If you think the tastiest stuffed pasta comes in a can of Chef Boyardee, think again. Miami restaurants offer some delicious ingredients inside fresh pasta that comes in a variety of shapes, sizes, and packages. These dishes range from half-moon pouches and fruit-filled purses to cheese-stuffed squares and meaty lobster dumplings. They are unusual, tasty, and packed with flavor in delicate and doughy packages.
5. Pumpkin Amaretto Sorrentino at Mr. Pasta
Mr. Pasta in North Beach offers a taste of autumn yearlong. Forget waiting for pumpkin spice latte season at Starbucks; get those flavors inside pasta. Owner Jorge Stekelorum makes many pastas in many shapes, but perhaps nothing is as memorable as his pumpkin and amaretto sorrentino. It's like ravioli but round in the center instead of square, and the filling is both sweet and nutty. Buy them fresh and prepare them at home for pasta cooked to your liking and sauced up however you choose.
4. Lobster Ravioli at Calamari Restaurant
Five years ago, this lobster ravioli dish ($19.95) at Calamari in Coconut Grove made New Times' list "100 Best Dishes in Miami," and it still shines. The dough holds up and doesn't get mushy or soggy, and the lobster meat inside is enhanced by the lobster cream sauce on top. It is rich and decadent, and the restaurant's proximity to CocoWalk means you can stroll off the calories afterward.
3. Tortelli at Via Verdi Cucina Rustica
A basic ricotta ravioli with butter doesn't compare to the magic in Via Verdi's tortelli ($16), which come filled with fontina and Taleggio cheeses and topped with a truffle Parmesan sauce. Each bite is creamy, cheesy, and melt-in-your-mouth dreamy. Picky children who like noodles with only butter and parents with refined palates and a love for imported cheese can agree on this dish that satisfies with simple decadence.
2. Fiocchi at Perricone's Marketplace & Cafe
What the heck is fiocchi? Just order it. These cheese-and-pear pasta purses ($20.95) are sweet, fruity, rich, and nutty. Fresh pear and four cheeses fill the bottom of the pasta like little bags of treasure, and a rich walnut-and-Gorgonzola sauce is poured on top.
1. Beet-Filled Mezzaluna at Macchialina Taverna Rustica
This dish at Macchialina is a true favorite. Forget the moon hitting your eye like a big pizza pie; this is a half-moon in your mouth. The dish has ricotta, hazelnuts, brown butter, a pop of color from the beets, and a pop of poppy seeds for a fun texture.