IT’S National Ravioli Day, so let’s crack open a can to celebrate!
Instead of fresh pasta versions, supermarket tins offer a cheap and easy alternative.
Celebrity chef Aldo Zilli tucks into a selection to find out which give you the best taste and value.
Tesco Cheese Ravioli
400g, 80p
There is really excellent texture on the pasta in this tin and a big portion[/caption]
VEGETARIAN canned ravioli that really looks the part. With a nice, dark red sauce, heaps of plump half-moon pasta folds and a delicious aroma when it’s cooking, it’s probably the most appetising of them all.
I like the shape, and although the Emmental cheese used inside is Swiss rather than Italian, I’ll let it go as the taste is good.
Cheese ravioli is a favourite on the Italian island of Sardinia, where ricotta and lemon are often sandwiched into the pasta parcels.
You won’t find either of those ingredients here but if you are in the UK then this will definitely do instead.
Really excellent texture on the pasta and a big portion in one tin. There’s plenty for two people, even more if you add salad or bread on the side.
It’s very tasty.
RATING: 5/5
Asda Beef Ravioli
400g, 79p
It’s not especially good quality pasta in this tin as it’s very thick[/caption]
LOADS of sauce in this can but when it comes to the ravioli, there’s too many broken squares. It’s not especially good quality pasta as it’s very thick.
Ideally, when you make ravioli it needs to be thinner as you are doubling up the sheets. When it’s denser like this, it makes your meal starchy and stodgy.
The corners have broken on a lot of the squares too, which can get a bit messy as the filling comes out.
But it’s not a bad beef stuffing for a budget price and more than passable for the price you are paying.
Tip a tin in a pan and it will fill you up for less than a quid.
Or add a good glug of nice olive oil, maybe some shavings of parmesan and a grating of fresh black pepper and the presentation of this would improve no end.
A few leaves of fresh basil would smarten it up a lot, too.
RATING: 3/5
Branston Beef Ravioli
395g, 95p, Iceland
The filling really tastes rich and beefy, with a perfect amount of seasoning[/caption]
BY far the best of all the beef ravioli in a tin. Tastes like a proper pasta dish.
You might even get away with convincing people it’s not reheated from a can. It’s still under a quid, too.
A lovely thick sauce, which is rich with a tomato taste and you get lots of generously stuffed parcels.
The pasta is very good, and made with egg. It’s sweet but not in an artificial way, just with the flavour of the tomato, so it doesn’t taste too processed.
The filling really tastes rich and beefy, with a perfect amount of seasoning, despite being only 2.7 per cent beef.
There is no ring pull, so make sure you have a tin opener to hand.
But, for a tinned ravioli and at this price, it is really very good indeed.
RATING: 5/5
Bramwells Beef Ravioli
400g, 79p, Aldi
The pasta squares are fine but the sauce has a very watery and thin consistency[/caption]
AN affordable option to keep in your cupboard for a convenient and cheap meal.
But while it’s not terrible and is five per cent beef, I think it could do with a flavour boost.
The pasta squares are fine – and certainly not the worst ones I’ve ever eaten – but the sauce has a very watery and thin consistency.
This made it boil quickly in my pan, which can make it bitter if you don’t watch out. The sauce is also rather pale and the meat filling is a bit bland.
It would make a decent base for a quick lunch or economical evening meal but it needs a bit of help from the fridge.
If you added more seasoning and perhaps some chopped- up fresh tomatoes and peppers, it would be much better. Then it would go further on a plate as well.
RATING: 3/5
Tesco Beef Ravioli
400g, 80p
This tin from Tesco might not pass for authentic, but for the price it’s a pretty decent pasta dish[/caption]
US Italians really love ravioli. The tender fresh pasta pockets can be filled with a variety of ingredients, with each region having its preferred specialist stuffings.
These can include cheese, meat or vegetables like pumpkins with herbs.
This tin from Tesco might not pass for authentic, but for the price it’s a pretty decent pasta dish.
The sauce is glossy and the squares look and taste nice. Good-sized pasta shapes that will fill you up and there’s enough in a can for two.
There is an eight per cent beef ratio, which is a good amount.
But it is oddly pale and I get a flavour of tomato too. More seasoning would be better still, but there’s lots of herbs. I can see and taste oregano and rosemary, which is great for a value meal.
RATING: 3/5
Heinz Beef Ravioli
400g, £2, Sainsbury’s
This pasta has a very good texture, with a nice, shiny and aromatic sauce[/caption]
THIS can contains 14 per cent beef filling, which is more than double the amount you get in most of the other meat tins.
It is more expensive to buy but at least you are getting extra meat for your money.
This pasta has a very good texture, with a nice, shiny and aromatic sauce that coats it properly.
It looks much more like a pasta sauce should look, although it’s still not as good as a homemade one. There are loads of pasta parcels here, far more than some cheaper cans.
You pay more, but do get a good amount here too. On the downside, there’s quite a few broken ravioli and in my pan, they are sticking together.
Good, rich colour thanks to the tomato puree in the recipe and I can taste garlic.
RATING: 4/5
Suma Organic Ravioli
400g, £2.85, Co-op
This is more like a soup with some ravioli floating in it[/caption]
MADE with tomato and ricotta sauce, this is about as posh a pasta as you’ll get in a can – and that means it’s also the priciest here.
Lots of cream makes this veggie ravioli extremely rich so it’s very filling. But where on earth is the pasta?
With it being 60 per cent sauce, this is more like a soup with some ravioli floating in it. You’ll need a spoon for all the liquid in the bowl.
It also means there’s only enough for one person. But I’m afraid all that sauce tastes disgusting too.
It sounds good but it doesn’t taste it. Instead, the flavour is sickly and processed. The aroma isn’t pleasant and after I heated it, the cheese looked odd, almost like it was curdling.
You’d be better off buying three cheaper tins for the cost of this one.
RATING: 2/5
Newgate Ravioli
390g, 79p, Lidl
This is a smaller can than the majority of the others, making the value not as good[/caption]
THIS Heinz dupe from Lidl has five per cent beef and 43 per cent tomatoes.
So while the can might look almost identical to the big name, the quantities inside don’t match, although it costs far less of course.
I was surprised to see this is a smaller can than the majority of the others, making the value not as good.
The pasta and sauce inside are very orange coloured. In fact, this looks so neon it almost glows in the bowl.
After heating up, I think it tastes and smells far too sweet.
And lots of the parcels stuck together so the filling started coming out.
It needs more ravioli for the sauce ratio.
Adding grated cheese on top would also improve it.
RATING: 2/5
