Homemade Stuffed Pasta
Making homemade stuffed pasta is not as daunting as it may seem. This pasta is stuffed with a simple blend of cheeses for an easy and incredibly satisfying result. The filling tastes terrific when paired with a simple pomodoro tomato sauce, but would also be great with pesto or a simple butter sauce.
Ingredients
Method
- Make the dough: Pulse the flour and a big pinch of salt in a food processor a few times. Beat the whole eggs, egg yolk and olive oil in a measuring cup and slowly pour into the food processor with the machine running; process until the dough forms a ball. (If the dough is too sticky, pulse in more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Turn out the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to form a smooth ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and let rest 30 minutes.
- Make the filling: Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan and Pecorino in a bowl. Transfer to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag and snip a corner.
- Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces. Wrap 3 of the pieces individually in plastic wrap and refrigerate. Lightly flour the remaining piece of dough and feed through the widest setting on a pasta maker, then fold in half and feed it through again. Move to the next setting and feed the dough through, lightly flouring as needed; repeat until you reach the third-to-last setting. (You should be able to see your hand through the dough.)
- Lay out the sheet of dough on a lightly floured surface. Trim each end so the sheet is about 2 feet long. Halve the dough lengthwise and cut into about 2 1/2-inch squares. Pipe about 1 teaspoon filling on the center of each square. Run a damp finger along the edge of half of the square, then fold over to make a triangle, pinching the edges to seal. Set the triangle on a floured surface. Repeat with the remaining squares. Take one triangle and, with the fold at the bottom, moisten one of the bottom corners and wrap both bottom corners around your pointer finger like a ring, pinching the corners together to seal; transfer to a floured baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining triangles, then cover the baking sheet lightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough and filling. Refrigerate the pasta, covered, until ready to cook.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 4 to 5 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta and toss with your sauce, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen.
Cook’s Note
We suggest serving this pasta with pomodoro sauce. To make it: Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 2 chopped garlic cloves and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in one can of whole peeled San Marzano tomatoes (crushed by hand) along with 1/2 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon each kosher salt and sugar and 1 basil sprig. Bring to a simmer, then cook over medium-low heat until reduced by one-third, 15 to 20 minutes. Adjust the seasoning with salt and sugar as needed.