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Mezzaluna Pasta Recipe: Filling Ideas and Cooking Tips

Written by MasterClass

Last updated: Nov 15, 2024 • 5 min read

Learn to make mezzaluna pasta, a simple, striking pasta with a dreamy shape.

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What Is Mezzaluna Pasta?

Mezzaluna, Italian for “half-moon,” is a style of ravioli, a shaped egg pasta that features a cheesy filling encased in a thin envelope of pasta dough. Since the fourteenth century, ravioli has been a staple of Italian cuisine, found in various shapes—like squares, crescents, or circles—and sizes, like bite-sized ones ravioletti or raviolo al’uovo, a large format featuring a single egg yolk nestled inside.

Mezzaluna pasta shares its name with a traditional chef’s knife featuring a curved blade with a handle on both ends. Mezzaluna knives, also known as hachoir or herb-choppers, are ideal for chopping herbs or mincing garlic, and some models fit into a specially designed cutting board.

4 Mezzaluna Pasta Fillings

Mezzaluna is an effortlessly elegant variety of homemade pasta, and the possible combinations of filling are endless. One key thing to remember—avoid overly wet fillings, which can tear the delicate pasta dough.

  1. 1. Cheese-and-herb mezzaluna: Soft cheeses and aromatic chopped herbs are among the most popular filling choices. Try goat cheese, thick, basket-drained ricotta, or a combination of your favorites. Tender herbs like chives, chervil, dill, and Italian parsley are best for this delicate pasta filling.
  2. 2. Mushroom mezzaluna: For a wild mushroom mezzaluna filling, finely chop the mushrooms and sauté them with garlic, shallots, and thyme. Deglaze with port, then combine finely chopped toasted walnuts and soft cheese, like ricotta. Pair mushroom mezzaluna with alfredo sauce. (Learn how to make alfredo sauce.)
  3. 3. Seafood mezzaluna: Shellfish makes for a luxurious pasta filling. Take inspiration from Chef Gordon Ramsay’s salmon and lobster ravioli and incorporate your favorite seafood into your filling.
  4. 4. Roasted-vegetable mezzaluna: Sweet potato, winter squash, and corn make rich, hearty pasta fillings. Process the vegetables and seasonings in a food processor until velvety and smooth.

3 Tips for Making Mezzaluna Pasta

Serve this stuffed pasta dish as a simple first course or entrée, in a broth or light sauce, or drizzled with brown butter or olive oil. Here’s what to know:

  1. 1. Seal the edges. Unlike tortellini, another pasta shape that relies on folding to seal its contents inside, the best way to seal mezzaluna is with a bit of water before cutting it with a crimping-style pasta cutter or paring knife. Sealing the pasta with water helps ensure that the filling will not leak out during the cooking process.
  2. 2. Roll the dough into a thin sheet. The thinner the dough, the more delicate and snappy the pasta. (As the old saying goes, you should be able to read the newspaper through a sheet of properly rolled pasta dough.) Rolling the dough correctly also makes it easier to seal the edges and encase your filling. After cooking the mezzaluna, it should have the gentlest give as you bite into it, rather than a thick, doughy chew.
  3. 3. Pair the filling with the sauce. You can pair mezzaluna with various fillings and sauces. For a decadent winter dish, fill your pasta with silky butternut squash purée and serve it with brown butter and crisp, fried sage leaves. Fill the pasta with a spinach-ricotta filling and cover it with traditional tomato sauce, like marinara. Try alfredo cream sauce for a richer dish. For brighter flavor, add lemon zest to the cheese filling and drizzle with a bright olive oil and herb-based sauce, like pesto.

Eggplant Mezzaluna Pasta Recipe

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3 Ratings | Rate Now

makes

prep time

20 min

total time

45 min

cook time

25 min

Ingredients

For the pasta dough:

For the filling:

For the eggplant sauce and assembly:

Note: The total time does not include 30 minutes of inactive time.

Make the pasta dough:

  1. 1

    In a large bowl, mix the flour with the salt, then turn the flour mixture onto a clean work surface.

  2. 2

    Using your knuckles, create a well in the center of the flour mixture. Leave a thin layer of flour along the bottom of the well.

  3. 3

    Crack the egg into the well. Using a fork, whisk the egg until frothy. Use your other hand to add a little flour into the mixture as you go.

  4. 4

    When the egg-flour mixture is no longer runny, use a bench scraper to cut in the rest of the flour.

  5. 5

    Bring the dough together with your hands, and knead until it forms a smooth ball, about 5–10 minutes. The finished dough should lightly spring back when pressed with your finger but otherwise hold the indent.

  6. 6

    Wrap the dough in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Make the pasta filling:

  1. 1

    In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, mascarpone, and olive oil, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

  2. 2

    Fold the herbs into the cheese mixture and set it aside.

Make the eggplant sauce and assemble the mezzaluna:

  1. 1

    In a large skillet over medium heat, warm the oil and butter.

  2. 2

    Add the eggplant and toss to coat with the oil mixture.

  3. 3

    Season the eggplant with salt and pepper, and sauté until golden brown and very tender, 10–12 minutes. Add more oil as needed during the cooking process.

  4. 4

    Add the minced garlic, tomato paste, capers, and red pepper flakes, and season with salt and pepper.

  5. 5

    Cook the eggplant mixture until it takes on a uniform, loose consistency with some large chunks of eggplant still visible, and the flavors have melded, another 5 minutes.

  6. 6

    Taste the eggplant mixture and set it aside.

  7. 7

    When you’re ready to roll out the dough, lightly flour a clean work surface.

  8. 8

    Using either a rolling pin, a tabletop pasta roller, or a stand mixer attachment for making pasta, roll the dough into a single layer until it is thin, but does not rip.

  9. 9

    Use a 3- to 4-inch cookie cutter to cut circles out of the dough.

  10. 10

    Using a piping bag or teaspoon, portion out the filling across the top half of each circle. Aim for a heaping teaspoon or so, and avoid overfilling.

  11. 11

    Use a fine pastry brush or the tip of a finger to wet the edges of each circle with a very thin swipe of water.

  12. 12

    Fold the bottom half of the round up over the filling, and use your fingers to pat down to seal the pasta into a half-moon shape. Use a pasta crimper or fork to lightly pattern the edges, if desired.

  13. 13

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

  14. 14

    Add the mezzaluna to the water and boil just until tender and cooked through, 2–3 minutes.

  15. 15

    Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked pasta and transfer it to plates.

  16. 16

    Spoon the warm eggplant mixture over the pasta and serve immediately.

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