Every year I host a food making party of some sort. Usually we are making Tamales or Cannoli shells, but this year I had a craving for some delicious Butternut Squash Ravioli. Since Ravioli is pretty labor intensive and best done with friends and wine, it was a no brainer to have my besties over for a day of cooking!
To me, the best days are had over a good meal and a good class of wine. That’s why when I was planing my little labor party, I wanted to make sure to have the best wine. After all, I was inviting friends over to work! Now, I love a good red, and this Russian River Valley Pinot Noir is my top choice. This vintage Pinot is round, silky, and elegant with a long finish of flavors of black cherry, tobacco and sweet barrel spice that shine throughout. This Pinot Noir is one of the most versatile red wines and pairs beautifully with lamb, beef, mushrooms, and root vegetables
A Les Pierres Chardonnay is a wonderful choice too, and one that I buy for my grandmother every holiday. The wine has a tightly focused mouthfeel with bright and lively citrus-laced acidity delivering a long, juicy lingering barrel spice finish. It pairs wonderfully with salmon, lamb, curry, vegetables, and terrine dishes. It also paired perfectly with these Butternut Squash Ravioli.
Because we knew that we had enough wine to last us the day, we set out to make enough ravioli to stock the freezer and prepare for the holidays. We made a pumpkin version and a butternut squash version. The photos above were actually of the pumpkin ravioli. My hands were covered in too much flour when it came time to photograph the butternut squash version!
While both were delicious, our favorite was this Butternut Squash Ravioli. Paired with roasted butternut squash in the actual pasta and in the filling, along with ricotta, browned butter, sage, and pancetta, it was a motherwateringly delicious meal! One that we will all be making many more times over the next months to use up our stock!
So if you are looking for a fun and productive day with friends, order a bottle or two of wine and get cooking! Enjoy!
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Butternut Squash Ravioli and Sonoma-Cutrer Wine
- Total Time: 110 minutes
- Yield: Serves 4
- Diet: Omnivore
Description
Homemade pasta filled with roasted butternut squash. Tossed in a brown butter sage sauce with pancetta and walnuts.
Ingredients
- 1 cups (237 ml) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 cups (237 ml) semolina flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butternut squash puree
- Orange food dye
- water
- 1 medium butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cups (118 ml) low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon dried sage
- 4 tablespoons (113 g) butter
- 6 sage leaves
- 1 cups (237 ml) pancetta
- 1/4 cups (30 g) walnuts
Instructions
- Pasta Dough
- In the bowl of your food processor, combine flours, salt, eggs and yolks, and butternut squash puree. Add a couple of drops of orange food dye if desired. Pulse until well combined.
- Drizzle in a teaspoon of water at a time until a dough ball forms and no longer sticks to the sides of the bowl.
- Transfer to a very lightly floured surface, sprinkle top with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes to an hour to rest.
- Filling
- Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C). Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place butternut squash halves on baking sheet (cut side up) and drizzle with olive oil.
- Bake until tender, about 50-60 minutes.
- Once cooked, allow to cool completely then scoop out the squash into a large bowl.
- Combine squash with ricotta, salt, pepper, and dried sage leaves. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- To make the ravioli
- If eating right away, boil a large pot of salted water.
- On a lightly floured surface, shape 1/4 portion of the pasta dough into a flat disk, covering the remaining dough tightly in plastic wrap.
- Run pasta through machine, beginning on setting one. Continue running the dough through the machine working your way up until setting 7.
- Carefully lay paper-thin dough on floured countertop.
- Drop filling mixture by small spoonfuls onto pasta just below the midline, leaving a 2-inch space between each scoop of filling.
- Fold pasta over and press firmly in between spoonfuls of filling.
- Cut into ravioli shapes using a ravioli cutter or knife and place each ravioli onto a cookie sheet lined with wax paper in a single layer, separating each layer with more wax paper.
- If freezing for later, freeze each layer individually until frozen then transfer to a large plastic freezer bag.
- If eating immediately, gently place a few raviolis at a time in boiling water and cook for 3 minutes.
- Gently strain in colander, but do not rinse.
- Place raviolis in large bowl.
- Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- In a small pan, melt together butter and fresh sage leaves.
- Continue cooking butter, stirring occasionally but watching carefully, until butter is a caramel color and begins to smell nutty.
- Remove from heat and pour over ravioli.
- Toss gently and top with crispy pancetta, chopped walnuts, and parmesan cheese.
Notes
- For a richer flavor, roast the butternut squash with a touch of maple syrup and brown sugar.
- To prevent sticking, dust your pasta dough and work surface generously with semolina flour.
- Leftover ravioli can be stored in the freezer for up to 2 months; simply steam or boil from frozen.
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 65 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 5
- Sodium: 400
- Fat: 35
- Saturated Fat: 15
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Carbohydrates: 60
- Fiber: 5
- Protein: 15
- Cholesterol: 100
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Frequently Asked Questions
What type of wine should I pair with the butternut squash ravioli?
The recommended pairing for the butternut squash ravioli is a Pinot Noir, which complements the flavors of the dish.
How can I make the butternut squash filling for the ravioli?
To make the filling, roast butternut squash until tender, then mash it and mix with your choice of seasonings before filling the ravioli.
Can I use a different wine if I can’t find Pinot Noir?
Yes, you can use any versatile red wine, but a Pinot Noir is ideal due to its flavor profile that pairs well with root vegetables.
