Spelt, have you heard of it? It’s a whole grain that’s pretty ancient dating back to more than 8,000 years ago. The rich history of spelt attracted me… it’s even talked about in the bible. Since I’ve been dying to make homemade pasta using this pretty little ravioli stamp, I decided to give spelt a rendezvous in ravioli.
Cabot’s 75% reduced-fat cheddar made this new-to-me whole grain even tastier. I’m pretty skeptical of reduced-fat cheeses because they usually make a rubbery and flavorless mess. To be honest, I was surprised that even though Cabot’s cheese is 3/4 the fat of regular cheddar, it still melts into gooey-oooey-goodness. It’s almost like magic in your mouth.
To top it off, it doesn’t leave my stomach in knots cause it’s lactose-free, yo. Gotta say, my husband’s happy about that one.
Eggplant Spelt Ravioli
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Pasta
3 cups spelt flour
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup basil, chopped (about 20 big leaves)
4-6 tablespoons water, divided
Filling
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium eggplant, shredded
1- 8oz block Cabot 75% reduced-fat cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 cup basil, chopped
marinara sauce, heated
freshly grated parmigiano reggiano and basil, garnish
To make the pasta, pour spelt flour onto clean surface. Make a hole in the center of the flour using a measuring cup. Add eggs, salt, oil, and basil into the hole and begin to whisk with a fork. As you incorporate the flour underneath the hole, begin to include the flour on the outside, adding water as needed. Knead the dough until it is smooth. Cover dough with plastic wrap, and let rest for 30 minutes.
Using a food processor with small grater attachment (or hand grater), shred the garlic and eggplant. Heat teaspoon of oil in pan over medium-high heat, and saute eggplant mixture until water evaporates. Let cool.
Rinse and dry the food processor. Using the same attachment shred the cheese. In a medium bowl, add cooled eggplant, cheese, and basil and stir until combined.
To prepare ravioli, divide the dough in half and roll it out very thin. (Put your muscles into it. It may feel like a workout, but it’s worth…)
Spoon small-ish balls of filling into one side of dough, and then place the second sheet on top.
Using the ravioli press, stamp out your ravioli. And smile, cause they sure are cute!
Let ravioli rest for 10 minutes, and boil salted water in a large pot. Cook ravioli for about 5 minutes, or until they swim up and float to the top. (You can freeze extra ravioli before cooking for an easy weeknight meal.)
While the pasta is cooking, heat up your favorite marinara sauce. Lay ravioli in a bed of marinara and garnish with parmigiano reggiano and fresh basil. Dig in!
Hi I’m Kristina LaRue, RD (registered dietitian nutritionist), Peloton addict and mama to two active and hungry boys. On Love & Zest, you’ll find healthy-ish recipes that fuel the whole family. I’m all about veggie-filled breakfast, meal prep recipes, healthier sweets, and easy weeknight dinners made in the Instant Pot or sheet pan.
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Is it possible to do the dough recipe using wholemeal spelt flour?
Hey Diane, I’m really not sure.. the safest bet when baking with 100% whole grains is to use half whole and half regular. Let me know if you try it! May also need a little extra moisture.
Amazing dish.The presentation is just perfect… ” target=”_blank”>http://www.myweightlossclinics.com
Impressive with the ravioli! I have never tried but it looks delicious!
I liked you on FB, thanks for the giveaway!
Hey lady, so happy to have found you on Tasty Kitchen! Your recipes look great. The ravioli dough looks like it has a ton of flavor and the stuffing looks great too! I like that you use spelt flour to change it up from wheat – I have a bag of spelt at my house right now and I'm ready to try your recipe. Looking forward to seeing more of your recipes in the future! 🙂
Thank you so much for the giveaway, and wow, are you creative!!! I am impressed. Can't wait to see more eggplant dishes on your blog!
Liked you on Facebook.
omg! these looks amazing, I am so impressed! I love cooking but have never tried this.
Cabot sounds really good for my son as he is lactose intolerant. Now he can have milk in his cereal, but if by itself it makes him sick. So the condition has improved. but we usually drink almond milk anyway.
I totally want your ravioli press. that is so cute!
Gr8 giveaway. I like your FB page.
This looks fabulous!
You know, I have never tried spelt either. What a great use of it! Definitely going to make these. 🙂
what lovely ravioli! and beautiful photos. super impressive!
Thank you Deanna! I never made ravioli either.. it was really fun. Spelt is pretty tasty too. A whole bunch of firsts for me!
I'm glad you talked about spelt flour! I've seen this so much in recipes but haven't touched it myself yet. Marking: To try.
Wowza – these are gorgeous!! I've never made homemade ravioli before but now you've provided some inspiration. And have been wanting to try spelt, too.
ok. i am beyond impressed that you made your own ravioli. i mean really! and beautiful pics too. sound yummy, yummy!
Thanks Regan! You are so sweet.