A creamy tomato beef sauce poured over little pillows of beef-filled ravioli – this Ravioli Milanese pasta dish is perfection! The sauce is so versatile, you could serve it with any pasta but ravioli makes it a real treat! A fast, home-cooked meal guaranteed to be eaten by the whole family, this pasta recipe is a winner for me. Try it for yourself!
The idea for this pasta recipe came from a memory. When I was a university student, I worked evenings as a waitress at my local Fasta Pasta restaurant. I ate a lot of pasta! 😂 Quite a few years have passed and that particular restaurant has closed, so I recreated this old favourite at home 😊.
Amazing tastes come from simple ingredients! So much more flavourful than a pre-made sauce, this homemade pasta sauce recipe is likely healthier too. There’s no hidden additives, and minimal salt and sugar. You could go all out and make your own pasta/ravioli too (I admit I have a machine) but I love the speed at which I can make this easy family meal by using pre-made ravioli.
Ingredients in Ravioli Milanese
You’ll need the following ingredients to make this Milanese recipe:
Onion and garlic – Always, for flavour.
Tinned diced tomatoes – I normally use the Ardmona brand of diced tomatoes, which have no added salt or sugar. If using another brand, just check the ingredients listed on the tin and adjust this recipe if needed.
Fresh basil – A large handful.
Beef mince – I use lean beef mince (90% beef, 10% fat).
Cream – Use thickened cream, or heavy cream.
Salt and pepper – Add a small amount of each, and adjust to taste. You can add the salt at the end of cooking, after reserving a portion for any family under 12 months if you like.
Sugar – Just a pinch is needed, to balance out the tartness out of the tomatoes.
Beef ravioli pasta – Use your preferred brand of fresh ravioli, or substitute for another pasta variety.
Optional parmesan cheese – For grating over the top of the pasta once served.
Water
How to make Ravioli Milanese
Start by browning the beef mince in olive oil, over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, cooking it until translucent, and then add remaining sauce ingredients. Simmer for 15 minutes, and then stir through the cream. Remove from the heat, serve over freshly cooked ravioli and enjoy!
Thermomixer? This Ravioli Milanese recipe is so easy to make in my Thermomix, as I’m sure it would be in any thermo cooker. Just chop and sauté the onion and garlic, add the remaining sauce ingredients except for the mince, and combine. The mince goes into the simmering basket. Cook it together for 20 minutes and add the cream right at the end for a deliciously creamy tomato beef sauce. Serve over cooked ravioli and enjoy!
You’ll find the recipe card below, with ingredient amounts and detailed steps for both regular and thermo cooker methods.
Making ahead and freezing this meal
The ravioli sauce re-heats well, so you can make it ahead of time and either refrigerate or freeze. If frozen, allow the sauce to defrost in the fridge overnight. Then, just cook the ravioli while you re-heat the sauce and have dinner on the table in 5 minutes! This is a great fast meal for busy families 👍.
Serving
This recipe serves up a delicious beef sauce over beef ravioli – a really satisfying pasta meal! You could use any pasta you like though, filled or unfilled like spaghetti, spirals or penne.
My children absolutely love ravioli and with this sauce it’s a guaranteed-to-be-eaten dinner, hooray! I find that ravioli is also easier for toddlers to eat, particularly when they are learning to use cutlery 😊. This sauce is so easily adjusted for babies under 12 months too. During cooking just leave out the salt, reserve baby’s portion and then season the remainder to taste for the rest of the family. Babies can have a small amount of parmesan [1], but it’s up to you whether you sprinkle parmesan over their meal.
If your family loves pasta dishes, why not try this Butternut Pumpkin and Pine Nut Pasta as well!
If you make this Ravioli Milanese, please leave a 🌟 star rating and a 📝 comment below. I love hearing how my recipes work for you and your family! Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest too for more delicious family dinner recipes.
Happy cooking,
Chloe x
Ravioli Milanese
Category: Family MainsTap or hover to scale
Ingredients
- 2 garlic cloves peeled
- 1/2 brown/yellow onion peeled and halved (approx. 85g)
- 1 1/2 tbs olive oil
- 800 g tinned diced tomatoes (2x 400g cans)
- 75 g water
- 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves only (20g)
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt (for family over 12 months)
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
- 500 g beef mince
- 1/4 cup thickened cream (60g)
- 600 g fresh beef ravioli pasta
- Grated parmesan and extra basil leaves to garnish
Instructions
- Finely chop the onion and garlic.
- Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add the mince and lightly brown, breaking it up.
- Add the tomatoes, water, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Bring to the boil, and then let simmer for 20 minutes.
- Just before this is done, cook ravioli as per packet instructions on stovetop. Drain and transfer to serving dish.
- Stir the cream through the meat sauce and then remove from the heat. Season to taste.
- Spoon the sauce over the ravioli. Garnish with fresh basil and grated parmesan.
Thermomix Instructions
- Put the onion and garlic into the mixing bowl. Chop 3 seconds, speed 7, MC on. Scrape down the mixing bowl.
- Add the olive oil. Sauté 5 minutes, 100°C, speed 1, MC off.
- Add the tomatoes, water, basil, sugar, salt, and pepper. Combine 3 seconds, speed 6, MC on.
- Insert the simmering basket and add the mince into it. Break up the mince to ensure airflow. Cook 15 minutes, Varoma, speed 2, MC on.
- Carefully break up the mince as small as possible and add to the mixing bowl. Cook 5 minutes, Varoma, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- At the same time, cook ravioli as per packet instructions on stovetop. Drain and transfer to serving dish.
- Add the cream to the mixing bowl. Cook 1 minute, 100°C, speed 1, MC off. Put the simmering basket on the lid to prevent splatter.
- Pour sauce over the ravioli, and garnish with grated parmesan and basil.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition Information
[1] Parmesan, 2023, Solid Starts Inc.
2 Responses
I made this sauce last night, very tasty! Highly recommend.
Delicious and sooo easy to make. I can’t say I’ve had the original Fasta Pasta version, but this recipe trumps it I’m sure!