Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce and Cheese and Rosemary Breadsticks

Let's talk tomato sauce.  Sometimes tomato sauce can be somewhat acidic. When my daughter was little she didn't care for that sharp flavor so I would tone down the tomato sauce by adding a little cream.  As a bonus, the cream caused the tomato sauce to turn pink, and since pink was her favorite color it was an all around success.  The addition of cream was such a hit that I rarely make any tomato sauce without adding a splash, or two.  

This recipe for Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce caught my attention because it calls for ricotta cheese to be melted into the tomato sauce.  I was interested in trying this new version of creamy tomato sauce and I must say we did enjoy it.  After all, it's certainly hard to argue with idea of adding any kind of cheese to tomato sauce.  This ravioli was a fast and easy family dinner that was loved by all.  We also loved dunking the cheesy breadsticks into the leftover sauce.  Delicious!

Ravioli with Creamy Tomato Sauce

Recipe found on Food Network

by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4-6

 

1/4 cup plus 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 pounds spinach ravioli 

 1 cup purchased marinara sauce
1/2 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add about 1/4 cup olive oil to the water to help prevent pasta from sticking. Add the ravioli and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Drain the ravioli, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Toss the ravioli with the remaining oil to coat.

Meanwhile, bring the marinara sauce to a simmer in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking often. Whisk in the ricotta and enough reserved cooking water to thin the sauce to desired consistency. For a thicker sauce, use less pasta water; for a thinner sauce, add more water. Return the sauce to a simmer. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.
 

Gently toss the ravioli with the creamy tomato sauce, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and basil, and serve immediately.

 

Cheese and Rosemary Breadsticks

Recipe found on Food Network

by Giada De Laurentiis

Serves 4-6

1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup grated Gruyere
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 (11-ounce) container refrigerated breadstick dough (recommended: Pillsbury)
Finely ground sea salt, optional

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 heavy large baking sheets with silicone baking sheets or parchment paper. In a food processor, chop the Parmesan, Gruyere and rosemary together until coarsely chopped. Set the cheese mixture aside. Separate the dough strips. Using a pizza cutter or a large sharp knife, cut each dough strip in half lengthwise to form thin strips. Working with dough strip at a time, coat each strip with the cheese mixture, pressing very gently. Twist each cheese covered dough strip and place onto prepared baking sheets. Sprinkle with the salt, if you wish.

Bake until the breadsticks are golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer the warm breadsticks to a basket and serve.

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