Guys, I love ravioli.  Love it.  Love the homemade kind, stuffed with interesting fillings and smooth buttery pasta that you can tell was kneaded by hand. Since I don’t always have the time or money to head down to the North End to enjoy homemade pasta (but I will soon since I made myself hungry again).

In between my Italian restaurant visits, I came across this at the supermarket:

Sup? Crab filled ravioli? Not frozen? I’m interested (and no, this isn’t a Buitoni–funded post, but they do have awesome ravioli on the cheap).

Pesto is a light sauce that is incredibly easy to make, and makes you look like a master chef.  The only downside is it calls for pine nuts, which are very expensive, but I only used about 1/2 the bag I bought, so there is plenty more for next time. A little fresh seafood on top, and you have a filling meal that’s done in about 20 minutes.

Ingredients:

1 cup Fresh basil [$2]

1/4 cup Pine nuts [$5]

juice of 1 lemon [.50 cents]

3 garlic cloves [these I had on hand, cost about .50 cents in the store]

olive oil [I had this already, otherwise its a little pricey but another great investment for the kitchen]

raviolis, in any flavor you want (I recommend Buitoni, they have fun flavors like crab and shrimp and chicken Marsala). [$5]

Seafood, assorted, I chose shrimp and scallops [$9], but you can use clams and mussels or even chicken.  Sky is the limit here.

Directions:Boil Raviolis according to package directions. Make pesto:  combine the basil, olive oil, salt, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and process till well combined. Set aside.

Clean seafood and sear in batches, about 3 min per side for shrimp and 1.5 min per side for the scallops and set aside.  Drain pasta and place on a dish. Top with seafood.  Top with pesto. Eat (with lots of white wine if you’re me).

See, there’s even a dish for the laziest of us to make. Enjoy!

-L