Butternut Squash Ravioli with Walnut Sage Butter
Fresh pasta can't really hold a candle to the boxed stuff, and fresh homemade pasta is even better.
Though making ravioli at home can be an endeavor, the rewards are well worth it. Plus, you can make this recipe on a weekend and freeze it for easy and delicious weeknight dinners.
The sweet creaminess of butternut squash makes it an excellent ravioli filling that compliments the savory butter sauce and crunchy walnuts. Seriously, I could eat my body weight in this stuff.
While it certainly helps to have a pasta machine or ravioli stamp, but are not necessary to make ravioli at home. This recipe will cover how to make these stuffed pillows of heaven with or without such appliances.
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Total Time: 1 hours, 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Dough:
2 cup Semolina Flour
½ cup warm Water (plus extra)
1 tbsp. olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
1+ tbsp. warm water
Filling:
1 medium butternut squash
1 tbsp. olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Walnut Sage Butter:
¼ cup dairy-free butter
6 fresh sage leaves
¼ cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel and cube butternut squash in 1 inch chunks. Drizzle with 1 tbsp. olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast at 400 for 45 minutes, or until tender and cooked through.
2. While the butternut squash is roasting, prepare the dough. Thoroughly mix the semolina flour, warm water, olive oil and sea salt in a large bowl. If your dough is to dry to combine, add 1 tbsp. water at a time until hydrated. Kneed for 5-8 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Shape into a ball and cover in plastic wrap. Let rest for 20 minutes at room temperature.
3. Once the butternut squash is cooked through, transfer into a food processor and blend until smooth (you could also mash by hand, but be very thorough!). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer filling to a piping bag fitted with a large, round tip or Ziploc with one corner trimmed.
4. If using a pasta machine, start on the largest setting and roll through twice, folding the dough over on itself each time. Decrease the size and repeat until you have reached the smallest (or thinnest) setting. If using a rolling pin, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface in a rectangular shape that is slightly more than double the width of your individual ravioli (see pictures). Fold in half and roll, repeating 4-6 times, until the dough is approx. 1/8'' thick. If you're doing this my hand, it might find it easier to separate the dough and work with ½ at a time. once rolled, trim the edges to create right corners and straight lines and cut in half, widthwise, so that you have two long sheets of dough approximately 5 inches wide and 2+ feet long.
5. Pipe the butternut squash filling into quarter-sized rounds on *one sheet* of the dough, spacing each one 1-1 ½ inches apart. After piping, using your finger and a dish of warm water to moisten the dough where the edges will be stamped to ensure a tight seal (this will look soft of like a grid pattern). Take the other sheet and gentle place it over the first sheet, being mindful of alignment.
6. Gently press down and around each round of butternut filling, avoiding pressing on the filling itself. Cut shapes using a ravioli stamp or, alternatively, cut with a knife or pizza wheel and carefully crimp the edges of each ravioli with a fork.
7. To cook the ravioli, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook for 2-3 minutes, or until floating. Drain and set aside.
8. Heat butter and sage leaves on a stovetop until fragrant and sage leaves start to crisp very slightly.
9. Transfer ravioli to butter sauce, sprinkle with chopped walnuts and toss to coat. Serve warm. Enjoy!
