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Eating something stuffed with cheese, breaded, then deep fried in a vat of oil is a treat for special occasions. I don’t think my body would like me very much if I ate food like that daily, but my taste buds might love me. That’s where recipes like this one for crisp ravioli (from Cooking Light) come into play. It’s a perfect compromise of delicious indulgence and wholesome practicality. You get the rich taste and crispy texture of deep-fried luxury without using an entire bottle of oil (which stinks up your kitchen, clogs up your heart, and is just plain laborious). If you’ve read any of my previous posts here at Handle the Heat, you might have noticed that recipes like this one are my favorite to post because they feature my personal favorite trifecta: quick, delicious, fresh.
Taste: Rich from the sauteing, sweet from the tomatoes, pungent from the garlic, peppery from the basil, and salty from the cheesy ravioli filling.
Texture: The ravioli is crave-able and crisp while the tomatoes add a pop of juiciness.
Ease: While this isn’t as easy as simply boiling ravioli, the lovely crisp texture is worth the extra time and effort.
Appearance: I’ll admit that when I was making this recipe I was a little skeptical because they didn’t have the uniform deep-golden appearance that deep-fried & breaded ravioli has. However, once I plated the ravioli for this recipe with the bright red tomatoes and green julienne of basil it started to look pretty tasty.
Pros: Just as tasty as deep-fried ravioli without the mess or grease. I also loved the pops of color and freshness from the tomato and basil.
Cons: A little bit more laborious than simply boiling ravioli.
Would I make this again? Probably!
Crisp Ravioli with Quick Roasted Tomato Sauce
Serves 4
From Cooking Light September 2010
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
- 1/4 cup (1 ounce) grated fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 (9-ounce) package fresh ravioli
- 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 4 cups grape tomatoes, halved (about 2 pints)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
1. Combine 2 tablespoons water and egg in a shallow dish, mixing well. Using a fork, combine panko and cheese in a shallow dish. Dip each ravioli in egg mixture then coat in panko mixture.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons oil to pan to coat. Add half of ravioli to pan in a single layer; sauté 1 minute on each side or until golden. Remove ravioli from pan using a slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil and ravioli. Wipe skillet with paper towels.
3. Add tomatoes, salt, and pepper to pan; sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic to pan; sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Divide ravioli evenly among 4 plates; top each serving with 1/2 cup tomato sauce. Serve with a leafy green side salad for a complete, wholesome meal.
These sound amazing! I would probably just bake them instead of in the skillet but still I am def. trying these soon.
When it's called “toasted” ravioli it sounds much healthier than “fried.” haha. I'm so glad you posted this healthier recipe!
This was delicious! I actually made my own ravioli and using this recipe just made it that much better. I just had to share it, if you don't mind:) Thanks for the recipe!
Made this for my mum tonight, with some alterations. We only had pre-seasoned Italian panko and canola oil, but she loved it! Will make again! Thanks so much for sharing.
Fried ravioli? I am intrigued!
I have something similar in the past with large ricotta ravioli and they were a big hit. Great for game night served with a spicy marinara for dipping.
Anonymous- If you are using relatively small sized fresh (not frozen) ravioli about 1 minute per side should be fine! Time frames in recipes are also usually a suggestion, if you don't think it looks golden then continue to saute until it does. I had no issues with the center being undercooked when I made these. Also, this recipe is from Cooking Light magazine so it has been tested in a professional kitchen. Hope that helps!
Is 1 minute per side really long enough for the ravioli to be cooked through? Seems like the centre would still be cool…
I have never braved fried ravioli- This looks amazing and so fresh!
love your blog!
I have been trying to figure out what to do with some ravioli I just bought…this sounds like a great meal!