Stanley Tucci’s Favorite Italian-Inspired Thanksgiving Recipe

No matter the occasion, Italians always find a way to make pasta part of the menu. Traditionally served as a starter course, Uova da Raviolo is the perfect choice to add some Italian flavor to this year’s Thanksgiving. This extraordinarily decadent recipe from The Tucci Table consists of airy pasta filled with creamy ricotta and a whole egg yolk, which, when cut open releases all of the richness inside. Your guests will swoon over this unexpected dish and be demanding seconds before moving onto the turkey!

Uova da Raviolo
Ravioli filled with egg yolk

Makes 6 large ravioli
Serves 6 as a starter

FOR THE FILLING

• ½ cup ricotta
• ½ cup finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
• 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach, blanched, squeezed dry, and finely chopped
• Zest of lemon
• Good grating of fresh nutmeg
• Leaves from 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

TO ASSEMBLE

• 1 portion Pasta Dough
• 6 good, fresh egg yolks
• 4 to 6 tablespoons butter
• Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving

Felicity and I first tried this extraordinarily decadent dish on our honeymoon in Piemonte: a single pillow of feathery pasta filled with ricotta and a whole egg yolk, which, when cut open, releases all the richness inside. We were a little nervous the first time we made it at home, but it turned out to be easier than we thought, and a lot of fun. Make sure you use the best eggs you can find, as they will make all the difference.

1. Make the filling: In a large bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmigiano, spinach, lemon zest, nutmeg, and thyme and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside.

2. Assemble the ravioli: Roll out the pasta dough. Cut twelve circles from the dough using a 6-inch cutter or using a knife and a 6-inch bowl as a guide, or just cut large squares from the sheet using a very sharp knife.

3. Place a small amount of the filling in the center of six of the dough circles. Then make a small well in the center of each mound of filling. Gently place an egg yolk into each well. Carefully cover each with a second circle of dough and seal the edges with a little water, crimping them firmly together.

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Very gently lower the ravioli into the water one at a time with a slotted spoon and cook for 2 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a sauté pan. When the ravioli are cooked, gently remove them from the water with a slotted spoon, place them in the sauté pan, and coat with the butter. Serve each one on a small plate generously sprinkled with grated parmigiano.

Academy Award–nominee Stanley Tucci is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award–winning actor. He is beloved for his appearances in more than fifty films, including Big Night, Julie & Julia, The Devil Wears Prada, and The Hunger Games franchise. His second cookbook, The Tucci Table, is out now from our sister company Simon & Schuster and available wherever books are sold.