Meatless Monday - Homemade toasted ravioli

For lots more info on Meatless Mondays - news, tons of great recipes, information and links galore - don't forget about the official Meatless Monday site! It's a great resource!

This week's Meatless Monday recipe gets BIG thumbs up from my kids - toasted ravioli! I got the idea from Clean Eating magazine, but this is a recipe that is so easy to make your own. Pair the ravioli with the sauce of your choice and have fun dipping!

I used a very simple goat cheese and roasted red pepper filling for my ravioli. I'm a huge goat cheese fan, so these were right up my alley. The goat cheese is rich, so I think that next time I might try cutting it with a little pureed sweet potato or (if I want to stick with a cheese ravioli) some ricotta cheese. We paired our ravioli with a simple marinara sauce from a jar. The kids had a lot of fun picking up and dipping their ravioli - another plus to the recipe.

Take this recipe and make it your own! Simply replace my filling with whatever suits you (though, I must say, my filling is pretty darn good) - Pureed vegetables, your favorite cheese, whatever! You could even do a Mexican twist by filling your ravioli with Mexican cheeses, onion, and and a little cumin and dipping in salsa or guacamole. You're only limited by your own imagination!


Toasted Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Roasted Red Pepper Filling

1 package wonton wrappers
1/2 cup goat cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
2 TBSP fresh basil, minced
chopped jarred roasted red pepper, water packed
grated parmesan cheese
Marinara sauce (we used Newman's Own Marinara)

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a bowl, mix the goat cheese, green onion, and basil together.

Spoon about a teaspoonful of filling in the center of the wonton wrapper. Add roasted red pepper to taste. I added just a little as the flavor of the peppers is intense. (If your wonton wrappers are too big to make a nice size ravioli, cut them to the size that works best for you.)

Dip your fingers into a little water and wet the edge of the wonton. Fold the wonton in half and seal the edges together. Place wonton ravioli on a baking sheet that has been sprayed with oil.

Spray tops of ravioli with a little oil (use a light hand with the oil) and top with grated parmesan cheese.

Bake for 8-10 min or until the ravioli are golden brown. Serve with a small bowl of marinara sauce for dipping.

And for those nights when you just don't have the time or inclination to make your own ravioli, you can also buy ravioli and serve the cooked ravioli with a dipping sauce. My kids loved picking up the ravioli to dip! Be careful when buying premade fresh pastas, though. Many have hidden trans fat (in the form of partially hydrogenated oils). We've bought and enjoyed Cucina Fresca brand pasta - trans fat free!