Applewood Smoked Sausage and Cheese Ravioli in a Creamy Tuscan Sauce

I've made a few ravioli dishes in my life, but this... THIS is quite possibly my favorite. The smoky sausage mixture is so full of flavor. And paired with a perfectly creamy, but not heavy, sauce with spinach, bacon and sun-dried tomatoes, it's a delicious delicacy. If you don't have a smoker to smoke the sausage, don't worry, it will still be amazing. And if you don't want to make ravioli, you can use store-bought with this sauce!

Here's how to make it:

Ingredients

For the ravioli filling:

• 1 lb. Italian sausage in casing, cooked

• 1 large yellow onion, finely diced

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 15 oz. whole milk ricotta cheese

• 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped

• 1/2 TSP Italian seasoning

• 1/4 TSP sage

• 1/8 TSP nutmeg

• 1/2 TSP kosher or sea salt

• 1/4 TSP white pepper

For the pasta:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra

• 5 large eggs

• 1 TSP kosher or sea salt

• 1 TBS olive oil

• 1 egg white (for the ravioli prep)

For the Tuscan sauce:

• 2 TBS unsalted butter

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 TSP onion powder

• 1 TSP Italian seasoning

• 1 TBS fresh lemon juice

• 1/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock

• 1 cup heavy cream

• 1 cup baby spinach

• 3 slices bacon, cooked and chopped

• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil

• grated parmesan cheese and chopped basil, for topping

Instructions

Make the filling:

1. If you're smoking the sausage: place in smoker with your wood chips of choice (we used apple) and smoke at 225° F for about 2-3 hours. If not smoking, skip this step.

2. Cook the sausage in a skillet with the onion and garlic over medium heat until the onions are soft and translucent.

3. Add the sausage mixture into a food processor and pulse until pureed - this only takes about a minute or less.

4. Mix the ricotta, Parmesan, parsley, spices and the pureed sausage mixture in a medium bowl until well combined. Put in the fridge while you make your ravioli.

Make the dough:

1. Place the flour on a flat surface or silicone mat and make a well in the middle.

2. Add the eggs, salt and olive oil and, using a fork, gently mix together to form a smooth dough. Add more flour as needed to the dough so it isn't too sticky.

3. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let it rest at room temperature for 1 hour.

4. Cut the dough into 3-4 sections, sprinkle with flour and roll them out with a rolling pin, or with a pasta roller until they're about 1/8" thick.

Make the ravioli:

1. Lay out the first piece of dough on a slightly floured surface (to prevent sticking) and place about 1 1/2-2 TSP of the filling 2 inches apart. If you're using a ravioli maker, follow those instructions.

2. Brush the egg white on the dough, around the filling, making the dough damp but not wet.

3. Take the second piece of dough and cover the bottom piece with the filling.

4. Use your fingers to gently press around the edge of each ravioli .

5. Use a ravioli cutter to cut each ravioli and put them on a sheet pan sprinkled with flour (semolina flour works great).

6. Let the ravioli dry at room temp for about 30 minutes. You can make the sauce while it's resting.

7. Gently place the ravioli in boiling water using a slotted spoon and cook for 3-4 minutes, or until they're al dente.

Make the sauce:

1. Add the butter and 1 TBS of the sun-dried tomato oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat.

2. Once melted, add the garlic and allow for it to cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

3. Add the spinach and cook down for about a minute.

4. Add the Italian seasoning, onion powder, lemon juice, chicken stock, heavy cream, bacon and sun-dried tomatoes to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes.

5. Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and let cook together for about 1 minute before serving.

6. Garnish with basil and parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Note: This recipe makes a lot of ravioli. Put any extras into a freezer bag and freeze for up to 6 months.

Did you make it? Share pics in the comments!