red beet ravioli

These were not easy and quick to make BUT really worth it! I made the beet pasta let, it rest and thought to myself.....beet filling? Too much. SO i went with my favourite spinach & ricotta filling i always use at home so that it has some great flavour and beautiful colour contrast!

Make the filling first so that it has time to cool before using in your pasta dough:-

300g frozen spinach, defrosted and all excess water squeezed out
300g ricotta cheese
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped ( i don't have a crusher!)
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp chicken stock powder

Heat the oil over a gentle heat and add the onions, cook until translucent. Add the garlic, and spinach and cook until incorporated, just a few minutes. Add the chicken stock and season to taste with a little salt & pepper. Put aside in a bowl to cool while you make your pasta dough!

I found over at Dirty Kitchen Secrets a recipe for Beetroot Ravioli! I made the recipe with a little extra 50g beet puree than her recommended 150g as it was too dry for me to work with as it was and i still got a great result! Bethany over at Dirty Kitchen Secrets made little hearts with her ravioli, how sweet!! =)

Beet Pasta

300g all-purpose flour

200g beet puree (i used boiled, peeled and pureed, then weighed)

1 egg

1/2 tsp salt

Place the flour in a bowl and make a well in the centre. Add the puree and egg, gently mix in until well combined. Knead the dough for at least 5 minutes until it is smooth and even in texture. Wrap the dough in plastic and let it rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Once the time has passed, divide the dough in half and roll it out as thin as possible. Mine was about 1/8" inch thick, which gave me a thick result BUT it was tasty! Cut into desired shapes or squares, place a small ball of filling in the centre, wet the edges lightly with water and top with another piece of dough. Press the edges together with a fork if you would like  a pattern or just press down gently to seal with your fingers.

To cook the ravioli, boil a pot of water, season with salt and toss a few ravioli's in for around 5 minutes, they will float when ready to eat! We were a little bit naughty and tossed ours in a little butter before eating......and WOW what an awesome flavour combination! The beet flavour isn't very pronounced at all, could be because my filling is so tasty! But for colour and presentation....... just amazing!

As a side note, i layered the left-over ravioli on parchment paper in a large ziploc bag to freeze for another time. They freeze well and you can pop them straight in the boiling water from the freezer to cook and serve!

I made 30 little raviolis with this recipe and had a little filling left over which we added to some pasta with chicken for the next nights dinner!

one-pot macaroni cheese

spinach & ricotta stuffed pasta shells

Who doesn't like pasta? We love it! I shouldn't eat it.....but the boys can! They love their spaghetti bolognaise with parmesan, they love lasagne, canneloni and macaroni cheese. But i thought for a change, when i saw these shells at the supermarket i had a great idea!

So i made a nice spinach and ricotta filling, that has garlic and onion, i've used this before with chicken in my canneloni and as a layer of filling in my lasagne.......and stuffed the shells.

I made a nice beef bolognaise and spread some of it on the bottom of a baking dish, laid out my stuffed shells, covered them in more sauce and topped them with grated cheese.

Spinach & Ricotta Stuffed Pasta Shells

For the filling:-

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, medium size, finely chopped
100g mozarella, grated
100g cheddar,grated
500g ricotta
1 x 300g packet frozen spinach, drained & finely chopped

Saute the garlic and onion in a little oil, add the spinach and cook down slightly. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper, put the mixture aside to cool.

Once cooled, mix in the cheeses and your filling is ready!

For the sauce:-

3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 onion, medium size, finely chopped
1 red pepper, finely chopped
500g beef mince
2 cups beef stock
1 tin diced tomatoes, any kind that you prefer
1 tin tomato puree
salt & pepper

creamy pumpkin pasta

I honestly don't know why i haven't been experimenting more with savoury food. I do have the BIGGEST sweet tooth and enjoy making treats for others BUT now i have a family, two boys one big (hubby) and one small (step-son) i have had the opportunity to get creative. The boy will eat everything i make, saying "i should let people in the house, they can sit on the couch, to eat 'cos it's SOOO good!", hubby on the other hand likes specific things.

This dish, was better than even i could have imagined!!!


Creamy Pumpkin Pasta - Serves 4

500g of your favourite pasta
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
500g pumpkin puree
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp of cumin
1/4 tsp of ground cinnamon
Pinch of nutmeg
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup, grated Parmesan cheese, plus additional cheese for serving

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook the according to the package instructions. Drain.

While the pasta is cooking, in a decent sized fry pan, saute the garlic, shallots and olive oil until transparent and smell great!

Stir in the chicken broth, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, bay leaves and season to taste. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 5-10 minutes, and then stir in the Parmesan cheese and heavy cream.

Continue simmering the sauce for a further 5 minutes, take out the bay leaves, and stir the sauce into the pasta. Add a touch of parmesan cheese on top for garnish and serve!

pasta bake:- chicken, spinach & ricotta

Pasta is a wonderful thing, you can do so much with it. I personally love good old fashioned macaroni cheese or spaghetti bolognaise, but every now and then i feel like something different and whip up a pasta bake. Usually i tend to use what i have in the fridge or cupboards, no waste that way!

Pasta Bake:- Chicken, Ricotta & Spinach

250g macaroni, uncooked

250g frozen chopped spinach

1 shallot or medium onion

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tbsp vegetable oil

2 cups chicken, cooked and diced or pulled apart

1 cup cheddar cheese, grated

400g tub of ricotta

1 cup milk

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 sachets Bovril chicken stock powder

1/2 cup breadcrumbs mixed with 1/2 cup parmesan, grated (for topping)

salt & pepper

Cook the pasta until it is just cooked, al dente, i think they call it. Drain and put aside.

Saute the garlic, onion and spinach, cook off most of the moisture. Put aside to cool.

Melt the butter in a large pan, add the flour and let it start to cook, slowly add the milk stirring constantly as it thickens. Mix in the ricotta, chicken stock, cooked chicken, macaroni and spinach mixture.

Season to taste.

Spread into a 9 inch x 13 inch baking tray ( i used a glass lasagne dish)

Top with parmesan and breadcrumbs and bake @ 200C until golden on top. Mine took around 30 minutes, switching it around at 15 minutes for even baking.