This incredibly flavorful homemade ravioli recipe from Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian mountains pairs beetroot and potato filled ravioli with melted butter and poppy seeds. Not only do these raviolis look beautiful but the combination of the flavors and textures makes this a dish to impress guests with. Casunziei all’ampezzana, are a wonderful example of traditional Italian mountain fare.
History and origin of casunziei.
This unique beetroot ravioli dish comes from Cortina d’Ampezzo, a famous ski resort in the Dolomite mountains of Veneto, Northern Italy. Casunziei are a typical holiday or special occasion ravioli which, depending on the season, are distinguished by the filling: in winter ‘red’, with beets and potatoes, in summer ‘green’, with spinach, ricotta and chives.
Casunziei all’ampezzana is an example of the influence of the centuries-old Austro-Hungarian domination of the Ampezzo area, which only ended with the First World War. Beetroots are a typical Eastern European ingredient as is the poppy seed garnish.
Interestingly, Ampezzo never became a German-speaking territory like other parts of Northern Italy that used to belong to Austria. The local people conserved their original language, Ladin, a Romance language which is still spoken today!
Variations of this recipe.
Although this particular recipe is a signature dish in Cortina d’Ampezzo, you can find variations of beet ravioli in other parts of Northern Italy. Traditionalists prefer adding white or yellow turnips either instead of potatoes or as well.
In Trentino-Alto Adige, some people add carrot to the beet and potato filling. Elsewhere in Veneto, butter, breadcrumbs and cheese are sometimes added to the filling too.
I have come across recipes for beetroot ravioli with ricotta instead of potatoes. Although delicious, this isn’t traditional in Cortina, where ricotta is used with wild spinach in a summer version of casunziei, but not with beets.
Ingredients for this beetroot ravioli.
The pasta dough: The ravioli dough in this recipe is made in a very similar way to other egg pasta dough, except it calls for an egg yolk plus a little water in place of one whole egg.
Eggs: You will need one whole large egg and one yolk. I prefer to use free-range organic eggs for their colour, flavor and nutritional value.
Flour: I used Italian ‘00’ soft wheat flour which is a fine white flour. You can also use all-purpose flour.
The filling: The ravioli filling is very simple, just beetroot, potatoes and salt.
The beetroot: I used ready cooked beetroot which really saves quite a lot of time and work. If using raw uncooked beetroot, you will need to boil or steam it and then peel it. Some people roast the beetroot which gives it a sweeter flavor, but this isn’t traditional.
The potatoes: You can use most any type of potato for this beetroot ravioli, even leftover mashed potatoes. However, the best types are starchy potatoes that don’t contain much liquid, like those used in this mint and potato ravioli recipe from Liguria.
The condiment/dressing.
As with many types of homemade filled pasta, Italians serve casuziei all’ampezzana with melted butter and grated grana or Parmigiano. However, some recipes call for smoked ricotta instead of the grana and parmigiano Plus, this beetroot ravioli is also dressed with poppy seeds which add a lovely crunch to the soft ravioli.
Step by step instructions and tips.
If using raw beetroot, cook the beets in a little water (just enough to cover them), or steam them so that they don’t absorb any more water. When a fork can easily pierce the beets, drain and peel them. Grate the cooked and cooled beetroot into a sieve and let any liquid drain for at least one hour. Ready cooked beetroot may not need draining.
Cook’s time management tip: Make the pasta dough first and the filling while the dough is resting.
Make the ravioli dough first so it can rest while you make the filling. Sieve the flour into a bowl, add one egg and one egg yolk to the flour with a pinch of salt. Use a fork to beat the eggs and incorporate them into the flour until well mixed.
Then use your hands to roughly knead the mixture, adding a little water at a time until you have a dough that no longer sticks to the side of the bowl and your hands.
Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted work top or pastry board and knead for up to 10 minutes until the dough is quite smooth and elastic. Roll it into a ball and wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
While the dough is resting make the beet ravioli filling.
Boil unpeeled potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain and then peel the potatoes. I used a potato ricer which works without peeling the potatoes. The peel remains in the ricer while the cooked potato passes through the holes. If you don’t have a ricer grate the cooked potato after peeling it.
Next, if you haven’t already done so, grate the beetroot. Then add it to the grated potato with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix and mash the potato and beet together using a fork.
Make the pasta sheets.
Cut off ¼ of the pasta dough ball and rewrap the rest to keep it from drying out. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin or your hands. Pass it through the widest setting of your pasta machine (mine is 7, some are no 1). Fold the dough sheet in thirds and pass it through the widest setting, narrowest width first. Repeat.
Next, pass the dough sheet through the 3rd widest setting (mine is 5) and then through the 5th widest setting (mine is 3). The pasta sheets for beetroot ravioli need to be quite fine so that the colour of the filling shows through when the ravioli is cooked. However, the narrowest setting on hand operated pasta machines may produce dough that’s too fine and liable to break.
Make the beet ravioli.
Lay a dough sheet onto a flour dusted surface. Use a glass or cookie cutter to cut out 8cm discs. Remaining dough cuttings can be kneaded together and used to make more ravioli. Place a small teaspoon of filling on the centre of the pasta discs, wet the edges with a little water using your index finger and then fold the pasta over the filling to create half-moons (mezze lune).
Use the tines of a fork to crimp and seal the edges of your beet ravioli. Place the ready casunziei on a flour dusted tray. Semolina flour is best for this. I used a tray covered in oven paper. Repeat with the rest of the pasta dough, one quarter at a time.
Cook and serve your beetroot ravioli.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add salt and bring to a boil again. In the meantime, melt the butter in a frying pan that’s large enough to hold the ravioli. Add the poppy seeds to the butter so they cook a little but don’t let the butter brown.
Cook the ravioli in the boiling water. After they rise to the surface, leave them for a minute and then remove with a slotted spoon and add them to the melted butter and poppy seeds. You will probably need to cook the ravioli in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
Toss the cooked ravioli gently in the butter and serve with grated grana or parmigiano if required.
Note for vegetarians.
This recipe is vegetarian except for the use of grated grana or Parmigiano when serving. These Italian cheeses are made with animal rennet and so are not suitable for vegetarians. Use a vegetarian parmesan instead.
What to do with leftovers.
If you have leftover cooked beetroot ravioli you can store them in the fridge in a sealed container for 2-3 days. Then reheat in the microwave or fried in more butter! Frying them can make them a bit crispy but we like the ravioli like that!
Leftover uncooked ravioli can be frozen for later use. Place them spread out on a tray in the freezer and then transfer to a freezer bag once frozen. Cook frozen ravioli without defrosting.
Extra filling can be used to make fritters or patties. I have used extra filling in a meatloaf which worked really well.
Pin for later.
Let me know what you think.
The mix of potatoes and beetroot gives the casunziei filling a very particular crimson color with a slightly sweet and very delicate flavor. Plus, the simple butter-based sauce allows the color and flavor of the pasta to shine! The result is a truly unique ravioli that I am sure you will love!
If you do try this casunziei recipe, I’d love to hear what you think. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.
Your feedback is important to me!
Buon Appetito!
Other delicious homemade ravioli recipes.
- Robiola cheese ravioli from Lombardy.
- Sardinian ricotta, saffron and lemon ravioli.
- Baked fish ravioli from Liguria.
- Gnocchi ravioli from Trieste.
- Baked ravioli from Marche.
- Meat ravioli from Piemonte (agnolotti)
Beetroot ravioli recipe (casunziei all’ampezzana).
This incredibly flavorful homemade ravioli recipe from Cortina d’Ampezzo in the Italian mountains pairs beetroot and potato filled ravioli with melted butter and poppy seeds. Not only do these raviolis look beautiful but the combination of the flavors and textures makes this a unique dish toimpress guests with.
Ingredients
For the ravioli dough
- 7 ounces Italian soft wheat flour or all purpose flour
- 2 large eggs
- 1 pinch salt
- warm water as required
For the ravioli filling.
- 14 ounces beetroot (cooked)
- 3 potatoes (starchy) (medium)
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch freshly ground black pepper.
For the condiment
- 3.5 ounces unsalted butter
- 2.5 ounces Grana Padano or Parmigiano Reggiano grated (or vegetarian parmesan)
- poppy seeds
Instructions
If using uncooked beetroot
-
Cook the beets in a little water (just enough to cover them), or steam them so they don’t absorb any more water. When a fork can easily pierce the beets, drain and peel them. Grate the cooked and cooled beetroot into a sieve and let any liquid drain for at least one hour.
Make the pasta dough
-
Sieve the flour into a bowl, add one egg and one egg yolk to the flour with a pinch of salt. Use a fork to beat the eggs and incorporate them into the flour until well mixed. Then use your hands to knead the mixture, adding a little water at a time until you have a dough that no longer sticks to the side of the bowl and your hands.
-
Turn the dough out onto a flour dusted work top or pastry board and knead for up to 10 minutes until the dough is quite smooth and elastic. Roll it into a ball and wrap it in clingfilm (plastic wrap) and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
Make the ravioli filling.
-
Boil unpeeled potatoes in salted water until fork tender. Drain and then peel the potatoes. I used a potato ricer which works without peeling the potatoes. The peel remains in the ricer while the cooked potato passes through the holes. If you don’t have a ricer grate the cooked potato after peeling it.
-
Next, if you haven’t already done so, grate the beetroot into a bowl. Then add it to the grated potato with a pinch of salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Mix and mash the potato and beet together using a fork.
Make the pasta sheets.
-
Cut off ¼ ofthe pasta dough ball and rewrap the rest to keep it from drying out. Flatten the dough slightly with a rolling pin or your hands. Pass it through the widest setting of your pasta machine (mine is 7, some are no 1). Fold the dough sheet in thirds and pass it through the widest setting again, narrow side first. Repeat.
-
Next, pass the dough sheet through the 3rd widest setting (mine is 5) and then through the 5th widest setting (mine is 3). The pasta sheets for beetroot ravioli need to be quite fine so that the colour of the filling shows through when the ravioli is cooked. However, the narrowest setting on hand operated pasta machines may produce dough that’s too fine and liable to break.
Make the beetroot ravioli
-
Lay a dough sheet onto a flour dusted surface. Use a glass or cookie cutter to cut out 8cm discs. Place a small teaspoon of filling on the centre of the pasta discs, wet the edges with a little water using your index finger and then fold the pasta over the filling to create half-moons (mezze lune).
-
Use the tines of a fork to crimp and seal the edges of your beet ravioli. Place the ready casunziei on a flour dusted tray. Semolina flour is best for this. I used a tray covered in oven paper. Repeat with the rest of the pasta dough, one quarter at a time.
Cook and serve your casunziei.
-
Bring a pot of water to a boil and then add salt and bring to a boil again. In the meantime, melt the butter in a frying pan that’s large enough to hold the ravioli. Add the poppy seeds to the butter so they cook a little but don’t let the butter brown.
-
Cook the ravioli in the boiling water. After they rise to the surface, leave them for a minute and then remove with a slotted spoon and add them to the melted butter and poppy seeds. You will probably need to cook the ravioli in batches to avoid crowding the pan.
-
Toss the cooked ravioli gently in the butter and serve immediatelywith grated grana or parmigiano if required.
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Notes
For tips on what to do with leftovers see main content.
Nutrition
Calories: 608kcalCarbohydrates: 71gProtein: 19gFat: 28gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 8gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 158mgSodium: 428mgPotassium: 975mgFiber: 7gSugar: 8gVitamin A: 929IUVitamin C: 30mgCalcium: 279mgIron: 5mg
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