Pumpkin Ravioli with Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
Prep 30 mins Cook 12 mins Eat 42 mins
This is one of my very favorite Autumn recipes. I make it at this time every year, when pumpkins and pumpkin recipes are pretty much everywhere. I have never met anyone who isn’t in awe of freshly made Pumpkin Ravioli. It is definitely an artform, but really it is not that difficult to make. Just give yourself an hour to learn the steps. Even if you don’t have a pasta machine, you could do it, by simply rolling out the dough by hand…or cheat with wonton wrappers…OK for us Italian purists, this might be considered a sin, but it’s better than going without! I will walk you through the steps and you can decide for yourself. You can make it with the Browned Butter & Sage Sauce or the Authentic Italian Walnut Sauce from my previous post.
Step 1. Make the dough. If you have a food processor, this will take about one minute! Follow my directions below.
Step 2. Make the pumpkin filling. If you have fresh pumpkin or better yet, kabocha squash, this step can make your Pumpkin Ravioli outstanding. But if nothing else, open a can of Libby’s. This will take another minute. Mix it with some ricotta, minced sage leaves, salt and pepper.
Step 3. Roll out the dough. My favorite method for this is the Atlas Pasta machine. They run about $50. Check EBay or your local kitchen store. But hey, if you are strong, use your wooden or marble rolling pin like the nonnas of old. Cut off 1/4 piece of dough and flatten it into a disc. Using an Atlas Pasta machine, begin with the widest setting (#1) to roll out the dough, patting with flour along the way to prevent it from sticking. Continue to feed dough through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning dough until it is smooth and the width of the machine.
Then move on to the next number, flouring and folding along the way until you get to #6. You want the dough fairly thin, since you will be sandwiching two pieces together. Cut pasta sheet in half crosswise if it gets too long to handle at any time in the process.
Step 4. Lay your piece of pasta on a floured surface. Fold it over to make a crease and cut it crosswise so that you will have two even pieces. Place a teaspoon of pumpkin filling on the ravioli sheet near you making two rows with an inch between each.
Brush the blank pasta sheet with a minimal amount of water. Place this sheet on top of the other and sandwich them together beginning 1) from the center 2) in between each pumpkin mound and 3) out to the edge. To cut the raviolis apart, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut down the long center and then cut across separating each mound. Bellisima!
Step 5. Carefully, I mean very carefully, store the pumpkin raviolis by dusting with lots of cornmeal or semolina or flour and separate layers with wax paper or parchment paper DO NOT store in or on plastic. A wooden board is ideal. The ravioli needs to breathe as it dries a little or it will stick to the surface. DO NOT LET THE RAVIOLIS TOUCH EACH OTHER OR THEY WILL STICK AND TEAR OPEN THE PUMPKIN CENTERS.
Step 6. Heat up your sauce, which hopefully you have prepped in between all the steps. Try the authentic Italian walnut sauce or the Browned Butter with Sage sauce. To make Browned Butter with Sage, brown butter in a skillet, when it begins to brown and become fragrant, throw in a handful of minced sage leaves and remove from the heat until you are ready to serve.
Step 7. Boil water and 1 T salt in a pasta pot. Have everything ready – your sauce, a collander with a bowl underneath it, a large slotted spoon. Then turn the heat to low when you put in the raviolis – no more than about 15 at a time. They will cook in APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE! SO DON’T MOVE! When the raviolis float to the surface they are cooked, remove with a slotted spoon to a collander sitting in a bowl to drain. Plate with 5 raviolis, which are considered a single portion and spoon sauce over them and sprinkle with parmesan. Depending on what you are serving with them, people will want more, cuz they are so good!
Step 8. Dress the raviolis with your sauce. Sprinkle on parmesan cheese. YUUUUMMM! Extra raviolis can be frozen, but they are never the same as when they are fresh. If you do freeze them, do not thaw when you are ready to use them. Just put them from freezer into the boiling water along with any parchment/wax paper that may be attached to them.
Pumpkin Ravioli with Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
Pasta
- 3 cups flour (Use 1/2 cup semolina, if you have, and remaining all-purpose flour)
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 large eggs
Pumpkin Filling
- 2 cups pumpkin (a 15 oz. can)
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 15 fresh sage leaves, minced or 1 tsp dried
- salt & pepper to taste
Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
- 2 Tb minced sage leaves
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
1. Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Process until pasta dough until combined. It should resemble cornmeal. Do “pinch test”. Take a few granules between your thumb and forefinger and pinch them flat. They should hold together and the mix shouldn’t feel wet. If it’s too wet, add flour – a tablespoon at a time. If it’s too dry, add water, no more than a teaspoon at a time. When it feels right, pour contents of bowl onto plastic wrap. Gather plastic wrap together to compress pasta into a flat disc. Set aside until ready to use.
2. Prepare filling: Combine mashed pumpkin or squash, ricotta cheese and chopped sage leaves in a bowl.
3. Cut off 1/4 piece of dough and flatten it into a disc. Using an Atlas Pasta machine, begin with the widest setting (#1) to roll out the dough, patting with flour along the way to prevent it from sticking. Continue to feed dough through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning dough until it is smooth and the width of the machine. Then move on to the next number, flouring and folding along the way until you get to #6. You want the dough fairly thin, since you will be sandwiching two pieces together. Repeat with remaining pasta dough.
4. Lay your piece of pasta on a floured surface. Fold it over to make a crease and cut it crosswise so that you will have two even pieces. Place a teaspoon of pumpkin filling on the ravioli sheet near you making two rows with an inch between each. Brush the blank pasta sheet with a minimal amount of water. Place this sheet on top of the either and sandwich them together beginning 1) from the center 2) in between each pumpkin mound and 3) out to the edge. To cut the raviolis apart, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut down the long center and then cut across separating each mound. Bellisima!
5. Very important. Sprinkle cornmeal, semolina or flour in a container and store the raviolis separately until ready to use. Separate layers with parchment or wax paper. DO NOT store in or on plastic wrap. A wooden board is ideal. The ravioli needs to breathe as it dries a little or it will stick to the surface. DO NOT LET THE RAVIOLIS TOUCH EACH OTHER OR THEY WILL STICK AND TEAR OPEN THE PUMPKIN CENTERS.
6. To make Browned Butter with Sage Sauce, brown butter in a skillet, when it begins to brown and become fragrant, throw in a handful of minced sage leaves and remove from the heat until you are ready to serve.
7. Boil water and 1 T salt in a pasta pot. Have everything ready – your sauce, a collander with a bowl underneath it, a large slotted spoon. Then turn the heat to low when you put in the raviolis – no more than about 15 at a time. They will cook in APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE! SO DON’T MOVE! When the raviolis float to the surface they are cooked, remove with a slotted spoon to a collander sitting in a bowl to drain. Plate with 5 raviolis, which are considered a single portion and spoon sauce over them and sprinkle with parmesan. Depending on what you are serving with them, people will want more, cuz they are so good!
Servings: 8 385 Calories per serving
Pumpkin Ravioli with Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
Ingredients
Pasta
- 3 cups flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 large eggs
Pumpkin Filling
- 2 cups pumpkin a 15 oz. can
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese
- 15 fresh sage leaves minced or 1 tsp dried
- salt & pepper to taste
Browned Butter & Sage Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter 1 stick
- 2 Tb minced sage leaves
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in bowl of food processor. Process until pasta dough until combined. It should resemble cornmeal. Do "pinch test". Take a few granules between your thumb and forefinger and pinch them flat. They should hold together and the mix shouldn't feel wet. If it's too wet, add flour - a tablespoon at a time. If it's too dry, add water, no more than a teaspoon at a time. When it feels right, pour contents of bowl onto plastic wrap. Gather plastic wrap together to compress pasta into a flat disc. Set aside until ready to use.
- Prepare filling: Combine mashed pumpkin or squash, ricotta cheese and chopped sage leaves in a bowl.
- Cut off 1/4 piece of dough and flatten it into a disc. Using an Atlas Pasta machine, begin with the widest setting (#1) to roll out the dough, patting with flour along the way to prevent it from sticking. Continue to feed dough through rollers 3 or 4 times, folding and turning dough until it is smooth and the width of the machine. Then move on to the next number, flouring and folding along the way until you get to #6. You want the dough fairly thin, since you will be sandwiching two pieces together. Repeat with remaining pasta dough.
- Lay your piece of pasta on a floured surface. Fold it over to make a crease and cut it crosswise so that you will have two even pieces. Place a teaspoon of pumpkin filling on the ravioli sheet near you making two rows with an inch between each. Brush the blank pasta sheet with a minimal amount of water. Place this sheet on top of the either and sandwich them together beginning 1) from the center 2) in between each pumpkin mound and 3) out to the edge. To cut the raviolis apart, use a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, cut down the long center and then cut across separating each mound. Bellisima!
- Very important. Sprinkle cornmeal, semolina or flour in a container and store the raviolis separately until ready to use. Separate layers with parchment or wax paper. DO NOT store in or on plastic wrap. A wooden board is ideal. The ravioli needs to breathe as it dries a little or it will stick to the surface. DO NOT LET THE RAVIOLIS TOUCH EACH OTHER OR THEY WILL STICK AND TEAR OPEN THE PUMPKIN CENTERS.
- To make Browned Butter with Sage Sauce, brown butter in a skillet, when it begins to brown and become fragrant, throw in a handful of minced sage leaves and remove from the heat until you are ready to serve.
- Boil water and 1 T salt in a pasta pot. Have everything ready - your sauce, a collander with a bowl underneath it, a large slotted spoon. Then turn the heat to low when you put in the raviolis - no more than about 15 at a time. They will cook in APPROXIMATELY ONE MINUTE! SO DON'T MOVE! When the raviolis float to the surface they are cooked, remove with a slotted spoon to a collander sitting in a bowl to drain. Plate with 5 raviolis, which are considered a single portion and spoon sauce over them and sprinkle with parmesan. Depending on what you are serving with them, people will want more, cuz they are so good!
- ENJOY THIS RECIPE FROM FreshFoodinaFlash.com
Nutrition
Click on the frog to see more Pumpkin recipes from the Food Bloggers of Los Angeles.
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