Trattoria Ravioli

A trattoria is an Italian style eating easablishment less formal than a ristorante, but more formal than an osteria. There are generally no printed menus, the service is casual, wine is sold by the decanter rather than the bottle, prices are low, and the emphasis is on a steady clientele rather than oh haute cuisine. The food is modest but plentiful (mostly following regional and local recipes) and in some instances is even served family-style (i.e. at common tables).

We got this recipe from the cookbook Spread a Little Joy made by the producers of Philadelphia Cream Cheese.... so as one may assume, it is incorporated into every recipe in the book (Score!)

We plan on using this book over and over again, but the first recipe we decided to make is the one you see on the cover (instead of tortellini we used ravioli).

It requires only a few ingredients:

The exact recipe calls for:

2 packages of refrigerated cheese tortellini or ravioli, uncooked
1 cup milk
4 oz cream cheese, cubed
6 tbsp grated parmesean cheese
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper (we always add a bit more)
6 oz fresh or frozen baby spinach leaves (we used fresh)
1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes

The process is very quick and easy...

1. Cook pasta as directed on package *someday we will make our own ravioli from scratch! I promise!
2. Meanwhile, cook milk and cream cheese in large skillet on medium heat until cream cheese is melted. Incorporate until well blended. Stir in parmesean and pepper. Add spinach; mix well.
3. Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture with tomatoes, mix lightly.
4. Buon appetito!

Sarah ended up adding a little bit of garlic salt for some extra flavor. We concluded that this is a "reduced guilt" version of alfredo sauce, because it doesn't involve nearly as much milkfat as traditional alfredo, especially if you use reduced fat cream cheese and milk! Overall, we LOVED this meal!