Butternut Squash Ravioli
Tender homemade pasta with a delicious filling, this butternut squash ravioli with creamy garlic sauce and crispy sage is a showstopper fall dinner recipe.
Making ravioli is definitely a labor of love. Making the pasta dough and the filling then forming and cutting the ravioli. It’s not a quick, easy recipe but homemade butternut squash ravioli is so absolutely worth the effort. It’s deeply savory and delicious. The sweet butternut, perfect pasta dough, creamy sauce and aromatic sage all come together to make the perfect fall comfort food.
Ingredients and Substitutions
For the Homemade Pasta Dough
This is a super simple homemade pasta recipe but you could also use wonton wrappers if you didn’t want to make your own pasta.
- Flour. I prefer using 00-flour but all-purpose flour will also work.
- Eggs.
- Olive oil.
- Salt.
For the butternut squash filling
- Butternut squash.
- Butter. I used salted butter but unsalted butter can also be used.
- Fresh thyme. Other herbs like sage, parsley and oregano are all delicious with butternut.
- Nutmeg.
- Honey. Maple syrup can be substituted.
- Salt and black pepper.
For serving
- Creamy garlic parmesan sauce
- Roasted butternut squash (optional)
- Fresh sage leaves (optional). I love serving fried sage with the ravioli but you could garnish with fresh parsley too.
- Parmesan cheese.
How to make butternut squash ravioli
- Make the dough by combining the flour, eggs, oil and salt then knead until a soft, smooth dough forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes while you make the filling.
- Make the filling by combining roasted butternut squash, butter and seasonings together. Blend until smooth using a blender or immersion blender, season to taste then allow to cool to room temperature.
- Make the ravioli by filling fresh pasta sheets with the butternut squash puree and sealing with another pasta sheet. Make sure to push out any air pockets then cut out the ravioli with a pasta cutter/ravioli cutter. Cook the ravioli in a large pot of boiling water for 2-3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and combine with the sauce.
- Serve in bowls then garnish with crispy fried sage and small cubes of roasted butternut squash.
FAQ
The pasta dough can be made a day in advance and kept wrapped in the fridge before rolling out. The assembled ravioli can be kept on a baking sheet sprinkled with semolina flour in the fridge for up to 2 days and cooked right before serving. Leftovers can be kept in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
We love serving this homemade ravioli with chicken, pork chops or pork tenderloin.
To allow the filling to shine, I prefer serving ravioli with a simple sauce. Brown butter sauce with sage, creamy garlic sauce or a simple Alfredo sauce are our favorite options.
Butternut squash does not need to be peeled before roasting. You can halve the squash and scoop out the seeds with a tablespoon then roast, cut-side down, in a roasting pan covered with foil until fork tender.
Serving Suggestions
We love this ravioli as it is for a spectacular vegetarian dinner but you could add a side of garlic bread and a simple arugula salad as side dishes. If you’d like to add protein, adding crispy bacon or prosciutto is a delicious idea. You could also serve the ravioli as a side dish to baked chicken breast, pork tenderloin or pork chops.
Butternut Squash Recipes
Ingredients
For the pasta dough
- 3 cups flour I used 00-flour
- 5 eggs
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
For the butternut squash filling
- 1 large butternut squash
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- pinch ground nutmeg
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
To serve
- garlic parmesan sauce
- 4 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
- roasted butternut cubes optional
- fried sage optional
Instructions
Make the pasta dough
- Tip the flour onto a clean counter top and make a well in the center. Break the eggs into the well and add the salt and olive oil.
- Using a fork, whisk the eggs together then slowly start bringing little bits of the flour into the eggs and continue until the dough starts to come together.
- Knead the dough with your hands until a soft, smooth dough forms (this should take approximately 5mins).
- Form the dough into a disc then wrap tightly with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Make the filling
- While the dough is resting, make the ravioli filling.
- Halve the butternut squash and scoop the seeds out with a tablespoon.
- Drizzle the squash with a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.
- Place the squash, cut-side down, on a baking sheet then cover with foil and roast for 20-30 minutes at 400°F/200°C or until the butternut is soft.
- Remove from the oven then scoop out the flesh and add to a bowl. Add the butter and seasonings then blend with an immersion blender until smooth. Season to taste then allow to cool to room temperature.
- Transfer the filling to a piping bag.
Form the ravioli
- Divide the pasta dough into 4 equal pieces.
- Dust each piece lightly with flour.
- Roll the pasta dough out with a pasta machine. I use my Kitchen Aid pasta attachment. You want the dough to be thin enough to see the shadow of your hand through but not so thin that it is too delicate and will tear easily.
- Pipe the filling a few centimetres apart on the strips of pasta dough.
- Place another sheet of dough over the filling and using your hands, press around the filling to remove any air.
- Use a ravioli cutter/pasta cutter or a sharp knife and cut around the filling to form your raviolis. You can use a ravioli maker too, just be sure to dust well with semolina flour.
- Make the sauce according to the recipe instructions.
- Cook the ravioli in a large pot of salted water for 3-4 minutes until the pasta is cooked then drain with a slotted spoon.
- Add the cooked ravioli to the sauce and toss gently to coat.
- Serve the ravioli garnished with small cubes of roasted butternut squash (optional) and crispy fried sage leaves.
Notes
- For the roasted butternut cubes I simply cubed butternut into small cubes then roasted in a hot oven with a splash of olive oil, salt and a small drizzle of honey.
- For the crispy sage: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet then add the sage leaves and fry for 30 seconds until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and allow to drain on paper towels.