Spinach Almond Ricotta Ravioli

It’s not so hard to be vegan… and Italian. When we found this recipe for almond ricotta, it pretty much changed our life. You can now enjoy the richness of ricotta, without getting bogged down by dairy.

Here’s the simple recipe we use for the ricotta.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 cups raw whole almonds

  (TIP: CostCo sells HUGE bags for a good price)

• 1/4 cup plain, unsweeted non-dairy yogurt

  (TIP: we prefer Forager cashew yogurt)

• 1 tsp salt 

• 1/4 cup water (plus more as needed)

• Blender, food processor or even a Magic Bullet

HOW TO MAKE IT:

STEP 1: Soak the almonds in a pot of hot water for at least a few hours. This will loosen the skins.

STEP 2: Drain the water and peel the skins off the almonds (be careful they don’t go flying)

STEP 3: Throw the almonds, non-dairy yogurt, salt, and water into a blender, until combined

STEP 4: Add some more water if it’s too crumbly, olive oil for a richer texture, or lemon juice

STEP 5: Add whatever you’d like to the ricotta mixture — spinach, garlic, mushrooms…

The ricotta will last up to a week when refrigerated. We like to store ours in mason jars. This recipe makes 2 cups of ricotta, but you can double/multiply the ingredients if you want to make more.

Once you have the almond ricotta made, the easy part is done! Next, you’ll want to make your dough.

WHAT YOU NEED:

• 2 cups flour

• 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 cup water

• 2 pinches salt

Note: This recipe should create enough dough for 20-30 ravioli.

HOW TO MAKE IT:

STEP 1: Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl, by hand

STEP 2: Add more water if the dough is too dry, or more flour, if it’s too wet

STEP 3: Knead the dough (a lot — this is super important)

STEP 4: Separate the dough into smaller balls, and roll it until it’s thin and somewhat transparent

(TIP: use a rolling pin first, and then a pasta maker, if you have one)

STEP 5: Use a ravioli cutter like this, or you can make them by hand

STEP 6: Place the finished ravioli on a tray and freeze them until somewhat hardened, and then place in bags for future use and freeze