mains + sides/ recipes

Rosemary Garlic Cannellini Agnolotti w/ Mesclun Pesto

Rosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipe

Warning: this is going to be a photo-heavy post.

But hear me out – this is one of the most fun recipes I’ve ever made. Don’t get me wrong, making agnolotti from scratch is a tad bit time consuming. But I consider food to be a labor of love. Being a quarter Italian myself, how could it not be? This identity originates with my grandfather, whose family emigrated to America from Faeto, a village in Italy not too far from Naples. My grandfather was immensely proud of his Italian heritage, and it is something that I feel pride in carrying on through my culinary endeavors.

So – agnolotti. Some of you may be thinking, “Wait, isn’t this ravioli?” Technically, no. Ravioli is also a stuffed pasta, but is made by putting your filling on top of a sheet of pasta, placing another sheet of pasta on top of that, then cutting the ravioli from there (Ashlae from Oh Ladycakes has a great example). Agnolotti is made by cutting the pasta sheets first, then folding it over the filling. Which works out best if you, like me, don’t have a ravioli cutter or stamp.

Rosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipe

Then comes the filling. I knew I wanted something really flavorful, so I made a white cannellini bean filling mixed with lots of garlic and rosemary. It’s creamy and luscious and absolutely packed with flavor. In fact, I’d confidently say these little agnolotti could stand on their own without any pesto, that’s how good they are.

When I was making / rolling / shaping the pasta dough, I put Iron Chef America (my favorite show) up on Netflix in the background, and set about making the agnolotti. It was one of the most quiet and peaceful – yet joyous – Saturday mornings I’ve had in a while. Cooking is something that’s absolutely calming to me. When I’m standing there in the kitchen, hands sticky and doughy and every surface covered in flour, I feel at peace. I’m not thinking about all the sh!t I have coming up at work, or what my plans are for later in the day, or all of the chores I have to do around the apartment. It’s just me and the dough.

And I should probably mention that today I turn 23. I certainly don’t feel it – I still see myself as the 18 year old college freshman ready to discover the world. But no – I am almost two years out of college now, living on my own, working full time. I suppose making these agnolotti was rather wistful for me. I’ve come to realize that my true passion is in food and cooking, and I so desperately wish I could create recipes and cook delicious foods for the people I care about all the time. You know, as a full-time job! And I guess there’s something about birthdays that really makes you consider the passage of time. In ten years, will I be happy with the path I chose? Will I wish I had made a career change sooner, or applaud myself for sticking with a less-than-fun job in finance? I don’t want to be a quitter. But at what point do you cut your losses, throw in the towel, and move on? (If any of you have any advice or similar life experiences, please let me know! I feel so lost.)

So I guess this is a bit of a pensive birthday for me. I’m sorry you all have to listen to my melancholy ramblings. But having readers at all, really, is such a great gift, one that I am so grateful for.

Rosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipeRosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipe

Rosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipe

Rosemary Garlic Cannellini Agnolotti w/ Mesclun Pesto

Similar to ravioli, this agnolotti is a stuffed pasta filled with a creamy rosemary garlic cannellini filling and served with mesclun pesto. No special equipment needed!
Prep Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes

Ingredients
  

Pasta Dough

  • 2 Tbs ground flaxseed + 3 Tbsp warm water
  • 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 Cups Spelt Flour
  • 1/2 Cup Water
  • 1/2 Tsp Sea Salt
  • 1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
  • A bit more flour for rolling
  • A bit of olive oil for assembly

Rosemary Garlic Cannellini Filling

  • 2 Cups Cannellini Beans cooked
  • 3 Cloves Garlic minced
  • 1/2 Tbs Fresh Rosemary minced
  • 1/2 Tbs Dried Chives
  • 2 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Pinch of Sea Salt + Pepper

Mesclun Pesto

  • 1 Cup Arugula
  • 1 1/2 Cups Mesclun Greens
  • 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 Tbs White Wine Vinegar
  • Pinch of Sea Salt + Pepper

Instructions
 

Making the Dough

  • In a small bowl, combine ground flaxseed and warm water. Mix completely and let sit while you prepare the rest of the dough ingredients. (By the time you add the flax mixture to the dough, the texture should be sticky and gelatinous. If it's not, let it rest for a few more minutes.)
  • In a larger bowl, combine flour, sea salt, and pepper. Whisk together.
  • Then, add olive oil, giving flour another whisk to mix completely.
  • After the olive oil has been mixed, add in flaxseed mixture and combine.
  • Finally, add in the water and mix.
  • Note - If the dough is too dry, add water in small increments until it is workable but still firm.
  • Now comes the fun part - kneading the dough. If you have a stand mixer with a kneading attachment, by all means use it. Personally I like to go the old-fashioned route and knead by hand. Knead the dough for a good 3-4 minutes. Afterwards, let the dough rest while you prepare the filling.

Rosemary Garlic Cannellini Filling

  • In a food processor, combine beans, minced garlic, minced rosemary, dried chives, olive oil, and salt and pepper. Process until beans are a smooth, creamy texture. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Making the Agnolotti

  • When you're ready to make your agnolotti, take the dough and separate it into about four parts (this number doesn't really matter - you're just using smaller amounts to help you roll the pasta).
  • Again, if you have a pasta-rolling extension on your stand mixer, go ahead and use it. If you're low tech like me, get out your rolling pin and get to business.
  • On a clean, well-floured surface, roll your dough out until it is fairly thin. For a reference point, please refer to the photos!
  • To get the round agnolotti shape, take a standard size mason jar lid (which is what I used) or a similarly-sized glass and cut out your shapes. A cookie cutter would probably work too.
  • When you've cut as many circles as you can out of the dough you've rolled, repeat the process with the remaining dough. Save the dough you have leftover from each repetition, and at the end, add a little water to reconstitute the dough, and roll it out again so nothing is wasted!
  • To make your agnolotti, scoop about a scant 1/2 tbs of the filling in the middle of your little pasta circle. Using a clean paintbrush or your finger, dab a little olive oil around the circumference of the circle.
  • Fold circle in half over the filling. Using a fork, press the tips of the fork down on the edges of the half-circle, to "seal" the agnolotti. For reference, please see photos!
  • Repeat until out of pasta dough or filling.

Cooking the Agnolotti

  • To cook the agnolotti, bring a pot of well-salted water to boil.
  • Taking about 8-10 agnolotti at a time, place in boiling water. They are done cooking when they float to the surface.
  • Repeat for as many agnolotti as you'd like to serve - I cooked half of mine, and stuck the other half in the freezer!
  • This step is optional but recommended - Bring a pan and a little olive oil to medium heat. When pan is hot, add a few agnolotti and cook until browned on each side, about 2-3 minutes. This really adds a lot to the texture!

Mesclun Pesto

  • In a food processor, combine all pesto ingredients and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Adjust seasonings if needed.

Putting It All Together

  • To serve, take agnolotti hot from the pan and drizzle with pesto. Serve with chopped herbs or extra chopped mesclun greens, if desired. These would also taste bangin' with any sort of red tomato sauce too!
  • Enjoy!!

Rosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipeRosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipeRosemary Garlic Ravioli w/ Mesclun Pesto | Well and Full | #vegan #plantbased #recipe

Song of the Day:

Birthday – The Beatles

29 Comments

  • Reply
    Erica
    September 24, 2015 at 7:38 am

    1. Fantastic song of the day ;)
    2. Love that you took the time to explain the difference of stuffed pastas! I’m not Italian (if you couldn’t tell by my Asian almondy eyes) but I’m one of those odd folk that like learning these kinds of things!
    3. That description of you in the kitchen is beautiful to read. Love it :)
    Hope you are doing well!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 8:05 am

      People who like learning about pasta/noodles are the best kind of people, in my opinion ;) If you have any noodle knowledge you’d ever want to throw down, I’m all ears!! :D

  • Reply
    Abby @ The Frosted Vegan
    September 24, 2015 at 9:03 am

    First of all, Happy Birthday! There is something about birthdays that makes you think about ‘What the heck am I doing with my life?!’. I always have loved food and cooking, so I really wish I had taken that path sooner. Just know it’s never too late and maybe someday we will both be living our dreams of making a career out of it :) These are absolutely gorgeous and when I saw a sneak peek on Instagram, I couldn’t wait for the recipe! Totally making these a weekend project sometime soon. Enjoy the day dear! xo

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 9:39 am

      Thank you so much Abby!! *hugs*

  • Reply
    Jessica | The Joyful Hearth
    September 24, 2015 at 11:26 am

    Happy Birthday, Sarah :) Beautiful post – thank you so much for sharing both this recipe and your thoughts. Quitting is not always a bad thing – it’s just the result of a lesson learned, and allows for a shift between one phase and the next. Maybe it should be called “shifting” instead? Also, I love the dough for this, and am thinking of serving this as a first course for the upcoming holidays! Truly delicious-looking; I can’t wait to taste it!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 12:06 pm

      Thank you so much, Jessica! I really appreciate your thoughts on “shifting” vs. quitting… I think that’s a great attitude to have and it’s making me really think about how I’m looking at the whole situation. :)

  • Reply
    Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine
    September 24, 2015 at 11:37 am

    First, happy birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Second, yes! Cooking and doing a more “tedious” task like this is actually calming and so relaxing, but I find that with all cooking. Even shelling 500000 pistachios the other day ;)
    Third, these look so incredible! My mouth is watering….my goodness! xoxo

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 12:09 pm

      Thank you so much Rebecca!! We should start a support group for people who think shelling pistachios is fun, amirite? ;) <3

  • Reply
    Jessie Snyder | Faring Well
    September 24, 2015 at 4:31 pm

    You are killing me with these photos. I want to re-name these “easy raviolis” and then become their best friend, okay? Okay. I don’t know if I can find time in my schedule fast enough to make these. Seriously, Sarah, KILLING ME. And um hellooooooo – happy birthday! No long faces allowed. If I could put in my very distant 2 cents: go with your gut. You know whats right. There is no need to fret or tear yourself up about it. Even if the hard thing is right – go with it. With all your might. With every ounce of energy in your being. Do it.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 6:31 pm

      Aww Thanks Jessie. You know I actually came to a similar conclusion today… when I’m 90 and looking back on my life, I know I won’t appreciate staying in a place where I’m unhappy. If I was a change, I need to make it myself instead of waiting for life to make it for me. You know I always value your thoughts though, I admire you so much girl!! <3 Sending much love.

  • Reply
    dixya | food, pleasure, and health
    September 24, 2015 at 4:42 pm

    happy 23rd! im almost 30 now and i wish i could turn this into a full time career. i sometime want to take a risk and just do it. if thats what you really have your heart set on, its always a possibility. i want to wish you all the best :) :)

    on a different note, these look so delicious!! i have not worked with spelt flour.

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 6:28 pm

      Thanks Dixya! I found that spelt flour wasn’t all that different form whole wheat actually! :D

  • Reply
    Dani @ Dani California Cooks
    September 24, 2015 at 5:56 pm

    Happy birthday!! I turned 25 this year and I love being in my “mid twenties”. It’s a really fun time.

    I once made homemade poptarts, and I can imagine it was a similar experience to making these. They are a lot of FUN to put together!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 24, 2015 at 6:26 pm

      Thanks girl!! And they were a lot of fun to put together!! ;)

  • Reply
    Kathryn @ The Scratch Artist
    September 24, 2015 at 7:15 pm

    First, this dish and these photos are outrageous! So beautiful. I want to eat my screen. Second, I don’t claim to have anything all figured out but what has worked for me is to follow my heart/my gut, whichever metaphor you prefer. I was all set to go to Medical School after four years of intense study and work. In my senior year of college it started to become harder and harder to quiet my internal voice that was screaming NO! I pushed on, not wanting to be a quitter, until finally, after listening to wise friends and family, I did an about-face and chose a path that was much better for me and much more genuine (so much of my desire to be a doctor was a function of wanting to prove myself – hello misery!). I am so grateful for my decisions. A piece of wisdom that has always helped me is the following: The only time worth regretting is time spent not learning. I think the only wrong choices are the ones that we don’t learn from. Whatever decision you make it’s up to you to make it the right one. HAPPY BIRTHDAY! XOXO

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 25, 2015 at 7:35 am

      I LOVE that quote, Kathryn. Thank you for sending that my way. And I really appreciate you sharing your experiences with med school – I also feel like where I am is a byproduct of me wanting to “prove” myself to others. Which is not a template for a happy life. I hope that one day I can look back and be grateful for my decisions too.

  • Reply
    Sophie | The Green Life
    September 24, 2015 at 9:58 pm

    First, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! ? Second, these photos are GORGEOUS! I love the new background and I LOVE these agnolottis. I seriously cannot wait to make them. They sound just perfect. Third, I’ve been in the same situation as you are. I wasted almost 10 years of my life working in a corporate job I hated. I knew that this awful job wasn’t for me, but my problem was I didn’t know what else to do. It took me years before I developed a passion for nutrition and food and realized that this is what I could see myself doing. And right there I knew that there was no other option and I had to follow my gut. So I quit everything and went back to school, at 30 years old. I never looked back and it was the best decision of my life. I seriously wish I could have made it sooner. So I’m telling you, if you know already that cooking is what you want to do (and girl we can all see that you’re incredibly talented at it), then I say GO FOR IT. Don’t waste one more second doing something you hate. Life is way too precious. And the wonderful thing is, when you follow your passion, things start to fall into place naturally and opportunities that you would never even have hoped for will open up for you. Follow your heart, it always knows what’s best for you. <3

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 25, 2015 at 7:38 am

      I really REALLY appreciate hearing your story a bit, Sophie. Hearing about people who are / have been in similar situations is extraordinarily helpful for me to put my own predicament into perspective. Did you go back to school or a nutrition or dietetics degree?? I’d love to know more!!

      • Reply
        Sophie | The Green Life
        September 25, 2015 at 11:03 am

        I did a one-year intensive program in Applied Holistic Nutrition at The Institute of Holistic Nutrition here in Toronto. It’s a private school (the same school Sarah Britton went to). It focuses on a holistic approach to health, so it’s quite different from the traditional dietician approach. Physical, emotional, spiritual and environmental factors are all taken into account. I believe something similar in the US would be IIN (Institute of Integrative Nutrition), an online course that forms people to become health coaches. Feel free to send me an email if you’d like to know more about it or have questions. I’d be happy to help! :)

  • Reply
    Kathryn
    September 25, 2015 at 4:44 am

    Happy happy birthday for yesterday! I hope you had a great day full of fun and good times. Personally, I can’t think of a better way to celebrate than with home made pasta – especially one that is so full of flavour too. Love the sound of that white bean filling so much.

    I’m not sure anyone has their life figured out when they’re 23. I was a few months into my ‘proper’ job when I turned 23 and I certainly didn’t expect to still be here nine years later and had all sorts of grand plans for what I would be spending my twenties doing which never really materialised. Which isn’t to say at all that I regret not following my dreams because the life that I have now (that absolutely wouldn’t be possible if I didn’t have a dull finance job that occupied 90% of my time) is everything that I could want and the joy that I get from the 10% non-work time far outweighs all the other stuff. At the end of the day though, only you know what’s right for you and I wish you luck with whatever you choose as you head into your 24th years!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 25, 2015 at 7:42 am

      That’s the whole crux of the decision, you know?? Being in a less-than-favorable job, but that job making it possible for you to do what you love. Ahh it’s so hard, girl! I do appreciate hearing your experience, though. It helps me put mine into perspective :)

  • Reply
    Ana @ The Awesome Green
    September 25, 2015 at 6:52 am

    Happy Birthday, Sarah! I wish you that all your dreams come true, and I really hope you will continue this “healthy foodie” path you’ve already chosen, because you are really talented! If you really like it, you won’t regret the choice :) Love the canelloni filling idea, sounds delicious! <3

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 25, 2015 at 7:44 am

      Thank you so much, Ana!! I’m a huge fan of The Awesome Green so I’m thrilled that you stopped by! Your compliment really means a lot to me…. I hope that I can turn this passion into a career one day :)

  • Reply
    genevieve @ gratitude & greens
    September 25, 2015 at 3:42 pm

    Happy birthday Sarah!! I get pensive on my birthdays, too. It’s strange how fast time flies by and I think about how different life is compared to how I imagined it would be just a few weeks or months ago. I think being passionate and, as Kathryn said above, continuing to learn are both so important in pursuing your dreams. Rather than feel uneasy about the future I like to tell myself that there is so much to look forward to, and I hope this year is an amazing one for you! This pasta is so beautiful- I have a soft spot for freshly made pasta and I wouldn’t mind having some of this right now. Hope you had a lovely birthday, dear Sarah!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      September 25, 2015 at 5:56 pm

      Thank you so much Gen!! And thanks for being my friend and reading my emails about this same topic ;)

  • Reply
    Little Vegan Bear
    October 1, 2015 at 10:39 am

    These look divine!

    • Reply
      Sarah
      October 1, 2015 at 1:48 pm

      Thanks!! :D

  • Reply
    cynthia
    November 3, 2015 at 8:25 am

    A VERY HAPPY AND HEATHY BELATED BIRTHDAY, SARAH…please do not feel ‘lost’. a week ago Monday, my beloved companion cat, of ten years, MINNIE, passed away; not bad enough? my friend CHARLENE, a volunteer for an adopt-a-pet place had her fortieth birthday and her companion cat of fifteen years also passed away. her cat’s name was MICKY. i can see your tears smiling right now. so enjoy LIFE.

    the description of your personal meditation – cooking in the kitchen – brought a huge smile to my face. this is precisely my form of ‘exercise’…

    by the way, december shall mark FIFTY YEARS a vegan for me… you are in my thoughts. your delicious recipes will soon be in my belly.

    THANKS, SARAH

    • Reply
      Sarah
      November 4, 2015 at 1:29 pm

      Thank you so much for leaving a note, Cynthia! I’m so sorry to hear about your cat and your friends cat :( But I’m sure they’re in kitty heaven right now with all the treats they could ever want! :) And congratulations on FIFTY YEARS as a vegan!! That is such an amazing accomplishment!! Think of how many animals you’ve saved!! :D :D

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