Goat Cheese & Beet Ravioli

Never thought you could make ravioli at home? You sure can my friends! This is a recipe from The Chew and it's actually really easy to prepare. You can even make the ravioli ahead of time and freeze them. The mixture is really simple and so flavorful! The earthiness of the beets and the pungent goat cheese pack quite a punch in such a little package.

The recipe calls for wonton wrappers for the "dough" and honestly, I was pretty skeptical. I have never used wonton wrappers to make pasta. But I was pretty impressed with how they held up! They had a really nice texture. If you want to use fresh sheets of pasta or make your own dough instead feel free and use the filling recipe. In my opinion, I thought the filling could have used a bit more goat cheese, so taste the filling after you pulse it and see if it needs more cheese. You just don't want to the goat cheese to over power the beets. So taste, taste, taste!

I was also very skeptical as to how they were going to hold up in boiling water. I had visions of the ravioli completely falling apart in the water and me screaming at the pot. Well, rest assured, they stayed together and were delicious! To be safe, I would not boil them with a rolling boil. I put the pot on medium high.

Oh and the sauce.... The simple, easy, flavorful sauce. The filling of the ravioli is so flavorful so you don't want your sauce to over power the delicate pillows of goodness so this sauce is perfect. This light butter sauce fits the bill! And if you want the ravioli to look fancy with wavy edges, I snagged a ravioli cutter for $5. Totally worth it.

Goat Cheese & Beat Ravioli

Ingredients:
 1 large red beet (6 to 8 ounces) scrubbed
 ¼ cup fresh goat cheese ( or 1/2 if you like goat cheese)
 1 small egg lightly beaten
 1 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  Salt and freshly ground pepper
 1 pound Wonton Wrappers

Directions:
1. For the Filling: Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.   Wrap the beet in heavy-duty aluminum foil, place in a shallow pan, and roast until fork-tender, 45 minutes. Remove and let cool. Peel the beet, cut it into small chunks, and puree in food processor along with the goat cheese, egg, and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon the filling into a pastry bag.

2. For the ravioli: Lay a wonton wrapper on work service. Brush edge of wonton wrapper with water, then top with 1 tablespoon beet filling.  Place another wonton wrapper on top of filling, then press the edges together with a fork.  Set aside.  Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers.

3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop in the ravioli, quickly return to a boil, and cook until tender yet firm, 3 to 4 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving the pasta water.

4. Just before the pasta is done, ladle 1 cup pasta water into a large sauté pan. Add the chopped tarragon and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the butter, one piece at a time, whisking until melted before adding the next piece. Continue until the butter is incorporated and the sauce is creamy.  Slide the drained ravioli into the warm sauce. Toss gently until the sauce is creamy, adding more pasta water as needed.

5. Divide among warm pasta bowls and garnish with Parmesan and tarragon. Add a few grindings of black pepper if you like.