ravioli
Ravioli refers to a type of Italian pasta consisting of a filling, such as meat, cheese, or vegetables, enclosed in thin pasta dough. The mental image is a small, square or round pillow of dough, often served with a savory sauce like marinara or a brown butter sage sauce. It is a very common, comfort-food term used in everyday settings. While traditionally associated with home-cooked Italian meals, the term is also widely used in casual conversation to refer to store-bought or canned varieties. It is a mass noun in English, though "a piece of ravioli" or "raviolis" (though technically incorrect in Italian) are sometimes heard in colloquial speech.
In conversation
Planning dinner
Do you want to make pasta tonight?
Do you want to make pasta tonight?
How about ravioli with some spinach and ricotta?
How about ravioli with some spinach and ricotta?
Suggesting a specific type of pasta for a meal.
Quick meal
I'm tired, let's just heat up some canned ravioli.
I'm tired, let's just heat up some canned ravioli.
Yes! Can we have extra cheese on top?
Yes! Can we have extra cheese on top?
Refers to the convenience of pre-packaged ravioli.
Examples
I love homemade ravioli.
I love homemade ravioli.
The ravioli is stuffed with lobster and served in a cream sauce.
The ravioli is stuffed with lobster and served in a cream sauce.
She spent the entire afternoon meticulously folding the edges of each ravioli to ensure the filling wouldn't leak.
She spent the entire afternoon meticulously folding the edges of each ravioli to ensure the filling wouldn't leak.
