Gluten-Free Vegan Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli

One food I thought I would give up when I gave up wheat was ravioli. It’s pretty tough to find vegan and gluten free ravioli, which is stupid because they’re so good. This version is super delicious and packed with protein from the chickpea and tofu. It’s also a great way to get in some iron-rich greens! Make a big batch and freeze the leftovers for later! This is how we made them:

Ingredients:

Chickpea Pasta

1 flax egg (1 tbsp very fine flax meal + 3 tbsp warm water)

1 ½ cups chickpea flour

¼ cup tapioca starch

¼ cup glutinous rice flour

1 tsp xanthan gum

½ tsp salt

½ cup warm water

Tofu and Spinach Ricotta:

1 package extra firm tofu

1 bunch spinach, steamed

1 tbsp nutritional yeast

½ lemon, juiced

1 tsp oregano

½ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

Plus sauce for serving

Directions:

In a tiny bowl, assemble your flax egg. Mix it together, and set it aside for about 5 minutes.

Make a well in the middle of the flour mix, and add in your flax egg once it has set up. Add about ¼ cup of the warm water, stir until the mixture is crumbly. Then get in their with your hands. Add water slowly until the dough sticks together. It should be tough but cohesive. If it gets too sticky, add in more chickpea flour. Continue kneading for a few minutes. This is your workout. Did you skip the gym today? I’m here to push you and tell you that you can knead this dough for 10 more reps!

Wrap your pasta in a reusable wax wrap or plastic, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Now, let’s make the ricotta filling. In a food processor, crumble the tofu, add the spinach, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Adjust seasoning and set aside.

Back to the pasta. Personally, I like the ease of a pasta press, but every once in a while when I can’t find the clamp to secure my press to my counter (literally 98% of the time I want to use my press), I roll it out instead, and it can be done! Whether you’re using a press or a rolling pin, you’ll want a flat surface and to lay out some gf flour or some chickpea flour. Knead the dough in the flour and make sure there is enough flour under the dough so it won’t stick and enough flour on the dough so your pin won’t stick. Roll out your dough very thin either with the pin or with the press.

Using a ravioli cutter, biscuit cutter, cookie cutter, or even a glass, cut the dough into 3”-4” squares or circles and place in a single layer on parchment paper. Don’t let them stick together or you will hate your life if you have to start over!

To assemble the ravioli, you’ll want a small bowl of water to wet the edges of the pasta. Once the edges are wet, place a small amount (about ½ tbsp) of the ricotta in the middle of the pasta. Gently place another pasta cut out on top and press the edges together. You can use a fork to press them tighter.

Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil.

To cook the ravioli, give your boiling water a stir, and drop them in one at a time making sure they don’t stick. Also, do not crowd your water! Work in batches to give your ravioli the space we all need. Cook the ravioli for about 5 minutes so pasta is cooked all the way through. Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon.

Serve with sauce and eat up!