That’s right—ravioli without cheese! You’re skeptical, aren’t you? I understand. (I ♥ cheese too.)
When it comes to vegan cooking and baking, cheese substitution is one of those things that gives me a headache. I’m a bit wary of soy-based alternatives, as they seem over-processed and unnatural in comparison. There are, of course, equally over-processed varieties of “cheese” that freak me out too! (Full disclosure: I did have a bizarre addiction to Tofutti cream cheese a year or so ago, and have been rather reluctant to group it into the Weird Fake Cheese category. But the editor in me demands consistency above all else!) Another interesting alternative that I’ve come across online is blending together nuts, nutritional yeast, and other stuff to make a creamy, cheese-like substitute. This usually involves soaking the nuts overnight, which is far more than I care to go through to make fake cheese. (Also, the vegan community seems to invariably refer to this substance as “nut cheese”—a phrase that is so hilariously gross, I have trouble taking it seriously. Yes, deep down, I’m a 13-year-old boy. :P) So, my very simple solution: make a filling so tasty, it doesn’t need cheese. No headaches here!
Honestly, if you’re too lazy to make ravioli, just make this filling and eat it like mashed potatoes. Seriously—it’s awesome. The combination of sweet potatoes and coconut milk actually changed my feelings toward coconut many years ago. When I was young, coconut was THE grossest. My parents have been using Skin Trip lotion since I was little, and I found the scent revolting. I went to birthday parties fearing that the cake would come out covered in horrible shredded coconut, completely ruining my reason for coming to the party in the first place! But when I started getting into cooking after college, I happened upon a recipe for sweet potatoes, carrots, and green beans simmered in coconut milk. For some reason, it intrigued me. I made it, and wow—I could not believe how amazing sweet potatoes and coconut milk tasted together. Add a spicy kick, and it really doesn’t get much better. My boyfriend even declared this to be his favorite of all the ravioli I’ve ever made (and I’ve made a lot)!
Vegan Sweet Potato, Coconut Milk, & Roasted Chili Ravioli
yield: approximately 2 dozen large ravioli
Dough
- 2 cups of semolina flour
- 2 cups of all-purpose flour
- a little over 1 cup of water
- a dash of salt
Filling
- 3 small to medium sweet potatoes
- around 6 oz. of coconut milk
- 2 chili peppers (I used red serranos)
Preheat the oven to 450°. Rub the peppers with a little bit of olive oil, then place the potatoes and peppers together in the oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, or until the pepper skin begins to blister and blacken. Remove the peppers and place them in a paper bag (an air-tight container also works if you don’t happen to have a paper bag). Close and let peppers rest for at least 10 minutes (they will steam in the bag, making the skins easier to remove). Peel the skin away from the pepper, then remove the seeds from the inside. Mince the pepper and set aside.
While you’re waiting for the potatoes to finish roasting, combine the flours and salt in a large bowl and make a well in the center. Pour water in the well and stir to combine. Turn out on a floured surface and knead until a smooth dough forms. Divide into two, then cover in plastic wrap or a damp tea towel and let rest.
When the sweet potatoes are soft, remove them from the oven. Once they’ve cooled, remove them from their skins and mash in a large bowl. Add the minced pepper and the coconut milk, and stir until well combined.
Roll one round of pasta dough into a rectangular shape on a well-floured surface, until thin but not in danger of tearing (about 1/16 of an inch thick). Place evenly-spaced spoonfuls of filling along the surface of the dough. Roll the second half of the dough out, replicating the size and shape of the first. Brush a little bit of water in between the spoonfuls of filling, then place the second rectangle on top and press to seal.
Cut out ravioli with a sharp knife or a pasta wheel. To make extra-sure they are sealed, press all around the edges with a fork. Freeze any ravioli that you won’t eat immediately.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add the ravioli. Cook until they begin to float (this should only take a few minutes). If you like your ravioli a little crispy (I know I do!), heat a little olive oil in a pan, then add the cooked ravioli and pan-fry over medium heat for a few minutes on each side, or until lightly browned. Top with a little bit of fresh rosemary and sage if you happen to have it, then serve!
While I stick to a plant based diet, I also eschew soy and fake “cheeze”. I am always on the look out for recipes “so tasty, [they don't] need cheese”. Thank you for this contribution!
Nut cheese – hehehe
I think you’ll definitely enjoy these! I love my butter and cheese to the ends of the earth and back, so I know I’ll never have it in me to go vegan. :) But on the whole, my diet revolves around fresh ingredients and simple methods, and I try to carry that over into any vegan endeavors as well. When I was vegetarian, it was because I just didn’t like meat. So when it got to the point where I would occasionally buy faux meat products, I soon found myself saying, “hey, if you’re OK with this, then why don’t you just eat the real thing, instead of whatever the heck this is?!” So that’s how I try to approach everything: If I have to leave something out, I’ll just make it delicious in other ways—no reason to fake it!
This is a really neat idea and looks delicious!
Thanks, Renee! These things are seriously delicious. :)
This looks delicious. Would love for you to share this with us over at foodepix.com.
This is extreme creativity and… how good does that look!
Thank you, Jesica! :D
Deliziosi
ciao
This looks totally delicious – even to a total non-vegan/vegetarian such as myself! I often entertain vegan friends though and this looks like one of those recipes that you can make for everyone – whatever their eating habits and all will enjoy! Thank you for sharing.
Thank you, Juls! This is definitely one of those satisfy-everybody meals. Everyone eats the same thing, and no one feels like they’ve compromised!
I can’t get over how incredible these look. Such a genius idea!
Thank you! :)
Wow. Ravioli is always my number one food choice no matter what is inside (within reason of course!). This sounds like the perfect combination, and I love that the coconut milk is added- it probably makes it so much creamier!
It does! This filling on its own would definitely be great vegan version of mashed potatoes. I’ve actually made mashed sweet potatoes with coconut milk before, and they were great. Without the spicy kick they’re almost dessert-like!
these look amazing!!! never tried the sweet potato coconut milk variation. in Singapore, my nonya grandmother makes this dessert with coconut milk, sweet potato,taro and sago. can’t quite imagine it in a pasta, but definitely worth a try!!! I always pan fry my ravioli in butter and thyme, not sure if that goes with sweet potatoes! will research!
It’s really amazing what the addition of one ingredient can do to this dish. Without the spicy kick from the pepper, they taste like little dessert dumplings! AND when I was making these, I was totally wishing for some fresh thyme!! Definitely a good idea. :D
These look delicious. The most daunting thing to me is the thought of making my own pasta. . . . How time consuming is it? But sweet potato, peppers and coconut milk? Wow. Wish I could order some for delivery right now!
I know what you mean, Sara! Homemade pasta is one of those things that after you’ve done it a few times, it seems like second nature. But the first time around is a bit daunting, especially since it does add a bit of time to the process. A much easier alternative is to buy wonton wrappers—then all you have to do is fill ‘em & seal ‘em. Easy as can be!
These look amazing! I NEED them in my life. Quick question – do you use canned coconut milk or the coconut milk beverage in a carton?
Thank you, Robin! I use canned. (I have yet to work with the stuff in the carton.)
these look so freakin delicious! i am in awe of you right now, and want to eat all two dozen of these ravioli!
Thank you, Caitlin! :) I totally wish Id made a double batch, especially since I gave a bunch away to a vegan friend!
Oh my goodness, these look sensational!
Thank you, Jennifer! :)
These look really good! We love cheese, but try not to eat a ton of it. I think we may not miss it in these!
You definitely won’t! Between all the other delicious stuff, there’s just no room for it. :)
It is so awesome to find recipe like this online! It’s been a real challenge for me to cook ever since I decided to not eat meat and wanting to reduce diary products consumption! This dish sounds like something I can try on a weekday meal!
Thanks so much for sharing and for posting!
Thank you, Adelina! Cutting out meat and reducing dairy can definitely make cooking difficult, especially when it comes to comfort foods like pasta. I have some vegan and lactose-intolerant friends, so I occasionally like to experiment with dairy-free dishes. I am determined to feed EVERYONE. :)
This recipe looks AwEsOmE and I’m going to try it sometime this or next week. I was actually looking at it while working on a group project and had to send it to my group member who caught me and got excited.
However, I’m totally saddened by your negativity about nut cheese. 1. Soaking nuts is super easy all you do is put them in salt water and let them sit 2. thought it may sound ‘gross’ to you, ‘nuttiness’ is actually a quality/flavor note applied to many real (usually high quality) cheeses 3. I thought food bloggers were, as a rule open minded! don’t knock it before trying.
** I’m sure this recipe is in no need of nut cheese… I’m just sayin’… it happens to be nutritious and delicious =)
Glad to hear it!
Regarding my negativity:
1. I’m sure it’s quite easy. I’m just one of those people who has issues with planning ahead, which is why I rarely make bean dishes as well. In regards to this particular dish, ravioli can be intimidating enough on their own, and I was striving to keep things simple.
2. I actually do not find the flavor of nuttiness “gross” in any way whatsoever. I am also familiar with the nutty taste that certain cheeses will develop as they age, and that higher-quality cheeses usually carry this attribute due to a lengthened aging process. What I was referring to as “gross” was the phrase itself (in an urban dictionary sense).
3. I consider myself to be quite open-minded. I don’t think I’d even be bothering to make vegan ravioli or research soy faux-cheese alternatives if I wasn’t! And if I were planning on making a vegan dish that I believed absolutely needed a cheese-like component, a nut-based substitute would be the first place I’d turn. It just didn’t seem necessary here!
Pingback: Weekend Digest: Better Late Than Never « Cinnamon Bums
Found this via pinterest. Looks yummy. Ill have to try it, but to quicken it up, we use wonton wrappers for the pasta, if you just dab with a bit of cornstarch/water mix and pinch together it makes a perfect pasta to use with filling. Love that there isnt cheese since I cannot have anything with tyramine due to migraines. Thanks for sharing!
I haven’t tried the wonton wrapper method yet, but I’ve always been curious. It definitely seems like it would make things a bit easier!
I love the idea of using coconut milk – yum!
Thanks, Emily! It’s a nice way to add creaminess and keep things dairy-free.
Looks great! I’m also intrigued by the sweet potatoes, green beans, and carrots simmered in coconut milk….
Care to share the recipe for that one too?
Thx
Absolutely! I’ll have to dig it up (it’s in an old vegetarian cookbook), but I’ll email it to you later this evening. :)
My email bounced back, so I will just post it here. :) The recipe is as follows (with some tweaking from me). As is, this makes a good amount of food, and would serve about 4.
— 2 tbsp olive oil
— 2 cloves of garlic, minced
— 1 tsp ginger
— 2 carrots, peeled and cut into about 1/2-inch chunks
— 1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
— 3 oz. of green beans, cut into 2-inch pieces
— 1 lb of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
— 1 cup of coconut milk (the recipe only calls for 1/2 a cup, but that doesn’t seem like enough to me given all the other ingredients)
Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium heat, then add the garlic, sweet potato, and carrots. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the green beans and a little bit of water (maybe around 1/4 of cup) to the pan. Cover and let steam for around 5 minutes, or until the sweet potatoes are beginning to feel a bit tender.
Add the asparagus, coconut milk, and ginger and cook for around 3 minutes, or until the asparagus is just tender.
That’s it! Let me know how it works out for you. (It has been ages since I’ve made this.)
Your pictures are really doing their job…looks delish! Sweet potato, coconut, and chili sounds like a fabulous combo! Ive been experimenting with coc. milk and cream to see what the difference is. Used coc cream in my pineapple coc rum cheesecakes. Its an interesting flavor. Even though the cream is supposed to be richer I thought the milk had more coc flavor.
Love sweet potato. Have never made ravioli before. May have to make these my first…
Jennifer
Mmmm, I am so intrigued by the idea of coconut milk in cheesecake! It sounds delicious. :)
Thanks! I used fresh ground pineapple sage from my garden, the coconut cream and then topped it with a pineapple Rum coconut cream and used a simple girl scout cookie that I had in the freezer, for the crust. Still fine tuning before I can post it.
Been on a cheesecake marathon lately creating some interesting combos with fresh herbs, a few splashes of adult beverage, and different crusts. Wanted to veer away from the traditional graham cracker. By next week I’ll have the Dark Chocolate Cabernet, Mint Chocolate, and Ginger Peach Schnapps with an Amaretto Peach Papaya Glaze on the blog! Rough job we have, all this tasting :)
Jennifer
Oh my god, pineapple rum coconut cream sounds amazing! I have a difficult time with the dense richness of some cheesecake, but I really like the idea of using fresh herbs, since they seem like they’d brighten it up a bit, flavor-wise. And I am always on board with adult beverages! :D
I just discovered your blog & browsed through your recipes & I just wanted to say your photos are beautiful! I definitely bookmarked some recipes to try soon as well.
Thank you, Marissa! :)
I found this on Pinterest and going to give it a shot this evening. Suggestions for sides to go with?
Ooo, I hope I’m not too late with this! I’d go with roasted cauliflower (with plenty of garlic and salt). Hope you enjoy everything!
These raviolis inspired me to make a huge dinner for my girlfriends tomorrow night! Thank you so much for your creativity and lovely, mouth-watering pictures. :) I have one question: Is the Semolina flour mandatory? I can definitely go pick some up if it is, but I have plenty of whole wheat flour, so if I can just use four cups of that and it will still hold up Id prefer to do that.
Thank you!
Yay! If you want them to be vegan, semilina flour is the best for eggless pasta dough, as it binds very well with just water. But if they dont need to be, then whatever youve got with some eggs should do fine! :)
these look so tasty! I’m not a vegan (used to be) but I am lactose intolerant and boy do I miss me some tasty ravioli. I can’t wait to try this recipe!
Coconut milk and sweet potatoes go really well together, especially with a bit of spice. These look amazing! Beautiful pics :-)
So excited to try these, but I feel like I’d want some sauce on there. Any suggestions?
Hmmmm, that’s a good question. Since there are already so many prominent flavors in the dish, I’m not sure what would work well as an additional sauce (especially if you want to keep them vegan). My suggestion would be to forgo the coconut milk in the filling, and instead simmer it down a little with a pinch or two of ginger and salt. That way you’ll still get all of the flavors, but you won’t have to eat dry ravioli! Good luck, and let me know how it turns out! :)
Coconut milk and red Thai curry paste. I was afraid it would be too many flavors, but it’s just right!
Oooo, that sounds awesome! I really love the spicy kick that the chilis add, and I bet red curry takes it up a notch. Yummy!
Can’t wait to try this recipe! But, my question is about the plate! :)
I saw the same ones in Real Simple and was wishing I knew where it came from! Care to share? Thanks!
I love that you asked about the plate! (I am kind of addicted to collecting random pottery pieces, and this is one of my favorites.) I purchased it a year or so ago from Bennington Potters North in Burlington, VT, but I don’t believe it was made by BP, since they sell a lot of other pottery there as well. I just checked the plate for a stamp or signature, but there’s nothing. :\ I’m going to try to do a little online searching, and I will check the store next time I’m in and see if they still have the collection. (I’d really like to know who makes these things too, since I’d love to have more!) If I find out, I will definitely let you know. :)
These look absolutely amazing! I would never have guessed that sweet potatoes and coconut milk go well together — thanks for the tip!
The most surprising thing about this recipe was the dough for me. I make my own pasta often, but this was different. It was really easy to put together and I didn’t even need flour on the surface to roll it out as thin as I like. The filling is crazy delicious. I used box coconut milk and added a bit of salt. My boyfriend has some weird aversion to herbs so I used tomato sauce on them and he likes it. Very, very pleased at the ease and taste of the recipe, thanks much
Glad they worked out so well for you, Ashley!
I just made this tonight, and my boyfriend and I LOVED it! We are both vegan, and we really appreciate that this recipe requires no processed fake cheese or fake butter or anything- only delicious, whole foods and incredible flavor! I have never made my own pasta before, so I was a bit nervous, but your recipe is so simple and clear. It turned out perfect!
I also made a white wine sauce to go with it. Since the ravioli filling is so rich and creamy, a nice tangy sauce was perfect! I just tossed some fresh minced garlic in a pan with olive oil, white wine, dried rosemary, ground thyme and a little of the canned coconut milk that I had leftover from making the filling. I let it simmer until it reduced down a bit, then i poured it over my cooked ravioli. SO GOOD. Thank you for this recipe!
Oh my god, Katie, that white wine sauce sounds perfect! I am definitely adding that on the next time I make these. So glad you guys enjoyed them! :)
Pingback: Snacks! | Pearltrees
Pingback: Ravioli with Coconut Cream Sauce «
Hello! This recipe looks so wonderfully yummy! I can’t wait to try it out! I’m just wondering if you think it will work with other types of flour? I’m living in Sweden, and I can’t find Semolina Flour anywhere here. Could I substitute it with a different flour – like whole wheat flour, etc.?
Hi Julea! That’s a really good question. I did a little bit of research online, and it seems that spelt flour, kamut flour, and durum wheat flour are all decent substitutes. (Semolina is actually just the ground up endosperm [sorry — that phrasing sounds kind of gross] of the durum wheat grain, so if you’re having trouble finding semolina flour, you might not be able to find durum wheat either.) Basically, you want a “hard” flour for pasta dough if it’s made with just water (and not a binding agent like eggs), otherwise it has a tendency to get rather mushy when cooked. I do know from personal experience that a 100% whole wheat dough can be very difficult to work with when making pasta (or anything, really). I have never worked with spelt or kamut flour, but I imagined they might be tough as well. I would suggest trying a mixture that’s 1/2 spelt, kamut, or wheat flour and 1/2 all-purpose flour (or possibly even 1/3 wheat | 2/3 all-purpose). This should be relatively easy to work with, and also hold together better than a 100% all-purpose dough. I hope this helps! Good luck! :)
I would really like to make these, they look so great. I must admit to loving your comments on coconut and “birthday parties” as kids. The kid in me still cannot do coconut for any reason. Is there an alternative you can suggest? Or should I bite the bullet and give the milk a try?
Thanks!
Hehe, I understand! Coconut is an assertive flavor, and it has taken me a very long time to warm up to it. (Eating lots of Thai food definitely helped.) If you want to keep them vegan but avoid the coconut, there’s a few alternatives I can think of that might work well. Rawmazing has a basic almond “cheese” recipe here (complete with pretty pictures!). If you don’t want to deal with soaking and skinning almonds (and I certainly wouldn’t blame you!), you could try mixing a little bit of non-dairy milk with a butter made from almonds, cashews, or macadamias. (And if you don’t care about keeping them vegan, goat cheese all the way!) :)
This looks fantastic! Pinned it!
Thank you, Noelle!
Pingback: Climbing out of the pit . . . « Doris Marie's Blog
This looks divine!
I just made my own version and tried to adapt the dough to a partially wholemeal one and it turned out a little chewy, do you have any vegan wholemeal pasta recipes?
Thanks, Sheena! Unfortunately, whole wheat flour does tend to create a chewier dough, whether you are making vegan or egg-based pasta dough. This chewiness is going to be more obvious in vegan pasta, as there are no eggs to act as a binding agent. When water is the only liquid in your dough, the key to getting that desirable “toothsome” texture to your pasta is to use a hard flour. Semolina is the coarsely-ground endosperm of the durum grain—the hardest of all wheats—making it the perfect flour to create a light, un-mushy eggless pasta. Without the egg to bind everything together, the more finely-ground flours (all-purose, whole wheat, etc.) will turn to mush much more quickly while cooking. This is most especially true for whole wheat flour, due to the fact that the bran and germ love to absorb water.
My personal suggestion would be to use 100% semolina flour when making eggless pasta dough. However, if you really do want to incorporate a bit of extra nutrition into your dough, you could try using 1/3 whole wheat flour and 2/3 semolina. When you cook it, remove it from the water as soon as it looks done. (If you’re cooking fresh pasta, this should only take a couple minutes. If frozen, it will be a little bit longer.) The more time the pasta hangs out in the water, the mushier it will be.
I hope this helps. :) Good luck!
Thank you so much! I will experiment and see.
I am so grateful I stumbled across this blog, your an excellent cook/writer/photographer :)
Thank you so much, Sheena! :) If you do come up with something that works well, definitely let me know. When I first began making pasta, I tried and tried to find ways to incorporate whole wheat flour, and I was never quite satisfied with the result. It always tasted too chewy and a bit like cardboard, so I eventually gave up on using it entirely. Then just this past summer, my mom dug her old flour mill out of the back of a cabinet and gave it to me. I’ve been using it to mill fresh flour, and the difference between it and store-bought is unbelievable. I usually use 50% fresh whole grain flour and 50% all-purpose flour in my egg pasta dough now, and it’s awesome. Excellent flavor, and only the slightest hint of chewiness. I’m not sure how this would work in an eggless dough, but I am curious! I almost mentioned this in my previous comment, but flour mills aren’t exactly a common kitchen appliance, and I didn’t want to overload you with info! :)