Starter of rich mayonnaise covering very little pasta (7)
I believe the answer is:
ravioli
'pasta' is the definition.
(I know that ravioli is a type of pasta)
'starter of rich mayonnaise covering very little' is the wordplay.
'starter of' says to take the initial letters.
'mayonnaise' becomes 'aioli' (mayonnaise seasoned with garlic).
'covering' is an insertion indicator.
'very little' becomes 'v' (abbreviation or little form for 'very').
The first letter of 'rich' is 'r'.
'aioli' placed around 'v' is 'avioli'.
'r'+'avioli'='RAVIOLI'
(Other definitions for ravioli that I've seen before include "dish in the trattoria" , "(Meat, cheese, etc filled) pasta cases" , "Pasta envelopes with savoury filling" , "Small pasta cases with savoury fillings" , "Small stuffed pasta" .)