Toasted Ravioli from Scratch – Baked or Fried

February 6, 2021
Toasted Ravioli recipe Super Bowl

Crispy, toasted ravioli dipped in warm marinara sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley is a St. Louis classic! I’ll show you how to make cheese ravioli from scratch. It’s the perfect party appetizer – for the Super Bowl or any other occasion.

Toasted Ravioli is made using cheese filled ravioli, coating it in bread crumbs and frying until golden brown and crisp. Traditionally, in Missouri this appetizer is fried, but I’ve added instructions in the recipe below for baking it in the oven as well. 

Toasted Cheese Ravioli recipe

How to make toasted ravioli in the oven

Instead of deep frying, you can make toasted ravioli in the oven. To do so, coat each ravioli with breading, then arrange the ravioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Preheat oven to 425 °C (220 °C) or 400 °F (200 °C) if using a fan-oven. Spray tops of ravioli with cooking spray or drizzle with oil and bake for about 15 minutes until golden. They might turn out slightly crispier than fried ones.

Step-by-step recipe St. Louis-style toasted ravioli

It’s fun to make ravioli from scratch but it will take a while and you won’t notice their homemade taste after frying. So, I suggest to use store-bought ones when in a hurry. Still for completeness, the instructions on how to make cheese ravioli from scratch are given here.

How to make pasta dough for ravioli

Make the pasta dough and let it rest for 30 minutes. Meanwhile prepare marinara and the breading.

Homemade marinara for toasted ravioli recipe

Heat crushed tomatoes, parmesan, herbs, a pinch of salt, and pepper in a saucepan and let it cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm. Alternatively, you can use your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for a quick approach.

Toasted Ravioli panieren

In a shallow bowl beat together egg and milk with a fork. Put bread crumbs in another shallow bowl, add parmesan and mix with a fork until combined well.

How to make Toasted Ravioli from scratch

Cut dough in half and re-wrap one half so it doesn’t dry. Roll the other portion of the dough into a thin sheet either with a rolling pin (like I do), or with a pasta machine. Arrange cheese cubes spaced apart onto one half of the dough, saving half of the cheese for the wrapped dough.

How to make Toasted Ravioli from scratch recipe

Brush the area around the cheese with water, then fold dough over the cheese. Press firmly with your fingers to make sure the cheese is tightly wrapped in dough with no air pockets inside. Cut dough with a fluted pasta cutter or knife into squares.

Homemade cheese Ravioli for toasted ravioli

Check every ravioli again if tightly sealed (if not, cheese might ooze out while frying). Proceed the same way with the remaining dough.

Baked Ravioli Recipe Super Bowl

Dip each ravioli in the egg-milk mixture, letting excess drip off,  and then dredge in bread crumbs. Coat both sides of the ravioli well, shaking off excess. Place on a large baking sheet. If you prefer to bake them in the oven (see instructions above), line the sheet with parchment paper.

Fried Ravioli recipe

Fry ravioli in batches in the hot oil, turning them half-way through, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer ravioli to paper towels to drain.

If you would rather bake the toasted ravioli in the oven, see instructions above.

Toasted Ravioli recipe from scratch

Transfer them to a serving platter, sprinkle on the parmesan and parsley. Serve them with warm marinara sauce for dipping.

Enjoy!

Toasted Ravioli from Scratch – Baked or Fried

Yield: ca. 45 toasted ravioli, appetizer for 4-6 persons

Toasted Ravioli from Scratch – Baked or Fried

Crispy, toasted ravioli dipped in warm marinara sauce, topped with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley is a St. Louis classic! You can either fry them or bake them in the oven (see note below). It’s fun to make ravioli from scratch but it will take a while and you won’t notice their homemade taste after frying. So, I suggest to use store-bought ones when in a hurry.

Quick version: For a speedy version of this snack, use 1 lb (450 g) store-bought cheese ravioli from the refrigerator section at your supermarket or use frozen ravioli and defrost in the fridge overnight. As for the marinara, you can also use 1 1/2 cups of your favorite store-bought marinara sauce for a quick approach.

Recipe: Ursula | lilvienna.com

Ingredients

    Ravioli-dough (alternatively, use store-bought ravioli, see intro):
  • 2 large eggs, at room temperature
  • 1 cup + 2 tablespoons (155 g) bread flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine salt
  • Filling: 7 oz (200 g) cheese from a block, like low moisture Mozzarella, Gouda, or Monterey Jack
  • Italian breading:
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 3/4 cup (80 g) Italian bread crumbs*
  • 2 tablespoons (10 g) freshly and finely grated parmesan cheese
  • Marinara sauce:
  • 14 oz (400 g) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 tablespoons (10 g) freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme) or 2 teaspoons dry herbs like Italian seasoning*
  • Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
  • In addition:
  • 2 cups vegetable oil for frying
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese and minced parsley to finish

Instructions

    Ravioli-dough:
  1. In a bowl, whisk eggs and salt with a fork. Add about half of the flour (simply eyeball it), mix until combined. Incorporate the rest of the flour with the fork. As soon as ingredients form a shaggy dough, knead it on a floured counter.
  2. Knead the dough vigorously until smooth, about 10 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a dusting of flour, if it is too dry, sprinkle with water while kneading.
  3. Wrap the dough tightly in cling wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes or up to several hours at room temperature. Meanwhile, prepare marinara and breading.
  4. Marinara sauce:
  5. Heat crushed tomatoes, parmesan, herbs, a pinch of salt, and pepper in a saucepan and let it cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm, covered or re-heat briefly when needed.
  6. Italian breading:
  7. In a shallow bowl beat together egg and milk with a fork.
  8. Put bread crumbs in another shallow bowl, add parmesan and mix with a fork until combined well.
  9. Make ravioli:
  10. Cut cheese into 1/4-inch or 1/2 cm thick slices. Cut each slice into cubes of 3/4-inch (2 cm). Set aside.
  11. Cut dough in half and re-wrap one half so it doesn’t dry.
  12. Roll the other portion of the dough into a thin sheet (18x12 inch or 45x30 cm), either with a rolling pin (like I do), or with a pasta machine. Flour dough and counter as needed to prevent the dough from sticking.
  13. Fold the dough in half, like you would close a book. Slightly put pressure on the fold to mark the center of the dough. Open up dough again. Now the sheet should be placed in front of you with a line, marking the center.
  14. Arrange cheese cubes spaced apart onto one half of the dough, saving half of the cheese for the wrapped dough.
  15. Brush the area around the cheese with water, then fold dough over the cheese. Press firmly with your fingers to make sure the cheese is tightly wrapped in dough with no air pockets inside.
  16. Cut dough with a fluted pasta cutter or knife into squares. Check every ravioli again if tightly sealed (if not, cheese might ooze out while frying). Proceed the same way with the remaining dough.
  17. Bread ravioli:
  18. Dip each ravioli in the egg-milk mixture, letting excess drip off, and then dredge in bread crumbs. Coat both sides of the ravioli well, shaking off excess. Place on a large baking sheet. If you prefer to bake them in the oven (see note below), line the sheet with parchment paper.
  19. Fry ravioli (for baking, see note):
  20. Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 340 °F / 170 °C degrees.
  21. Fry ravioli in batches in the hot oil, turning them half-way through, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Transfer ravioli to paper towels to drain. Repeat with the rest of the ravioli.
  22. Transfer them to a serving platter, sprinkle on the parmesan and parsley. Serve them with warm marinara sauce for dipping. Enjoy!

Notes

* Italian bread crumbs / Italian seasoning:

If you only have regular dry breadcrumbs on hand mix them with 1.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning, a few grinds black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, and a pinch of salt. If you don’t have Italian seasoning at home, you can substitute 1 teaspoon dry basil, 1/2 teaspoon dry oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon dry thyme.

Baking toasted ravioli in the oven:

Instead of deep frying, you can make toasted ravioli in the oven. Coat with breading, then arrange the ravioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 425 °C (220 °C) or 400 °F (200 °C) if using a fan-oven. Spray tops of ravioli with cooking spray or drizzle with oil and bake for about 15 minutes until golden. They might turn out slightly crispier than fried ones.

https://www.lilvienna.com/toasted-ravioli-from-scratch/

Toasted Ravioli from Scratch – Baked or Fried was last modified: February 6th, 2021 by Ursula

8 thoughts on “Toasted Ravioli from Scratch – Baked or Fried

  1. Matt Bozada

    Nice recipe but being s born and raised St Louisan, AND having worked at St Louis restaurants like Kemols, Tony Gittos, Del Pieatros, The St Louis classic toasted ravioli is meat filled using a mixture of veal, chicken and pork.

    Reply
    1. Ursula Post author

      Hi Mat,
      Good to know, thanks so much for pointing this out! I’ve only had them once (with cheese filling) and of course loved them. The next time I‘ll try your suggested ravioli filling. – Ursula

      Reply
    1. Ursula Post author

      Hi Mark,
      You can find the yield directly below the title of the framed recipe card. It makes ca. 45 toasted ravioli, which equals an appetizer for 4-6 persons. Hope that you’ll try it :)
      Ursula

      Reply
    1. Ursula Post author

      Hi Tara,
      Yes, you can make them ahead. Follow the recipe through step 14 (until they’ve been breaded), then place in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, covered, for 3-4 hours. Then follow the directions for frying or baking.
      Alternatively you can make everything ahead: Place fried ravioli in a single layer on a cookie sheet, freeze, then transfer to a zip-loc bag. Reheat on a sheet lined with parchment in a 350 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes, or until hot. Hope this helps, Ursula

      Reply
  2. Tom

    I made these with a scratch made ravioli dough, filling of ground beef. ground Italian Sausage, Colby Jack, Parmesan, sour cream, cream cheese, and seasonings. i cut them in 3.5×3.5 inch squares and fried in a cast iron pan. They came out very well, nice and crispy outside. I don’t see a way to post photos. Thank you for the recipe.

    Reply
    1. Ursula Post author

      Hi Tom,
      So happy that your toasted ravioli turned out well! Thanks so much for letting me know. And wow for the homemade ravioli dough :)
      If you want me to show the result, please send the photo to enjoy[@]lilvienna.com

      Reply

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