National Ravioli Day

March 20 is National Ravioli Day. I’m going to make a simple yet delicious ravioli dish in under 15 minutes using ingredients right from the grocer’s shelf.

When I was a kid it was a matter of my mother opening a can of Chef Boyardee. I’ve come to expect more than a single can meal but even on a good day I’m not going to make fresh pasta and fill and cut the sheets to make these delicacies from scratch. Tried it once, never again. What a mess!

But over the last couple of years I’ve discovered some superb fresh raviolis and tortellinis in the refrigerator case at the grocery store. Along the right sauce this store-bought pasta can become a very nice meal. The best Ravioli I’ve found is the Giovanni Rana. I’ve found Giovanni’s Lobster Ravioli at Costco. I’ll make a separate video for that recipe as the sauce is a reduction and is beautiful.

Today Im going to use the Giovanni Rana’s roast chicken and rosemary. And I’m not even going to doctor up the jarred sauce. My good friends over at Mazzetta are not only making excellent pasta sauces but making them in the perfect size. Most jarred sauces are about 25 ounces. Most portions of fresh ravioli are 10 to 12 ounces. That much sauce drowns the ravioli and any delicate flavor from the filling will be lost. These new Mazzetta sauces are only 16.25 ounces and the perfect size for 10-12 ounces of pasta making 2 very large portions for dinner or 4 small plates as a first course. Of course the option is to use 16 ounces of a 25 ounce jar and refrigerate the rest. But now you’ve got sauce in the refrigerator that’s just going to sit there and grow mold.

The sauce I’m using today Is Mazzetta’s marinara with whole garlic and sweet basil. I’m going to heat the sauce and cook for about 10 minutes. The pasta is done in 3.5 minutes. Then I’m simply going to add some freshly grated parmesan cheese on top and serve. Add a side salad and, BOOM, there you have it, a simple and delicious way to celebrate National Ravioli Day.

Ciao For Now
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