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I’ve written about this many times before, but I need to reiterate it – having dinner together as a family can change the whole trajectory of your kids’ lives. It’s been proven that having weekly family meals gathered together can improve kids’ behavior at school, create stronger relationships, and help kids to become less picky eaters (Goodnet.org). But I think what most parents struggle with is not having enough time to eat together and not knowing what to fix. At our house, pasta is always a winner. My husband and kids will eat it pretty much any way it comes, so here’s a new favorite in our house for you to share with your own family! And don’t forget to put them to work helping you in the kitchen!
There is absolutely no going back after you’ve made fresh pasta. OMG it’s good. But here’s my issue. The sauce. I usually opt for the quick option of a jarred sauce, nothing ever seems to “check off all the boxes”. I can never find a marinara sauce that’s not watered down and runny or an alfredo sauce that comes out of a jar that actually tastes good. Come on, man! I just want to eat my delicious pasta with some sauce on it!
So, in an effort to find something I like, I made this lemon butter sauce. It’s super duper easy and you can make it even faster than opening up a jarred sauce and heating it up. Now, if you’re feeling fancy, you can also make this fresh, 4 cheese ravioli. It’s definitely not “hurried”, but it is really dang good.
FIY, this post contains a lot of milk products. The dairy industry works really hard to make sure their products are fresh, real, and locally-sourced. Also, most milk comes from a family-owned farm less than 300 miles away.
Dairy foods also come in a variety of forms to meet individual needs: from low-fat and nonfat to lactose-free and low-sodium. That’s sure to fit the needs of most of us.
So the next time you have a bowl of cereal, cheese-topped pizza, or yogurt in your smoothie, know that your milk product purchase is helping thousands of people be employed, put food on their own families’ tables, and enjoy the benefits of the farm-to-table eating lifestyle.
To learn more about the dairy industry, it’s practices, sustainability, facts and myths, etc. visit their website here.
As always, I’m a huge proponent of making a meal for your family with real, fresh ingredients that your family will love. So roll those sleeves up and get in the kitchen and get cooking as a family with those fresh ingredients!
Four Cheese Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Ravioli
- 1 lb fresh pasta dough see recipe here
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese well-drained
- 2/3 cup Fontina cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup fresh mozzarella diced
- 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- salt and pepper
- 1 large egg beaten
- egg wash 1 egg beaten for sealing ravioli
Lemon Butter Sauce
- 4 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons lemon zest
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 4 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 4 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
Make the Pasta
- In a large bowl, combine the cheeses and season with salt and pepper. Add the egg and stir until well combined.
- Create your thin sheets of fresh pasta and lay flat on a cutting board. Cut out 2 inch squares with a cookie or biscuit cutter to ensure the ravioli are uniform sizes.
- Spoon 1 teaspoon of the cheese mixture at a time onto the pasta. Around the edges of the pasta, brush the egg wash. Place a second square of fresh pasta over the top, and press down around each mound of cheese.
- In a pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta to al dente. Fresh pasta cooks very quickly, so it won't take very long at all.
Make the Sauce
- Heat the butter in a skillet and add the lemon zest.
- Once the butter is melted, add the cream and lemon zest to the mixture. Add the ravioli to the skillet. Add the Parmesan and toss to incorporate it.
- Serve with additional Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, or fried sage on top.
Notes
- Make the filling and pasta the day before. The cheese mixture can stay in the fridge for a few days, and the pasta dough will be good in the fridge for 48 hours or so, so leave the construction of the ravioli for the day of and you will save yourself some sanity.
- You can freeze the ravioli for later. I like to make a bunch of pasta all at once so I'm not constantly making a huge mess in my kitchen. And it makes it so easy to be able to pull out already prepared ravioli from my freezer for those busy weeknight dinners. Just make sure you eat the frozen pasta within a month of putting it in there.
To see more recipes like this, follow me on Pinterest!
