Plant-Based/Vegan Lobster Ravioli
RECIPE BELOW!! This recipe is PLANT-BASED/VEGAN you guys!!! 🎉 NO meat, dairy, or any other animal products!! Yes, I'll wait for you to do your happy dance...
⚜️ HERE WE HAVE: ⚜️
✨ Simple & fresh homemade pasta
✨ Simple cashew/tofu ricotta cheese, lightly seasoned
✨ Simply sautéed white mushrooms with shallot, celery, and Old Bay seasoning
✨ Topped with a simple warmed blush tomato sauce & fresh parsley for garnish
🌱 All in all, it's 4 simple recipes put together to make an amazingly tasty seafoodless dish!
🦞 Who would have thought that a Melissa & Doug Pasta toy set would inspire this?! LOL! We were playing with it Christmas night, and it jogged some memories! Back when Olive Garden first came to town, it was one of my then boyfriend now husband's fancier go-to places for date night. What did I always get?? The lobster ravioli with the sautéd shrimp on top with the blush sauce. Oh my goooosh it was great! Now being a much more experienced cook, I wanted to re-create that in a plant-based/vegan form!
This isn't the quickest meal, and it tastes some ingredients, but it's REALLY delicious!! My mom even ate the leftover filling by itself it was that good! I had 5 different people, vegan & non-vegans alike, taste the ravioli, and it's cajun approved! "Wow, how does this taste like real seafood?!"
In the video, I tried 2 different ravioli: the spinach and the "lobster." 4/5 people liked the lobster better, and 1/5 preferred the spinach. So I'll be posting the lobster recipe. NOTE: It would be great to separate some sautéed mushrooms out for topping the ravioli for an extra "wow" factor & some added texture and flavor! ENJOY Y'ALL!!
Plant-Based Lobster Ravioli
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour (use whole wheat for plant-based option. I'm sure a gluten-free blend would probably work as well, though I haven't tried it)
- 2 1/2 cups semolina flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup water
- 4 tsps olive oil
- 1 pkg extra firm tofu (12-14 oz), drained
- 3/4 cup raw, unsalted cashews
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning blend
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1- 8oz pkg white mushrooms, sliced* (see video)
- 2 shallots, diced
- 1 celery stalk, diced
- 1-2 Tbsps olive oil, for sautéing
- Old Bay seasoning, between 2 tsp - 1Tbsp or to taste
- 1 - 25oz jar of your favorite marinara
- 1 cup non-dairy milk
- Freshly chopped parsley
- Freshly sliced green onions
Instructions
- MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH: Whisk together dry ingredients. Make a well in the center, and pour in water and olive oil. Stir to combine. Knead on lightly floured surface for about 1 minute, until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap & let rest 30 min.
- MAKE TOFU RICOTTA: Finely chop cashews in a food processor or blender. Add seasonings, tofu, & lemon juice. Blend until evenly combined.
- SAUTÉ LOBSTER FILLING: In 1-2 Tbsps olive oil, sauté shallot and celery until soft, about 10 min. Add mushrooms & Old Bay seasoning and cook for a couple more min, until the mushrooms begin to soften. Remove from heat. Separate 1/4 cup of mushroom mixture for topping if desired. Stir in cashew ricotta until evenly combined. Taste & adjust seasonings if needed.
- CUT RAVIOLI CIRCLES: On lightly flours surface, roll out dough until very thin (see video). Use a mason jar lid or 1/2 cup measuring cup to cut out circles, making sure to have an even number.
- STUFF & CLOSE RAVIOLI: Spoon about 1 Tbsp of filling onto HALF of the circle ravioli noodles, just enough to sit in the center but not spill over. Place a non-filled ravioli circle on top of a filled one & gently press down on the edges to pre-seal. Continue until all are closed, then use the edge of a fork to press & crimp the edges shut.
- BOIL RAVIOLI & MAKE SAUCE: Bring large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, combine marinara with almond milk in a pot and heat through (add a little Old Bay if desired, too).
- Once water is boiling, boil 5-8 ravioli at a time, until they begin to float. Remove from pot using a slotted spoon or spatula & place in sauce. Continue until all ravioli are cooked.
- GARNISH & SERVE: Garnish with fresh parsley, reserved mushrooms, or green onions and serve!
Notes
- BE QUICK once you make those ravioli circles. It doesn't take too long for the pasta dough to start to dry out.
- You can use whole wheat flour or a gluten free blend to sub in for white flour to make gluten-free.
- Omit oil for a no oil plant-based recipe