Dinner Mains Pasta Recipes
Carrot Ravioli with Whipped Sweet Potato Lemon Filling
These Carrot Ravioli with Whipped Sweet Potato Lemon Filling are the most visually stunning homemade pasta you will ever pull out of your kitchen. Vibrant orange pasta dough made with turmeric and eggs, filled with a creamy whipped sweet potato and carrot filling brightened with lemon zest, and finished with delicate green dough tops that make every single piece look like a work of art. If you have been looking for a homemade pasta recipe that is as beautiful as it is delicious, this is the one. Playful, elevated, and completely unforgettable.
Ingredients you’ll need:
- All Purpose Flour: The base of both the orange and green pasta doughs. Works beautifully here for a tender, rollable dough. You can substitute 00 flour for a silkier, more traditional pasta texture.
- Eggs: Give the orange pasta dough its structure, richness, and beautiful golden color. Large eggs at room temperature work best.
- Turmeric: The secret behind the vibrant orange color of the pasta dough. It adds a very subtle warmth without any strong flavor. Do not skip it as it is what makes this recipe visually stunning.
- Olive Oil: Just a small amount in both doughs to keep them supple and easy to roll. Extra virgin gives the best flavor.
- Green Food Coloring: Just one drop is all you need for the green dough tops. You can substitute a small amount of spinach powder for a completely natural alternative.
- Sweet Potato: Roasted until caramelized and sweet before being whipped into the filling. Roasting is non-negotiable here as it concentrates the flavor completely.
- Carrot: Roasted alongside the sweet potato and blended into the filling. Adds natural sweetness and a beautiful depth of flavor to the filling.
- Cream Cheese or Mascarpone: Whips into the filling to create that luscious, creamy texture. Mascarpone gives a richer, more indulgent result while cream cheese gives a slightly tangier filling.
- Lemon Zest and Lemon Juice: The brightness that makes this filling extraordinary. The lemon cuts through the richness of the sweet potato and cream cheese perfectly.
- Maple Syrup or Honey: Just a small amount to enhance the natural sweetness of the roasted vegetables. Both keep this recipe refined sugar free.
Why You'll Love This Carrot Ravioli:
1. Visually Stunning and Completely Original: The vibrant orange pasta dough with delicate green tops makes these ravioli look like nothing else you have ever seen. This is the recipe that stops the scroll every single time.
2. The Filling is Extraordinary: Whipped roasted sweet potato and carrot with cream cheese, lemon zest, and a touch of maple syrup is one of the most delicious pasta fillings you will ever taste. Rich, bright, and completely balanced.
3. A True Showstopper for Entertaining: This is the recipe you make when you want to genuinely impress someone. It looks like it came from a Michelin starred restaurant and is made entirely from scratch in your home kitchen.
4. The Two-Tone Dough Technique is Easier Than It Looks: The orange and green doughs come together quickly and the two-tone technique is far more approachable than it appears. Once you make it once you will want to make it every week.
5. Completely Vegetarian: The entire recipe is naturally vegetarian from the pasta dough to the filling. A stunning centerpiece dish that works for any table.
6. Meal Prep Friendly: The ravioli can be made ahead and frozen before cooking. Pull them straight from the freezer into boiling water for a restaurant quality dinner any night of the week.
7. Customizable Sauce Pairings: These ravioli are incredible with brown butter and sage, a light cream sauce, or simply a drizzle of good olive oil and parmesan. The sweet potato filling works beautifully with so many different finishes.
How to Make Carrot Ravioli with Whipped Sweet Potato Lemon Filling
Step 1: Roast the Sweet Potato and Carrot: Roast sweet potato and carrot at 400°F until completely caramelized and tender, about 25 to 30 minutes. Roasting rather than boiling is essential here as it concentrates the sweetness and removes excess moisture from the filling.
Step 2: Make the Orange Pasta Dough: Combine all purpose flour, eggs, olive oil, salt, and turmeric. Mix until a rough dough forms then knead 8 to 10 minutes until completely smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Resting is non-negotiable as it relaxes the gluten and makes rolling significantly easier.
Step 3: Make the Green Dough: Combine all purpose flour, water, olive oil, one drop of green food coloring, and a pinch of salt. Knead until smooth. This dough is for the decorative tops of each raviolo only so you need a much smaller amount. Wrap and rest alongside the orange dough.
Step 4: Make the Whipped Filling: Blend or food process roasted sweet potato and carrot until completely smooth. Add cream cheese or mascarpone, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup or honey, salt, nutmeg, and black pepper. Whip until light, creamy, and completely smooth. Taste and adjust lemon and seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to fill.
Step 5: Roll and Fill the Ravioli Roll orange pasta dough out thin on a floured surface. Place small spoonfuls of filling evenly spaced across half the dough. Fold the other half over the filling and press firmly around each mound to seal with no air pockets. Cut into individual ravioli using a ravioli cutter or sharp knife.
Step 6: Add the Green Tops Roll green dough very thin and cut into small decorative shapes. Press gently onto the top of each sealed raviolo. These do not need to seal completely as they are purely decorative and cook along with the ravioli.
Step 7: Cook and Serve Cook ravioli in heavily salted boiling water for 3 to 4 minutes until they float and are tender. Finish with your sauce of choice, extra lemon zest, and freshly grated parmesan.
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Tips for the Best Carrot Ravioli
1. Rest the Dough a Full 30 Minutes: Do not rush this step. Rested dough is significantly easier to roll thin and is far less likely to tear when you fold it over the filling.
2. Roast Do Not Boil the Vegetables: Boiling adds water to the filling which makes it too wet and causes the ravioli to burst during cooking. Roasting removes moisture and concentrates flavor. Always roast.
3. Make Sure the Filling is Completely Cool Before Using: Hot filling will steam the pasta from the inside and make it difficult to seal properly. Refrigerate the filling for at least 20 minutes before filling the ravioli.
4. Press Out Every Air Pocket When Sealing: Air pockets are the number one reason ravioli burst during cooking. Press firmly around each mound of filling working from the center outward to push any trapped air toward the edges before sealing.
5. Cook in Heavily Salted Water: Pasta water should taste like the sea. Properly salted water seasons the pasta from the inside out and is the difference between bland and genuinely delicious ravioli.
6. Do Not Overcrowd the Pot: Cook ravioli in batches if needed. Overcrowding drops the water temperature and causes uneven cooking and sticking.
7. Serve Immediately: Fresh ravioli do not sit well. Have your sauce ready and your plates warm before the ravioli go into the water so you can serve them the moment they are cooked.
How to Store
1. Refrigerator: Uncooked ravioli can be stored on a lightly floured parchment lined tray covered loosely for up to 24 hours in the refrigerator. Do not stack them or they will stick together.
2. Freezer: Freeze uncooked ravioli in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet for 1 hour until solid then transfer to a freezer bag. Keeps for up to 2 months. Cook directly from frozen adding 1 to 2 extra minutes to the cooking time.
3. Cooked Ravioli: Cooked ravioli can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Toss with a little olive oil before storing to prevent sticking.
4. Reheating: Reheat cooked ravioli gently in a pan with your sauce over low heat. Add a splash of pasta water to loosen. Avoid microwaving as it makes the pasta rubbery and the filling grainy.
5. Make Ahead: Both pasta doughs and the whipped filling can be made up to 24 hours ahead and stored separately in the refrigerator. Assemble and fill the ravioli the day you plan to serve them for the freshest result.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without a pasta machine? Yes. A rolling pin works perfectly for this recipe. Roll as thin as you can get it, aiming for about 2mm thickness. The thinner the better for tender ravioli that cook evenly.
Can I make the filling without cream cheese? Yes. Mascarpone is the best substitute for a richer result. Ricotta also works and gives a lighter, slightly grainier filling. Both are delicious.
What sauce works best with these ravioli? Brown butter and sage is the classic pairing and works beautifully with the sweet potato filling. A light lemon cream sauce also works incredibly well and echoes the lemon in the filling. Simple olive oil and parmesan is always a perfect choice.
Can I skip the green dough? Yes. The green dough is purely decorative. The orange ravioli are stunning on their own and the recipe works perfectly without the two-tone element if you want to simplify.
Why did my ravioli burst during cooking? Almost always air pockets in the filling or a weak seal. Make sure to press firmly around each mound of filling working from center to edges before sealing, and make sure the filling is completely cool before using.
Can I use store bought pasta dough? Yes for the orange dough base but the turmeric color and homemade flavor are a big part of what makes this recipe special. If you use store bought, add a small pinch of turmeric to warm water and knead it into the dough to get some of the color back.
How do I know when the ravioli are cooked? Fresh ravioli are cooked when they float to the surface and the dough looks slightly translucent, about 3 to 4 minutes. Taste one to confirm the pasta is tender before draining.
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Carrot Ravioli with Whipped Sweet Potato Lemon Filling
Ingredients
Method
- Mix flour, salt, and turmeric, then add eggs and olive oil and knead until smooth and elastic, then rest. Knead green dough ingredients until smooth and rest, then roll thin and cut into small leaf shapes.
- Blend roasted sweet potato, carrot, cheeses, lemon zest, lemon juice, maple syrup, salt, nutmeg, and pepper until completely smooth and thick enough to pipe.
- Roll orange dough very thin, cut into ovals, pipe filling into a carrot shape, place a green dough leaf at the top, fold and seal, then shape into a carrot form and add texture lines.
- Boil gently until ravioli float and are tender, then remove carefully and serve warm.
Nutrition
Notes
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