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Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli with Butter and Sage Sauce

Fresh Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli

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  • Author: Emilie Raffa
  • Prep Time: 2.5 hours
  • Cook Time: 5 minutes
  • Total Time: 0 hours
  • Yield: Serves 4
  • Category: Homemade Pasta
  • Method: Boil
  • Cuisine: Italian
  • Diet: Vegetarian

Description

Learn how to make fresh, homemade butternut squash ravioli from scratch. So light, tender and delicate! The toasty, butter and sage sauce is the perfect compliment.

A few tips:

  • I’ve listed the full instructions for homemade ravioli below. However, for additional guidance, visit my step-by-step tutorial & video
  • The butternut squash can be roasted several days in advance, to be chilled or frozen. I never roast the squash and make ravioli from start to finish on the same day- it will take ages! You only need 400 g (about 1 3/4 cups) of the roasted butternut squash for this recipe; use the rest to make butternut squash soup for dinner.
  • If you’re not cooking the ravioli right away, freeze them. Jump to the notes section at the very bottom of this post for more details. I do this all the time with excellent results.

Ingredients

For the Pasta Dough

 Fresh Homemade Pasta Dough (ingredients below)

  • 300 g Tipo 00 Flour*
  • 3 large eggs* 
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • Olive oil
  • Semolina flour, for dusting 

*Note: For the Tipo 00 flour, I recommend Molino Grassi or Caputo. For the eggs & yolk, the total combined weight (cracked) should be 185 g. Because eggs size vary, make up the difference, if needed, with an extra egg yolk or olive oil. Olive oil makes the dough more soft, supple and satisfying to work with. 

Ravioli Filling

  • Whole-roasted butternut squash
  • 400 g (about 1 3/4 cups) roasted butternut squash (from the above recipe)
  • 42 g (3 tbsp) salted butter
  • Generous pinch of nutmeg

To Serve

Easy Golden Butter and Sage Sauce (ingredients below)

  • 115 g (8 tbsp) salted butter
  • 8 fresh, beautiful fresh sage leaves

Garnish

  • 113 g (4 oz) cubed pancetta (I buy Citterio “cubetti”)
  • Parmesan cheese

Pasta Equipment


Instructions

  • Roast the Butternut Squash. Place a whole, unpeeled butternut squash onto a parchment-lined sheet pan. Bake at 400 F for approximately 1 hour or more, depending on size. A sharp knife will easily slip out when it’s ready. Cool for 20 minutes or so, and then peel off the skin. Scoop out the seeds. Process in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Chill (or freeze) until ready to make the butternut squash filling, as per the instructions below.
  • Make Pasta Dough: Add the flour, eggs and olive oil (if using) to a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Process to form dough, about 15-20 seconds. Remove to your work surface and cover with an upturned bowl for 5 minutes- it will be much easier to knead in the next step. Then, knead the dough into a ball, about 1-2 minutes (don’t worry about technique here, the food processor does most of the kneading for you). Cover again, and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to relax the gluten. I prefer a 1 hour rest for long pasta sheets. Tip: Use this resting time to make the filling.
  • Make the Butternut Squash Filling: Heat the roasted butternut squash, butter and nutmeg together in a small pot. Stir occasionally with a rubber spatula so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom. Taste and season with salt, if needed. Transfer to a bowl. Chill for 1 hour. You cannot use hot filling to assemble ravioli; the dough will get soggy. 
  • Set Up Your Work Station For The Ravioli: Choose a large, clutter-free work surface to spread out (I like the kitchen table). Dust your work surface and the pasta machine/roller with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Line (2x) sheet pans with parchment paper, no overhang. Cut 4 additional pieces to layer in between the pasta sheets as you roll them out; set aside.
  • Roll Pasta Dough Into Sheets: Cut the pasta dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten one piece into an 5×8-inch long disc (re-wrap or cover the remaining pieces so they don’t dry out). A rolling pin helps with this step. 
  • Send the disc through the roller on the widest/lowest setting. This is “#1” on the Kitchen Aid attachment. Send it through a second time. Note: if using a hand-crank pasta machine, refer to their specific instructions for rolling pasta sheets for ravioli. The process is the same, but the settings are different.
  • Continue to roll the dough through settings #2-5 (2x on each setting), dusting with semolina flour in between if the pasta gets sticky. You can also cut the sheet in half if it gets too long. The pasta sheet is ready when it’s slightly translucent and you can see your hand underneath, about 1 mm thick. 
  • When finished, lightly trim the rounded edges. Cut into 10-12-inch long sheets. The sheets do not have to look perfect- you’ll trim more later on. Place onto your sheet pan and cover with parchment paper. Repeat to roll the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
  • Assemble & Cut Ravioli: Grab a pasta sheet. Dollop the butternut squash filling (in rounded teaspoons), down the center of the sheet, spaced 2 finger widths apart. Place a second sheet on top, like making a sandwich. (Tip: If you’re feeling confident, you can do two rows of filling, instead of one. Two rows is not necessarily harder; it requires more practice and patience when smoothing out the pasta sheets. You will have enough filling to do so, and your total number of ravioli will increase. Perhaps start with one row, and then work your way up).
  • Smooth the pasta sheet with your fingertips, working around the filling to get the air bubbles out. Press to seal the edges and sides.  
  • Cut the ravioli in half and then into strips. Trim into 2 1/2- 3-inch ravioli squares. Transfer the ravioli to the remaining parchment-lined sheet pan dusted with semolina flour. Cover with towel or an inverted sheet pan. Repeat to assemble and cut the remaining ravioli.
  • To Cook & Serve: Boil a pot of water; salt it generously.
  • Meanwhile, cook the pancetta until slightly crisp. Transfer to a paper towel to drain.
  • Start the butter and sage sauce. To control timing, I usually undercook the sauce slightly. The butter will continue to get toasty, like brown butter, as the pan sits off the heat.
  • Working in batches, cook the ravioli.I recommend doing a test batch first with 1-2 ravioli to gauge the correct cooking time. Plan on 3-6 minutes or more, depending on thickness. The thicker the pasta, the longer the ravioli will take to cook. Taste for doneness. When finished, gently transfer the ravioli to a serving dish with a slotted spoon or fine mesh strainer- be careful, they are delicate!
  • Spoon some of the butter and sage sauce over the top. Decorate with crispy sage leaves (yes, you can eat them and they are delicious!) and the pancetta.

Notes

Storage Options:

Homemade ravioli is best enjoyed on the same day its made. If they sit around for too long, they’ll get too soft and soggy, and the filling will seep out through the dough. If not cooking right away, choose one of the storage options below. 

  • At Room Temperature (1 hr): Arrange homemade ravioli on a parchment-lined sheet pan dusted with semolina flour to prevent sticking. Cover tightly with plastic wrap. Store at a moderate room temperature for 1 hour. 
  • To Refrigerate (4 hours): Arrange the ravioli as indicated above. Chill up to 4 hours. Do not refrigerate overnight. The pasta will oxidize and discolor, and the filling will create soggy ravioli. 
  • To Freeze (1 month): Arrange the ravioli as indicated above, minus the plastic wrap. Freeze directly on the sheet pan. Once frozen solid, transfer to a parchment-lined air-tight container. Freeze up to 1 month. 

To Cook Frozen Ravioli

  • No need to defrost beforehand; cook directly from frozen. Drop a few ravioli into a pot of boiling salted water. When the water returns to a boil, cook for up to 5 minutes or more.