These raviolos are rich, delicate, and surprisingly simple once you get the hang of sealing them. Each one has a smooth ricotta-spinach filling with a whole egg yolk tucked in the center, then gets tossed in sage brown butter and topped with Parmigiano. It’s a slow kitchen project but the payoff is unreal.

What is the history of egg yolk ravioli?

Egg yolk ravioli (often called raviolo al uovo) comes from Northern Italy, especially regions like Piedmont and Lombardy, where rich egg pasta and butter based sauces are a staple. It’s basically a ‘special occasion’ twist on traditional filled pasta; instead of just ricotta or spinach inside a whole yolk is sealed in the center so it stays soft and turns molten when the pasta is cut open. The idea plays perfectly into classic Italian technique; simple ingredients, precise timing, and a dramatic payoff. It became especially famous in modern restaurants because that runny yolk moment is visually perfect and completely addictive with sage brown butter and Parmigiano.

How to make egg yolk ravioli?

Make the pasta dough by placing flour in a large mixing bowl and making a well in the middle. Place 22 egg yolks in the well and with the dough hook attachment knead the dough on low speed until smooth, about 5 minutes. Form the dough into a ball and wrap with cling wrap. Let it rest for 45 minutes. Meanwhile make the filling. In a medium pan, sauté spinach in 2 tbsp butter until wilted. Season with 3/4 tsp salt and pepper. In a food processor, blend together ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, nutmeg, lemon zest, and spinach until smooth. Place the mixture in a piping bag. In a medium pot, bring salted water to boil. Divide the pasta dough into 6 equal pieces. Roll them out into sheets with a pasta roller starting from the thickest setting working down to the thinnest setting. Cut the dough sheets into 32 10cm x 10cm squares. Place 16 of the squares on a large surface and pipe filling into a circle in the middle of each square. Then place an egg yolk in the middle of each circle. Brush the remaining dough squares with egg white and place it on top of the filled squares with brushed side down. Lightly press the dough pieces together on the sides, and then using a 3” biscuit cutter cut the raviolos into circles. Press out any air pockets and firmly squeeze the sides together so filling won’t spill out. Working with 3 raviolos at a time, boil them for 3 minutes. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water. Make sage browned butter sauce by melting 1/2 cup of butter in a small sauce pan. Once foaming, whisk in handful of sage leaves. Then the reserved pasta water. Once the butter sauce is golden brown remove it from heat. Plate the raviolos and spoon the sage browned butter sauce on top. Garnish with freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.

Tips

If the yolk breaks just remove it off and make sure the edges of the pasta stay clean. Anything on the seam will make the ravioli fall apart.
Make sure the sides are tightly secured together before boiling.
Keep an eye on the butter when browning it - it will quickly go from beautiful golden brown to burnt!