Ricotta Beet Green Ravioli

You never throw away the green tops that adorn beets, do you?? No, never! You should saute them and mix them with cheese and turn them into ravioli which you should top with butter and devour until you have to unbutton your pants. But seriously - don't throw them away, k? It's criminal. Beet greens taste amazing sauteed simply in garlic and olive oil. Add a fried egg and you've got yourself a delicious breakfast or lunch. Other than that cooking method, I'm stumped. So after a quick web search on "beet greens" I'm inspired to make ravioli.

The prep was really quite easy. Saute the greens with garlic, add cooled greens to a bowl with ricotta, an egg, parm and spices. Stir it up and fill your wonton skins. What an ingenious way to get a 2 year old to eat beet greens!

 

Just don't over-stuff your ravioli. One teaspoon of filling per skin. That's it. You can stuff yourself later. These ravioli would be fabulous as a side to a juicy ribeye. Or with a gorgonzola cream sauce. Or as a vegetarian main. Never throw away those greens again.

I thought the filling was going to come out of the skin when I boiled them, but it didn't. It held together nicely and after being boiled the skin had a very nice "ravioli-like" texture. The filling was slightly beet flavored with a nice garlic kick. The brown butter sage sauce is simple, but the best part is the crispy sage. Seriously yum.

Printable Recipe Here

Beet Green Ravioli
makes about 50 ravioli

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cups chopped beet greens, washed well
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup ricotta
3 tablespoons parmigiano reggiano, freshly grated
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 12 ounce wonton wrapper package
Water for sealing wontons

Saute beet greens: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium sized skillet over medium heat. Meanwhile, coarsely chop beet greens. Add chopped beet greens and minced garlic to hot skillet. Saute until wilted, about 6-8 minutes.

To make filling: In a medium sized bowl add ricotta, parmigiano reggiano, egg, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Fill wonton skins: On a large work surface lay out the wonton skins and place about a teaspoon of filling on each skin. (Note: Keep wonton skins under a damp towel until ready to work with.) Brush two sides of the wonton skin with water and gently press shut to form a triangle. Place filled wontons on a large cookie sheet to freeze or reserve under a damp towel to prepare immediately.

To freeze: Layer wontons between plastic wrap and freeze until firm, about 8 hours. Place in freezer-safe container for up to 6 months.

To prepare: Bring a large pot of salted water up to a rapid boil. Drop ravioli into boiling water and cook until ravioli float to the surface, about 2-4 minutes. Serve with sage brown butter sauce.

Sage Brown Butter Sauce
serves 1 (can be multiplied for serving more)
2 tablespoons butter
6-8 sprigs fresh sage

Add desired amount of butter to a light colored skillet (this allows you to best see the color of the butter and prevent it from burning). Melt butter over medium heat until it starts to foam; after the foaming subsides, add sage (about 6 sprigs per serving). Continuously swirl the sage in the pan and carefully watch the color of the butter. You may want to remove the pan from the heat occasionally.  It will take about 2-4 minutes for your butter to become a caramel color. Remove from heat.