An elegant homemade pasta recipe makes both an impressive starter and the main course! A combination of tangy cheese and floral lavender makes a perfect sophisticated filling for stuffed pasta, that is both exciting and unconventional. Served with a roux-based sauce and topped with crunchy flaked almonds, Homemade Cheese & Lavender Pasta makes a wonderful dish for a date night or dinner party!
This pasta is no ordinary dish! It is not for the faint-hearted, nor is it for someone who doesn’t appreciate strong bold flavours! Grana Padano is a strong-tasting cheese and lavender is known for its strong aroma. As a result, we recommend serving a small portion of these pasta pockets of flavour. Having said that, they are UTTERLY delicious!
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Ingredients For the Filling:
- milk: we used full fat milk for extra creaminess, but it can be substituted with any other milk.
- double cream: heavy cream or whipping cream will also work.
- culinary lavender: we used Steenbergs Organic Lavender: it’s very aromatic!
- Grana Padano: whilst the original recipe calls for Parmesan, we found that the flavour of parmesan completely overshadowed the lavender, and decided to go with a slightly milder Grana Padano. It is cheaper too!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Look for culinary lavender in speciality shops or online. We highly recommend Steenbergs Organic Lavender. 
Of course! The original recipe, that we based our lavender pasta dish on calls for Parmesan (your filling will have an even stronger tangy flavour). If you’re looking for a milder tasting dish, try making the filling with Pecorino or even Manchego!
Yes! However, we do not recommend cream-based sauce (it will be too rich) or tomato-based sauce (we think lavender will get lost in tomato sauce). The best sauce for this lavender pasta is a simple, uncomplicated one. We love this pasta with just a drizzle of olive oil, served on top of fresh baby spinach.
You can! Once filled, place your ravioli on a well-floured baking tray/ board in a single layer and place in the freezer for approx. 1 hour. When pasta is fully frozen and firm, transfer to airtight boxes or ziplock bags and store them in the freezer for up to 2 months. 
Step-by-Step Recipe:
Prepare the Filling:
About 3 hours before you wish to serve ravioli, start making the filling. Heat the milk and double cream in a small saucepan to the scalding point (if you have a kitchen thermometer, bring the temperature up to about 70°C). Take the pan off the heat, stir in the lavender, cover and leave to infuse for 2 hours.
After two hours, strain the creamy mixture through a fine sieve and discard the lavender.
Heat the creamy mixture again, but don’t let it boil. Once hot, take off the heat and stir in the finely grated cheese. Don’t worry if your mixture is grainy – it will resolve itself when ravioli is cooked.
Spoon the cheesy filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm nozzle and leave to cool down to room temperature.
Make Pasta Dough:
Place the flour onto a kitchen surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into it and gradually mix with your hands. Knead the dough until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes. If your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. If it’s too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour. Wrap a ball of dough in clingfilm and leave the pasta to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
Divide the pasta dough into 2. One piece at a time (keeping the other piece wrapped to avoid drying out) roll out the pasta into a long thin strip about 1mm in thickness (the last setting on the pasta maker – 6 on our Mercato Atlas).
Fill & Shape:
Pipe a generous teaspoonful worth of the filling in a line down the centre of one of the rolled pasta strips about 4 cm apart. Place the other strip directly on top draping the sheet into space between filling to make sure not much air is trapped in between. Press down between the mounds of filling to seal.
Using a sharp knife, a ravioli stamp or a fluted cutter, cut even-sized squares with the filling in the middle of the ravioli. Place them on a lightly dusted board/ tray (we use semolina flour for dusting). Re-roll any scraps and repeat with the filling. If your scraps are looking dry and don’t roll very well, use an atomiser to spray some water on them and then knead for a minute before rolling. Repeat until you’ve run out of pasta dough or filling.
Make the Sauce & Garnish:
Leave the ravioli on the floured board whilst you make the sauce and prepare the almonds. Toast the flaked almonds in a large dry non-stick frying pan until browned and smell nutty.
Melt half of the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir until you have a paste that comes off the sides. Add the stock and stir to combine, ensuring no lumps form. Cook for 30-60 seconds on low heat until the sauce thickens.
Pour the roux into a blender/ smoothie maker. Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and add to the blender. Blitz for 30 seconds until you have a creamy emulsified sauce. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Add a pinch of nutmeg and keep warm until you’re ready to serve. Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick.
If you want an easy sauce option for this pasta, consider making our Creamy Ravioli Sauce.
Cook the Pasta:
Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the ravioli into the pan. Shake the pan by the handles gently to ensure ravioli don’t stick to the bottom or each other. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Serve:
Divide the sauce between two bowls. Arrange the ravioli on top. Scatter the toasted almonds and some fresh herbs, if you wish!
Tips on Making Your Own Pasta:
If you’re into making your own pasta, we have some great tips and tricks, as well as a bunch of pasta shape ideas for you. Have a look at our homemade pasta articles below:
- Filled Pasta: How to Make Ravioli, Tortellini & Other Shapes at Home?
- Home-Made Pasta: Three Easy Pasta Dough Recipes & Ten Different Shapes
Other Filled Pasta Recipes:
For other filling ideas, here are some of our absolute favourites:
- Mushroom Agnolotti with Truffle Oil Sauce
- Beetroot and Goat’s Cheese Pasta
- Smoked Salmon Mezzaluna Pasta with Lemon Dill Butter
Homemade Cheese and Lavender Pasta
Equipment
- Blender/ Smoothie Maker
Ingredients
For Pasta Dough:
- 100 g 00 flour plus extra for dusting
- 1 egg large
For the Filling:
- 30 ml milk
- 50 ml double cream
- 1 heaped tbsp culinary lavender
- 125 g Grana Padano cheese finely grated
For the Sauce & Garnish:
- 50 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 10 g plain flour
- 100 ml vegetable stock
- a pinch of nutmeg
- 20 g flaked almonds
Instructions
Prepare the Filling:
- About 3 hours before you wish to serve ravioli, start making the filling. Heat the milk and double cream in a small saucepan to scalding point (if you have a kitchen thermometer, bring the temperature up to about 70°C). Take the pan off the heat, stir in the lavender, cover and leave to infuse for 2 hours.
- After two hours, strain the creamy mixture through a fine sieve and discard the lavander.
- Heat the creamy mixture again, but don't let it boil. Once hot, take off the heat and stir in the finely grated cheese. Don't worry if your mixture is grainy – it will resolve itself when ravioli is cooked.
- Spoon the cheesy filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm nozzle and leave to cool down to room temperature.
Make Pasta Dough:
- Place the flour onto a kitchen surface and make a well in the centre. Crack the eggs into it and gradually mix with your hands. Knead the dough until the dough is soft, elastic and pliable. This will take about 10 minutes. If your dough is too dry, add a tablespoon of water. If it's too wet and sticky, add a bit of flour. Wrap a ball of dough in clingfilm and leave the pasta to rest for 30-60 minutes at room temperature.
- Divide the pasta dough into 2. One piece at a time (keeping other piece wrapped to avoid drying out) roll out the pasta into a long thin strip about 1mm in thickness (the last setting on the pasta maker – 6 on our Atlas).
Fill & Shape:
- Pipe a generous teaspoonful worth of the filling in a line down the centre of one of the rolled pasta strips about 4 cm apart. Place the other strip directly on top draping the sheet into space between filling to make sure not much air is trapped in between. Press down between the mounds of filling to seal.
- Using a sharp knife, a ravioli stamp or a fluted cutter, cut even-sized squares with the filling in the middle of the ravioli. Place them on a lightly dusted board/ tray (we use semolina flour for dusting). Re-roll any scraps and repeat with the filling. If your scraps are looking dry and don't roll very well, use an atomiser to spray some water on them and then knead for a minute before rolling. Repeat until you've run out of pasta dough or filling.
Make the Sauce & Garnish:
- Leave the ravioli on the floured board whilst you make the sauce and prepare the almonds. Toast the flaked almonds in a large dry non-stick frying pan until browned and smell nutty.
- Melt half of the butter in a small saucepan. Add the flour and stir until you have a paste that comes off the sides. Add the stock and stir to combine, ensuring no lumps form. Cook for 30-60 seconds on low heat until the sauce thickens.
- Pour the roux into a blender/ smoothie maker. Cut the rest of the butter into small pieces and add to the blender. Blitz for 30 seconds until you have a creamy emulsified sauce. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Add a pinch of nutmeg and keep warm until you're ready to serve. Add a splash of water if the sauce gets too thick.
Cook the Pasta:
- Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil. Carefully drop the ravioli into the pan. Shake the pan by the handles gently to ensure ravioli don't stick to the bottom or each other. Cook for about 3-4 minutes.
Serve:
- Divide the sauce between two bowls. Arrange the ravioli on top. Scatter the toasted almonds and some fresh herbs, if you wish!
Nutrition
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