Butternut Squash Ravioli: Have you ever noticed how butternut squash and Butternutter cookies look a lot alike? I assumed that butternutter cookies were fashioned after a peanut, but now I’m not sure. Butternut squash, butternutter cookies, peanut butter. Hmmm. What do you think?
Farmer Fred had the magic formula for squash and pumpkins this year. Oh my, that patch of vines yielded a bumper crop of butternut and acorn squash, gourds, and giant pumpkins. Butternut squash is one of my favorites. I roast it with herbs for a savory squash, or with a little maple syrup and cinnamon for a sweeter dish. It’s fabulous as butternut soup, and delicious mixed with cheese and stuffed into ravioli. Even with all these ways to cook, eat, and enjoy this wonderful vegetable, I will still have a lot of squash to share. I see a local food pantry donation run in my future. Either that or everyone is getting butternut squash ravioli for Christmas this year.
Key Takeaways:
- Homemade Pasta Basics: Pasta dough requires only flour, eggs, and optional salt. Use Italian “00” flour for the best texture or unbleached all-purpose flour with a bit of water for flexibility. Let the dough rest for 30–60 minutes before rolling.
- Rich and Flavorful Fillings: Butternut squash pairs perfectly with cheese for a sweet and savory ravioli filling, offering a versatile base for various sauces like sage-browned butter or bacon-enhanced options.
- Ravioli Assembly Tips: Use tools like the Bellemain Ravioli Maker to create consistent, well-sealed ravioli. A rolling pin seals the top and bottom sheets effectively.
- Cooking Fresh or Frozen Ravioli: Cook fresh ravioli in boiling water for 5–6 minutes or frozen ravioli for 7 minutes. Ravioli is ready when it floats to the top.
- Storage Methods: Store fresh ravioli in the fridge for 3–4 days, using cooking spray and plastic wrap to prevent sticking and drying.
- Freezing for Longevity: Freeze ravioli in a single layer, then transfer to vacuum-sealed bags for up to a year of storage. Without vacuum-sealing, use within a month to avoid freezer burn.
How to make the Pasta: Pasta has three simple ingredients: flour, eggs, and salt. The salt is optional as some like to omit it and add it to the water the pasta is cooked in. That’s it! Vinny’s grandma made this recipe the old fashioned way. The old way was to mix the eggs into the flour by hand and roll out the dough with a rolling pin. I tried it once, and then bought me a pasta roller and cutter attachment for my KitchenAid mixer.
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Flour: a finely milled flour 00 Italian makes the best pasta. However, I have found unbleached all-purpose will work if you add two tablespoons of water.
Eggs: Whole eggs vs. egg yolks only. Whole eggs add more moisture to the dough, which makes the gluten strands more pliable and easier to roll out. Egg yolks make a richer dough as the egg yolks add fat and less moisture to the dough. Dough made with only egg yolks needs a longer rest period.
Once the dough is mixed, let it rest for about 30 to 60 minutes before rolling it out. This gives the flour a chance to fully absorb the moisture, letting the gluten strands relax, making it more pliable and easier to roll out.
That’s the process in pictures. I use a Bellemain Ravioli Maker. I have found that this is the best ravioli maker. It makes beautiful ravioli that stay sealed during the cooking process. It is easy to use and inexpensive. You can find it in Shop My Kitchen under Tools and Utensils.
Cooking the Ravioli: Drop the butternut squash ravioli in 4 quarts of boiling water. The ravioli will sink and then float back up to the top of the boiling water. Cook fresh ravioli for 5 to 6 minutes. Frozen ravioli for 7-minutes. Serve with your favorite topping. Delicious with my Sage Browned Butter sauce. Add some sun-dried tomatoes and Bacon. Now you have ravioli with Farmer Freds’ favorite condiment. Bacon!!!
Storing Ravioli: The fresh ravioli will keep in the fridge for 3 – 4 days. Make sure the ravioli doesn’t dry out in the Fridge. I place a piece of plastic wrap on a plate and spray it with a little cooking spray. I then layer about 12 of the ravioli on the plate and put a piece of plastic wrap that I sprayed with cooking spray on top. This seals the ravioli and keeps the ravioli from sticking to the plate of plastic wrap. You can put a second and third layer of Ravioli on top. Make sure it is sandwiched with the sprayed plastic wrap.
Freezing Ravioli: Freeze ravioli in a single layer on a piece of parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Once frozen, place the ravioli in a vacuum food- storage bag. Vacuum the air out and seal the bag. Ravioli that is vacuum-sealed will keep up to a year. Ravioli that is frozen and not vacuum-sealed will keep up to a month in a ziplock bag. It will start to develop freezer burn after 2 -3 weeks.
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FAQ:
Q: Can I use regular flour instead of “00” flour for pasta dough?
A: Yes, you can use unbleached all-purpose flour. Add two tablespoons of water for a smoother dough.
Q: How long should I rest the pasta dough before rolling it out?
A: Rest the dough for 30 to 60 minutes to allow the gluten to relax and the flour to absorb moisture.
Q: How do I ensure my ravioli stay sealed during cooking?
A: Use a ravioli maker like the Bellemain, and ensure the top and bottom sheets are properly sealed with a rolling pin.
Q: How do I store fresh ravioli to prevent sticking?
A: Layer ravioli between pieces of cooking spray-coated plastic wrap in the fridge. This prevents sticking and drying.
Q: How should I freeze ravioli for long-term storage?
A: Freeze in a single layer on parchment paper, then transfer to vacuum-sealed bags to keep for up to a year.
Q: What sauces pair best with butternut squash ravioli?
A: Sage browned butter is a classic choice. You can also enhance it with sun-dried tomatoes or bacon for added flavor.
Sage Roasted Butternut Squash Ravioli with Browned Butter
Equipment
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- pasta roller
- Bellemain Ravioli Maker
Ingredients
Ravioli Pasta Dough or Wonton wrappers*
- 2 cups flour Italian 00 (9 ounces)
- 3 eggs large
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp water only add if you use unbleached all-purpose flour
Ravioli Filling
- ½ lbs ricotta cheese about 1 cup
- 1 cup Italian Blend of cheeses A 5 cheese blend
- ½ cup Butternut squash cut into 1-inch cubes and roasted
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp parsley fresh minced
- 1 tsp thyme fresh minced
- salt and pepper to taste
Roasted Butternut squash
Sage Browned Butter
- 4 tbsp butter
- ¼ cup fresh sage cut into ribbons
Instructions
Roasted Butternut squash
- preheat oven to 450 degrees
- toss butternut squash cubes with the sage, olive oil, salt, and pepper
- Roast squash for 20 minutes or until soft on a parchment-covered baking sheet.
- finely dice roasted squash prior to adding to filling.
Ravioli*
- If using Wonton Wrappers, instead of making the ravioli dough. Simply brush the edges of the wonton wrapper with the egg wash, put 1 - 2 teaspoons of the filling on the wrapper, fold the wrapper over to seal and cook the same as the ravioli.
- If making the ravioli dough from scratch:Mix all the pasta dough ingredients together in the bowl of the stand mixer. Knead the dough on medium-low until you have a smooth dough. About 2 minutes. Let the dough rest for 60 minutes
- Mix all the squash-cheese filling ingredients together and set aside.
- Divide the dough into 6 pieces and cover to keep from drying out. Then roll out each piece of dough using the pasta roller attachment until the desired thickness and length are achieved. You can also roll the dough by hand. I use a KitchenAid pasta roller. I start on the #1 setting and stop on the #6 setting. You want a rectangle of pasta that is at least 5 by 13 inches. Use the leftover pieces of dough by gathering them together and rerolling them.
- Spray the metal ravioli mold with some cooking spray and place a sheet of pasta dough over the mold.
- Place the plastic mold over the dough and press it gently down into the metal frame to form the pockets. Remove the plastic mold.
- Fill each ravioli pocket with 1 tbsp three-cheese filling mixture. Brush egg washes on all four sides of the pockets.
- Place one sheet of rolled pasta on top of the filled pockets and seal with a rolling pin. The metal frame will partially cut the ravioli apart when you roll the rolling pin over the filled pockets.
- Invert the metal ravioli frame over and remove. Use a pasta cutter with a scalloped edge to cut the ravioli apart. Save the scraps as they will be enough to make about 12 more ravioli.
- Place the ravioli on parchment paper on a baking sheet. The ravioli can be cooked and eaten now or refrigerated in a covered single layer for 3 days.
- Cook the pasta in 4 quarts of boiling water until the desired doneness. Cook 5 - 6 minutes for fresh pasta or 7 - 8 minutes for frozen pasta.
- Drain into a colander and run under cool water briefly to stop the cooking process.
- Serve with Sage browned butter, 6 pieces of bacon fried until crispy and crumbled on top of the ravioli, and 1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Click here for a video on how to make browned butter.
- Ravioli can be frozen and stored in the freezer in a vacuum bag for 1 year or in a ziplock bag for 3-4 weeks. This recipe yields about 48 ravioli.
