Skillet-Baked Cheese Ravioli with Blistered Tomato Butter Sauce

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Frozen cheese ravioli simmered straight into a blistered cherry tomato butter sauce, then finished under the broiler with mozzarella and Parmesan until bubbling and browned in spots. Ready in about 30 minutes on a weeknight — with an optional from-scratch ricotta filling and pasta dough for a weekend project that tastes like a trattoria plate.

Ingredients

• 1.5 lb frozen cheese ravioli (or 1 lb fresh)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
• 3/4 cup reserved pasta cooking water
• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pinch sugar (optional, if tomatoes are acidic)
• 1 cup low-moisture mozzarella, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan, finely grated
• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

• 2 cups 00 flour or all-purpose flour
• 3 large eggs
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
• semolina flour, for dusting

• 15 oz whole-milk ricotta
• 3/4 cup Parmesan, finely grated
• 1/2 cup low-moisture mozzarella, finely shredded
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it heavily (about 2 tablespoons kosher salt per 4 quarts). Position an oven rack 6 inches from the broiler element and heat the broiler to high.
2. While the water heats, make the sauce: in a 12-inch oven-safe skillet (cast iron or stainless), heat 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium-high until the butter foams. Add the cherry tomatoes in a single layer and cook undisturbed for 3 minutes, then toss and cook 3 to 4 minutes more until the skins split and char in spots.
3. Reduce heat to medium. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and cook 60 to 90 seconds until the garlic is fragrant and just golden — do not let it brown. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute, pressing it into the pan to caramelize.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon kosher salt, and the black pepper. Simmer 6 to 8 minutes, gently crushing about half the blistered tomatoes with a wooden spoon, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the spoon. Taste and add a pinch of sugar if it tastes sharp.
5. Meanwhile, drop the frozen ravioli into the boiling water and cook 1 minute less than the package directs (usually 4 to 5 minutes for frozen, 2 to 3 for fresh) — they should be pliable but still firm. Reserve 3/4 cup of the cooking water, then drain gently in a colander.
6. Stir 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water and the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the sauce, swirling until glossy and emulsified. Add the drained ravioli and fold gently with a silicone spatula to coat, adding more pasta water a splash at a time until the sauce loosely pools around the pasta. Simmer 1 minute so the ravioli finish cooking in the sauce.
7. Scatter the mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan evenly over the top. Broil 3 to 5 minutes, watching closely, until the cheese is melted with deep brown blisters. Let rest 5 minutes, then shower with the torn basil and remaining Parmesan and serve straight from the skillet.
8. WEEKEND PROJECT — dough: Mound the flour on a work surface, make a well, and add the eggs, yolk, olive oil, and salt. Whisk the eggs with a fork, gradually pulling in flour until a shaggy mass forms, then knead 8 to 10 minutes until smooth and springy. Wrap tightly and rest at room temperature 45 minutes.
9. WEEKEND PROJECT — filling: If your ricotta looks wet, drain it in a fine-mesh sieve for 30 minutes. Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, egg yolk, lemon zest, nutmeg, salt, and parsley until smooth. Chill until firm, at least 30 minutes, and transfer to a piping bag or zip-top bag with a 1/2-inch corner snipped.
10. WEEKEND PROJECT — shaping: Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll one piece through a pasta machine from the widest setting down to the second-thinnest (about 1/16 inch), keeping the rest wrapped. Pipe 1-tablespoon mounds of filling 2 inches apart along the lower half of the sheet, brush around them with water, fold the top half over, and press out air pockets from the center outward. Cut with a fluted wheel or 2-inch cutter, crimp the edges, and set on a semolina-dusted sheet pan. Repeat with remaining dough.
11. Cook fresh ravioli in salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes, until they float and the edges are tender, then proceed from step 6. To store, freeze the shaped ravioli on the sheet pan until solid, about 2 hours, then bag for up to 2 months and cook from frozen for 5 to 6 minutes.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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