I have another busy week this week so I needed some easy meals that can be prepared quickly. Pasta is usually a great option and this recipe for Cheese Ravioli with Pesto is no exception. It comes together in about 15 minutes!
I found this recipe on Cooking Light. The pesto is more of a “pesto” and stays pretty chunky. But don’t be fooled, those little flecks of green are packed with flavor!
Ingredients:
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 3/4 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted, divided
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
Add a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the ravioli and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
While waiting for the pot to come to a boil, lightly toast your pine nuts over medium-low heat in a small saute pan, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Add 1/3 cup of the pine nuts to a bowl and the remaining pine nuts to a food processor (it will be a little less than 3 tablespoons). Add the spinach, basil, salt, red pepper, garlic, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the food processor as well.
Add the chicken broth, olive oil, and lemon juice to a small bowl.
Process the spinach mixture until chopped evenly.
With the processor running, add the broth mixture through the chute until the mixture is well combined (it will still be pretty chunky, that’s a-ok).
Add the ravioli, pesto, and tomatoes to a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine.
Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Top each with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 4 teaspoons nuts. Garnish with basil leaves if desired.
I at first was a bit wary about this recipe– there didn’t seem to be enough pesto to add much flavor. I was happily wrong! The pesto may look sparse but it delivers a ton of flavor with a touch of heat from the red pepper flakes. The pine nuts add a nice texture and the cheese adds some creaminess to the dish.
The photos aren’t much to look at, I was so hungry I just wanted to dig in, sorry! 🙂
- 1 (16-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 3/4 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted, divided
- Fresh basil leaves (optional)
- Add a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. When boiling, add the ravioli and cook according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While waiting for the pot to come to a boil, lightly toast your pine nuts over medium-low heat in a small saute pan, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Add 1/3 cup of the pine nuts to a bowl and the remaining pine nuts to a food processor (it will be a little less than 3 tablespoons). Add the spinach, basil, salt, red pepper, garlic, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese to the food processor as well.
- Add the chicken broth, olive oil, and lemon juice to a small bowl.
- Process the spinach mixture until chopped evenly.
- With the processor running, add the broth mixture through the chute until the mixture is well combined (it will still be pretty chunky, that’s a-ok).
- Add the ravioli, pesto, and tomatoes to a medium saute pan over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring to combine.
- Divide the pasta among 4 bowls. Top each with 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese and 4 teaspoons nuts. Garnish with basil leaves if desired.
