Butternut Squash Ravioli



If you're looking for the coziest fall dinner, look no further than this butternut squash ravioli. With a creamy butternut squash filling and a brown butter sauce, this ravioli is the perfect solution when you're in need of a comforting dinner that will truly wow. I'm making the ravioli from scratch in this recipe, but don't stress yet! It's really not as difficult as you think, and I've got all the tips here to help you every step of the way. Trust me—every bit of effort is worth it. 

How To Make Butternut Squash Ravioli

INGREDIENTS

• All-Purpose Flour & Eggs: For this recipe I really wanted to make the pasta from scratch, which calls for flour and eggs to create the dough. Making pasta dough from scratch does require extra effort, but it is 100% worth it. It’s not that difficult, but does take a bit of planning and a hefty dose of patience, especially when you’re rolling out the pasta. If this is your first time, no stress—I've got all the steps you need to make it perfect.
• Butternut Squash Puree: I am opting for a store-bought butternut squash puree here, but you can absolutely make your own. Start by peeling a large butternut squash and scooping out the seeds. Cut squash into ½” cubes, toss in a little olive oil, and spread out onto a baking sheet. Roast in a 400° oven for 45 to 60 minutes, or until completely soft, then puree squash in the food processor until smooth. You can weigh out 10 ounces of puree if you like, or simply measure 1 ½ cups. The end result is a beautiful, smooth puree, but honestly, you’re going to get the same result in much less time by using a premade puree.
• Parmesan: Parmesan cheese is a pasta hero. It has a rich nutty, almost fruity flavor that adds so much more depth to a recipe. It couples especially well here with the sweetness of the butternut squash, adding extra nutty, savory notes.
• Ricotta: Ricotta is light and fluffy with a very mild taste. It is the perfect way to add cream to a dish while keeping it light. For this reason I use ricotta in many of my pasta dishes. Its light, slightly sweet flavor lends well to both sweet and savory dishes, and since this dish touches on both of those notes, ricotta is a no-brainer.
• Brown Sugar: Brown sugar and butternut squash are both ubiquitous fall flavors for a good reason. The sweet, molasses heavy notes of brown sugar perfectly compliment the slightly sweet, nutty flavor of the squash. When I think of any classic fall veg, I think too of brown sugar. The combination just feels like a warm, dry house on a cool and dreary day.
• Butter: I am using brown butter as the base of my sauce here. It is an incredibly simple sauce where I am really looking to bring out the savory, fatty, nutty notes of butter in conjecture with the herbs and aromatics added after the butter browns.
• Garlic: Punchy and slightly spicy, garlic is a classic aromatic that has something to add to almost every dish. I am using it here to add that extra little bit of bite and warmth to the dish that really takes it to the next level.
• Sage: Sage is such an interesting herb, and a classic for fall dishes. As part of the mint family, it does have some minty undertones, while also being earthy, almost piney, and a little peppery. It is a very complex flavor, but works so well with fall flavors. Aside from its delicious and instantly recognizable aroma, it is readily available and easy to use.
• Thyme: Thyme is another classic fall herb in the mint family. It has a stronger minty, peppery, flavor than sage, but more than anything it is just super herbaceous. The two in tandem create a beautiful, warm flavor and aroma that add so much to the sauce and the ravioli as a whole.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Start by whisking together flour and salt in a medium bowl, then pour the combined ingredients onto a clean surface so that you have a mound of flour. Then in the center of the flour mound, use your hands or the bottom of the bowl to create a well. Essentially we are creating a “bowl” inside the four to mix the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well and use a fork to break the yolks and mix the eggs, taking care not to knock in the flour walls just yet, until the egg yolks and whites are one. Once they have become homogeneous, begin gently whisking the flour into the eggs—taking care to ensure the liquid doesn’t run out through the flour mound—until a shaggy dough forms. Then use your hands to knead the dough until it is smooth and no longer sticky, adding flour to the surface as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. This should take about 5 minutes. Once you have your smooth dough ball forms, gently form it into a square—this will help us make the best use of the dough later—and wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and pop it into the refrigerator for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days to cool.

When you are ready to roll the pasta out, remove the dough from the fridge and use a bench scraper, or other edge, to cut it into 4 equal quarters. Wrap all but 1 of the quarters back in plastic wrap and return them to the fridge.

Lightly flour a clean surface and begin rolling out the uncovered dough into a long rectangle that is about ¼” thick. Set your pasta maker to the widest setting and pass the rolled out dough through 2 times, before folding the short ends of the dough in to meet each other in the center and then folding in half again to create quarters. Then roll the dough out again so that it is ¼” thick and pass it back through the pasta maker another 2 times.

After you’ve passed the dough through both times, reduce the pasta maker setting by one degree and repeat the folding process before passing through the machine 2 to 3 times, before reducing the setting one more step and repeating the folding and rolling process. Continue repeating this process through the pasta maker's thinnest setting. If the sheet becomes too long to work with, feel free to cut it in half. Repeat this process with remaining quarters of dough in the refrigerator, taking care to keep your rolled out dough covered with a clean kitchen towel as you work.

Then create the filling by combining the butternut squash puree, Parmesan, ricotta, and brown sugar in a large bowl and seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.

Once both the dough and filling are prepared, lay one piece of dough out on a lightly floured surface and spoon about 1 tablespoon of filling for every 1 inch of pasta dough. If your pasta sheet is wide enough, make sure to create 2 rows of filling to maximize the end product. Then, using your finger and a bowl of water, lightly wet a square border in between each pile of filling. This is going to help create a seal so that when we next lay the second piece of dough over the top of the first sheet, taking care to press in between each filling pile, the seal will better hold—we wouldn't want our ravioli to burst open during cooking. When creating each individual ravioli, make sure that you are leaving as little air in the pockets as possible. Once you are happy with your raviolis, use a pasta cutter or pizza wheel and cut in between each pocket to cut out the individual ravioli. Repeat this process with the remaining dough and filling and cover and refrigerate the ravioli until you are ready to cook.

When ready, start a large skillet over medium heat and add in the butter to melt. Melt and cook the butter until it starts to foam, and then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to cook until the butter starts to smell nutty and turns golden brown, about 4 minutes. This brown butter has so much more flavor than its pre-browned counterpart. Add in the garlic, sage, and thyme and let them cook until fragrant, about 1 minute, before removing the pan from the heat and setting aside.

At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and, working in batches, add in the ravioli and cook for about 1 ½ minutes until tender. Once tender, use a spider, or other tool with holes for drainage, to remove the ravioli from the water, and place them directly into the skillet with brown butter. Gently toss the ravioli to coat them in the sauce.

Once all the ravioli is cooked and coated the brown butter herb sauce, plate and serve them with Parmesan.

Full list of ingredients and directions can be found in the recipe below.

Recipe Tips

• Plan ahead. You can make the dough and keep it, tightly wrapped, in the refrigerator for 2-3 days before you roll and shape it. Once made, the ravioli can be wrapped and frozen in an airtight container for up to 3 months. There’s no reason to be making the pasta dough from scratch, assembling the ravioli, and cooking it off for dinner all in the same day– unless you really want to!
• Do I have to make my own pasta? Absolutely not! If you don't have a pasta roller or simply don't have the time or desire to make your pasta from scratch, you can use wonton wrappers instead. Sandwich the filling between two wrappers and seal together with a little water. Cook in boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes.

Storage

If you’re taking the time to make pasta from scratch, you should definitely make extra to freeze. After assembling the ravioli, place on a flat surface (a baking sheet works great) and freeze. Once the ravioli are frozen solid, store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer for up to 3 months. You can cook the ravioli directly from frozen– they’ll take about 2 minutes in boiling water to reach al dente.

What To Serve With Butternut Squash Ravioli

Since you’re going to the effort of making the pasta, we suggest keeping the sides simple. Try a nice light spinach salad or this awesome easy garlic bread. Looking for more inspo? Check out our favorite fall side dishes. We love serving this dish as a vegetarian main, but if you're craving some protein, add in some prepared chicken breasts or chicken thighs.