Spinach Mushroom Ravioli

I am so happy to share this recipe with you today. It’s not just eggless but also made with einkorn flour which is so much easier to digest than regular wheat flour. Einkorn is an ancient grain that has never been hybridized or modified and, even though it contains gluten, I don’t have any issues with it. Since I couldn’t find any vegan einkorn ravioli recipe at all – and my mind was set on that – I decided to go on a little kitchen adventure and come up with it myself. I’m glad I did, because it definitely made my favorites list!

Ingredients:

For cashew Parmesan (optional, you can use store-bought vegan Parmesan instead):

• 1 cup (140 g) raw, unsalted cashews
• 1 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

For the tomato sauce:

• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 medium-size sweet onion, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• generous 3 lb (1400 g) tomatoes, diced
• 5 Tbsp homemade veggie broth concentrate or store-bought granulated vegetable broth to taste
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional, if you like it hot)

For the ravioli dough:

• 2 cups (265 g) all purpose einkorn flour
• 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) lukewarm water

For ravioli filling:

• 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 12 oz (340 g) crimini mushrooms, finely diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 oz (140 g) baby spinach
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• scant 1/2 tsp Celtic sea salt
• about 1/2 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves

To garnish:

• lots of fresh thyme twigs and leaves
• basil leaves (optional)

Preparation:

Wash and cut all your veggies and herbs.

Place all the cashew Parmesan ingredients into your blender or food processor. Pulse until a crumbled-Parmesan-like texture is achieved and transfer to a small serving dish.

For the tomato sauce, preheat a large pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add olive oil, then onion and sauté over medium heat until soft, 7-10 minutes. Add garlic and tomatoes, and bring to a boil. Add broth concentrate, maple syrup, dried herbs, and (optionally) crushed red pepper. Cook over medium heat for 15-20 minutes until tomatoes have fallen apart. Use a hand blender to partly puree the sauce. Season to taste.

For the dough: in a large bowl, blend einkorn flour with salt. I used a stand mixer for the following step, but you can also use your hands. Add water and knead until a homogeneous ball of dough is formed. I let my stand mixer do the messy work in the beginning, then used my hands until a rather firm and smooth dough was achieved. Cover bowl with damp kitchen towel and set aside.

For the filling, preheat a medium size pot over medium high heat. Add olive oil, then mushrooms and garlic and cook for about 7-10 minutes until all the liquid has evaporated. Add baby spinach and cook only until spinach has wilted, 2-3 minutes. Season with Celtic sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Meanwhile, dust your work area with some einkorn flour and use a rolling pin to very thinly roll out the dough. Use either a 3 inch (about 7 1/2 cm) diameter glass or round cookie cutter to cut out the ravioli. If you like squares better, use square shapes. Whatever makes you happy. Use up all the dough.

Now place about 1 heaped teaspoon of filling into the center of one of your cut-outs.

Moisten the edge with a little bit of water, then place another cut-out right on top of it. Use a fork to press down the sides.

Proceed like that with all the cut-outs. If you have only one left, just flip one side over and create a half moon.

Bring tomato sauce back to a simmer.

By now the salt water should have come to a rolling boil. Carefully and gradually slide all the ravioli into the boiling water. Cook on medium heat for about 2 1/2 – 3 minutes until ravioli rise up to the surface.

Use a slotted spoon to transfer them into the pot with tomato sauce or serve separately, if you like.

Sprinkle with cashew Parmesan, garnish with lots of fresh thyme, and serve immediately. Enjoy!

Notes:

• You can find more information about einkorn right here!
• Some pan fried pine nuts would be a wonderful addition.
• You can substitute the homemade tomato sauce with store-bought (but you would really miss out!).