Look, sometimes you just want full decadence right?! This bacon and ricotta filled ravioli in a creamy mushroom sauce has date night or dinner party written all over it. I promise this is a really achievable dish to make at home, I'll take you through all the steps. Homemade ravioli is such a special thing to make for people and this mushroom cream sauce is honestly to die for.
Hi! I just felt like making something rich, decadent and delicious so SUE ME. This pasta dish is me in a nutshell. The bacon and ricotta ravioli filling is so good you'll be eating it by the spoonful and the sauce is a classic.
TIP! Use this sauce with any store-bought ravioli! It would be amazing with any cheese or mushroom ravioli!
I have used one of John Francis Designs ravioli molds, if you have a mold at home then check out my Easy Guide for Using a Ravioli Mold. No problems if you don't have one as I have a Guide to Easy Homemade Ravioli for a traditional ravioli shape. You could also make any filled shape you like, Triangoli or Homemade Cappelletti would both be great choices!
What you'll need
Main Ingredients:
Pasta dough - You can use my Easy Homemade Pasta Dough for the perfect fresh egg pasta dough.
Ricotta - The base of the ravioli filling.
Bacon - I use streaky bacon which is fried until golden brown then finely chopped.
Fresh Mushrooms - Use any type of mushrooms you like. I use brown or white mushrooms but a combination of anything including cremini mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms would be great too.
Fresh herbs - There is sage in the sauce and rosemary on top when serving.
White wine - I use generally use a Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio for cooking.
Single or light cream - I don't like to use heavy cream as I find it can get too thick as I always add parmesan to the sauce.
Parmesan cheese - Finely grated with a microplane or using the star side of your box grater.
Lemon - I always add fresh lemon juice to a creamy sauce, it balances out the richness. Grating the zest on top is the perfect finishing touch too.
Filling ingredients
Sauce ingredients
Equipment
Pasta roller - Yes you can roll pasta out by hand with a rolling pin but a pasta roller really is the easiest and fastest way. I use both a Marcato 150 and the kitchen aid pasta roller attachment.
Wooden chopping board - It always works best making pasta on a wooden surface.
Sharp knife or pizza cutter - To cut the edges of ravioli you need a sharp knife to get good clean cuts, a pizza cutter is great! An optional tool for cutting the edges is a fluted pasta and pastry wheel.
Making the ravioli
I have used a ravioli mold as it's so quick (and pretty!) but you can use the dough and filling for any filled shape you like.
easy option
Storing the ravioli
My biggest tip for making a dish like this is to make the bacon and ricotta cheese ravioli ahead of time and freeze. I have a really handy guide on How to Store Ravioli. It's a great method of pre-blanching, drying and freezing.
It means if you are making this for guests or making ravioli for the first time, all the hard work can be pre-done the day, week or moth before. On the night you just have to boil them from frozen and make the sauce.
How to make the filling and creamy sauce
Full ingredient list and method is in the recipe card below.
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ONE: Fry the bacon over a medium high heat until golden brown. Set aside to cool then chop.
TWO: Blend the bacon with the ricotta and black pepper. Season to taste with sea salt.
THREE: In a bowl or a piping bag, put the filling in the fridge until ready to use. It's easier to make filled pasta with cold ricotta fillings as it's more solid.
FOUR: Toast the mushrooms in a large skillet in butter and olive oil until golden brown. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water at this stage.
FIVE: Add the garlic and sage then the white wine to reduce, scraping any browned bits from bottom of pan.
SIX: Add the cream, you should only have a medium heat or lower. A very gentle simmer only.
SEVEN: Push the mushrooms to one side and add the grated parmesan cheese, letting it melt into the cream.
EIGHT: Allow the creamy parmesan sauce to gently bubble away for a few minutes to thicken. Add the cooked ravioli straight in and continue to gently bubble for another minute or so.
Recipe FAQs
I test my recipes for two. The amount of pasta my pasta recipe makes is for four but I don't like scaling that recipe down. The filling will probably stretch to four and you can double the sauce easily.
Yes 100%! This sauce will be magic with any of your favorite store-bought ravioli.
Keep it simple, a nice leafy salad and some crusty bread to mop up the sauce will be perfect.
Want some other delicious pasta recipes to try?
If you want a little less hassle then make my Creamy Mushroom Pasta with Olives, it's a really popular recipe. For something equally creamy and delicious then try my Easy Cheese Pasta Sauce with Bacon And Thyme. My Creamy Sausage Pasta is also very high on the comfort food scale!
with Olives
Made this recipe and loved it?
I would love love LOVE if you could leave me a review down below and let me know what you thought! I love to hear any changes or adaptions you have made on my pasta dishes too. Also if you put a photo on instagram, please tag me so I can see, it makes my day!
Recipe
Bacon and Ricotta Ravioli in a Creamy Mushroom Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 x batch of my homemade pasta dough
For the filling:
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 5 - 6 rashers streaky bacon
- 250 g ricotta
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon black pepper
- Salt to taste
For the sauce
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 160 grams mushrooms sliced
- 3 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 heaped tablespoon fresh sage leaves finely chopped
- ⅓ cup white wine
- ⅔ cup cream
- 40 grams parmesan finely grated with a microplane or star side of box grater
- ½ tablespoon lemon juice plus the zest to serve
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 heaped tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves to serve
Instructions
Make the filling
- Fry the bacon in the butter over a medium-high heat until golden brown and crisp.
- Set aside to cool then chop relatively finely and mix with the ricotta and pepper. I also add all thr fat left in the pan too, that's your call!
- Put the filling in a piping bag or bowl in the fridge until ready to use.
Make the ravioli
- Make the ravioli or filled pasta of your choice. Use my Ravioli Guide if you need but make any shape you like. See notes above for suggestions too. You could also use store bought ravioli!
Make the sauce
- Heat the olive oil and butter in a large fry pan over medium high heat.
- Add the mushrooms, toss them in the butter and oil then leave alone to brown 5 - 7 mins, turning once or twice.
- Turn the heat down slightly then add the garlic and herbs and cook for a minute or so but don't let the garlic brown. Season with a good pinch of salt and pepper.
- Add the wine and let it bubble for 2 mins or until slightly reduced.
- Add the cream, giving it a good mix. You don't want it to boil, it should just be at a nice gentle simmer the whole time so turn heat to low if you need.
- Move the mushrooms to one side of the pan and add the parmesan to the cream in a few lots, mixing in between each addition to let it melt.
- Add the lemon juice and whisk in quickly.
- Let it gently simmer for a few mins until it thickens slightly.
- Taste for seasoning, I go pretty hard with pepper but you do you!
- Add the cooked ravioli straight in and let it bubble away gently for a couple of minutes.
- Serve with lemon zest and the fresh rosemary on top plus some freshly grated parmesan and black pepper. Don't skip these toppings, they finish the dish really perfectly.
Notes
- Serving size. I generally test recipes for two but this can all easily be doubled for four. The pasta batch will feed four, I don't like scaling that recipe down to two.
- Filling. Ricotta fillings are easier to work with when they have been in the fridge as it solidifies slightly and makes the ravioli easier to shape.
Irini Amerikanou says
This recipe was delicious!
I made the ravioli the night before and froze it, so I only had to worry about the sauce the day of.
Unfortunately I missread the recipe and bought less mushrooms than needed. Still amazingly delicious but it would be perfect had I used the right amount!
Thank you very much for the recipe!
Melissa Milner says
I’ve made this recipes multiple times and is always a crowd pleaser. I’ve substituted bacon for chorizo a couple of times also and works, def is a little saltier so I just adjust accordingly.
Just Devine this recipe so.
camilla says
I really loved this recipe and my children keen asking me to make it again ?
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much Camilla!! 🙂
Carla says
Hi! Thank you for the recipe! I read that Ricotta becomes grainy and watery when frozen. Is this not the case here?
Thank you!
Carla
Emilie Pullar says
Hi Carla, do you mean in terms of freezing the ravioli? I have never found that! I tend to boil my filled pasta before freezing (I have a guide on that) so maybe that helps 🙂
Rachel says
Fab recipe as always!!
Jennifer Smith says
These flavor combinations are phenomenal. So good!
Emilie Pullar says
Thanks so much for making Jennifer!! So glad you enjoyed it x
Hanna says
Made this with a cacio e pepe sauce instead (my family doesn’t like mushrooms). They were in LOVE! The filling is amazing. Can’t wait to make this again!
Emilie Pullar says
Ohhh love that idea!! 🙂
Harriet Lai says
The ricotta and bacon combo is so good! Now on regular rotation, delicious!