Eat your heart out, Chef Boyardee!

A staple of childhood lunches thanks to its canned incarnations, ravioli is an Italian classic in which pasta dough is filled with just about anything imaginable. In our rendition, we take homemade dough and stuff it with a delectable four-cheese filling, then top it all off with a creamy Alfredo sauce - infused with the flavor of nature's perfect food, bacon. Restaurant-quality ravioli made from scratch in your own kitchen is easier than you think. While we cannot condone the health risks associated with this dish, we can guarantee that the satisfaction from your palate will be more than worth any ensuing heart attack.

Four cheese ravioli with bacon Alfredo sauce

Prep time is about 120 minutes. Makes about 4-5 servings.

- Pots
- Rolling pin
- Slotted spoon
- Mixing bowls
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Fork
- Food processor

Pasta dough
- 4 eggs
- 4 cups flour
- water

Filling
- 16 oz. ricotta cheese
- 16 oz. mozzarella cheese
- 5 oz. Parmesan cheese
- 5 oz. grated Romano cheese
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- Fresh basil, finely chopped

Sauce
-1/2 quart heavy cream
-1 stick butter
-4 strips bacon
-1/2 medium onion, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
-3 cloves garlic, minced
-Fresh basil, finely chopped
-Fresh parsley, finely chopped
-Salt, pepper

Preparation:

The dough

1. Take the flour and form a cone-shaped mound on a smooth surface.
2. Make a well in the center of the flour. Break eggs into well.
3. Slowly fold flour from sides into well, mixing slowly with a finger.
4. Continue until all the flour is incorporated. Work dough until smooth in consistency.
5. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

The filling

1. With a food processor, shred Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Cheese may need to be cut into smaller pieces first.
2. In a large bowl, mix garlic, basil and all four cheeses (ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and Romano) together until homogeneous.

The Alfredo sauce

1. Melt butter in a medium pot.
2. Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are tender.
3. Slowly add heavy cream, stirring after each addition.
4. Cut bacon into small pieces, add to sauce.
5. Season to taste with salt, pepper, basil and parsley.
6. Simmer until sauce is at desired consistency (10-20 minutes).

Assembling it all together

1. Take a fist-sized portion of chilled dough. Place on smooth surface.
2. With a rolling pin, roll out dough to minimum thickness possible.
3. Cut out ovals of dough using lip of drinking glass.
4. Repeat process with remainder of dough.
5. Spoon one to two tablespoons of filling onto center of one oval. Place another oval directly on top.
6. Squeeze the edges together to seal. Crimp with fork.
7. Repeat for remainder of dough/filling.
8. Boil ravioli for approximately five minutes, or until raviolis float.
9. Place ravioli in dish. Ladle Alfredo sauce over ravioli.
10. Garnish with sprig of parsley. Enjoy!