-oz)
  • cup toasted pine nuts
  • 3 cloves garlic cut in half
  • cup olive oil
  • ½ cup parmesan grated
  • 1 shallot finely diced
  • 8 oz. Ricotta cheese
  • salt & pepper
  • Shaved parmesan for serving

Instructions

  • Remove the leaves from the broccoli rabe and set them aside.
  • Heat 2 tbsp avocado oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add half of your broccoli rabe leaves. Season with a pinch of salt. Cook until wilted. Add to a food processor and process until smooth.
  • Attach the flat beater to your stand mixer. Mix your flour, 3 eggs, and cooked broccoli rabe leave puree in the mixing bowl on low speed. Once combined, remove the flat beater and attach the dough hook. Knead for 3-4 minutes on “stir” or speed 1 until the dough indents when you poke it. Cover the bowl and let the gluten strands relax for 30 minutes.
  • In the meantime, add the other half of your broccoli rabe leaves, basil, pine nuts, and garlic to a food processor. With the motor running, slowly add your olive oil. Stir in the parmesan. Season with salt & pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • Finely dice your broccoli rabe stems & florets. Heat 3 tbsp avocado oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Add your shallot, broccoli rabe stems, and florets. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until tender, 4-5 minutes.
  • Mix your cooked broccoli rabe stems & florets with the ricotta cheese in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
  • When your pasta has rested for 30 minutes, take it out of the bowl and knead it on a floured surface, adding more flour if it’s sticking. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll out each piece to the thinnest setting you feel comfortable with, and set on a floured surface so it doesn’t stick.
  • Bring a pot of water to boil. Beat your remaining egg with 1 tbsp of water.
  • In the meantime, spoon 1 tbsp of the rabe & ricotta mixture at a time onto two of the 4 sheets, leaving 1-2 inches between each ball of filling. Lightly brush the edges of the pasta sheet & between each dollop of filling with the egg wash.
  • Lay your other two sheets of pasta over the tops and gently press down to cover the filling, making sure to press between each dollop of filling.
  • Cut your ravioli squares with a ravioli stamp, pastry wheel, or knife. Make sure the edges are pressed and sealed.
  • Add your ravioli to the water. Cook 4-5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and toss to coat in the pesto.
  • To serve shave parmesan over the pasta with a vegetable peeler. Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 841kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 58g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 201mg | Sodium: 322mg | Potassium: 351mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1330IU | Vitamin C: 6.9mg | Calcium: 334mg | Iron: 5.4mg
Did you try this recipe?I’d love to hear what you think! Leave a Review to let us know how it came out, if you have a successful substitution or variation, or anything else.
5 from 8 votes (8 ratings without comment)

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