Vegan Ravioli

Ready for a fun, from scratch pasta recipe? This recipe is not only vegan but also gluten free. Try this homemade recipe for ravioli that is far healthier than anything you will find in those chef cans.


Starting with the pasta dough chickpea flour is the main ingredient. Chickpeas are high in fiber and protein they are also gluten free. Chickpea flour can be purchased ready made but it is also easy to make from scratch.

Chickpea flour can be made from approximately 1¾ cups dried chickpeas ground into 300g of chickpea flour after sifting. After grinding the chickpeas in a grain mill or coffee grinder, sift the flour through a fine mesh sieve to remove any larger particles.

Ingredients

2-¾ cups sifted chickpea flour (300g)*
¼ cup tapioca starch (35g)
¼ cup sweet rice flour (also called 'glutinous rice flour') (33g)
1 teaspoon xanthan gum
4 tablespoons ground sifted chia seeds combined with  2 cups of water
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon salt
Water, as needed
Gluten Free all purpose flour, for rolling out (or more chickpea flour)
Optional: Try adding some other ingredients and seasonings to the dough for added flavor like rosemary, basil, or a puree of sundried tomatoes.


Pasta Dough Instructions

1. Mix the chickpea flour, tapioca starch, sweet rice flour, and xanthan gum into a large bowl.
Create a well in the middle of the flour and add chia seed mix into the middle. Add the olive oil and salt.

2. Use a fork to lightly whisk the chia seed mix together in the middle of the well, then begin mixing it all together with the flour. (This is the time to add the optional additional ingredients)
Once it's well mixed, use your hands to knead until it forms a dough. If the mixture feels too dry, add ½ teaspoon of water at a time while kneading. Knead until dough is smooth and elastic, but not very sticky. If you find it too sticky, add another teaspoon of chickpea flour until it reaches the desired texture.

3. Roll the dough into a ball and lightly flatten into a disk. Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes.

4. Bring 3-quarts of water to boil in a large pot with a teaspoon of salt and a splash of olive oil.
After letting the dough rest, cut dough into 6 equal pieces.
Use your hands to press one piece at a time on a floured surface until it is about ¼-inch thick, reserving the other pieces in plastic wrap under a towel.

5. With a pasta roller or rolling pin, roll out each piece into a thin sheet, lightly dusting both sides with flour as you go. If using the KitchenAid pasta roller attachment, send the dough through setting 1, fold it in half, then send it again. Repeat until it feeds through smooth, then reduce the thickness one stop at a time until you get to a 3, which is one level thickness before approaching paper thin.
Set the now flattened reams of pasta dough aside and prepare them to shape into ravioli.

6. Ravioli filler can be made from a wide range of preferred ingredients. This recipe will make a filler with the following simple ingredients. Sunflower seeds are the base as they can create a meaty style texture and carry the flavor of other herbs and spices well.

Ravioli Filler

½ Cup Sun Dried Tomatoes
2 Cups Fresh Spinach
1 Cup Parsley
1 Tablespoon dry basil
2 Cups Soaked sunflower seeds
Pinch of salt

Blend ingredients in a blender or food processor until the mix is smooth.

Making the individual ravioli pieces. Use a ravioli form molder tool to get uniform size pieces.

1. Dust the inside of the ravioli mold with flour. 
2. Lay down flat ream of pasta dough over the mold.
3. Lightly brush inside of pasta dough with olive oil.
4. Place spoonfuls of filler into the ravioli mold slots.
5. Use the mold cutter side to form all of the ravioli pieces. 
6. Fill a short sauce pot with water add teaspoon of salt and bring to medium boil.
7. Add ravioli to boiling water and allow to cook for 4-8 minutes with occasional stir.
8. Once finished cooking remove from water, serve and enjoy.

If there are any leftover ravioli pieces they can be stored and frozen  for later. This is a great way to start incorporating new vegan and even gluten free foods into cooking. Even better this is a great way to introduce non vegans to great vegan food.