Description
This recipe guides you through making fresh homemade butternut squash ravioli from scratch, featuring tender pasta sheets filled with a smooth roasted butternut squash mixture. The dish is elevated with a luxurious brown butter and fresh sage sauce, crispy pancetta, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, making for a light yet flavorful pasta experience perfect for an elegant meal.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta Dough
- 300 g Tipo 00 Flour
- 3 large eggs
- 1 large egg yolk
- Olive oil (optional, for dough)
- Semolina flour, for dusting
Butternut Squash Filling
- 1 whole butternut squash, roasted (approx. 400 g or 1 3/4 cups roasted flesh for filling)
- 42 g (3 tbsp) salted butter
- Generous pinch of nutmeg
- Salt, to taste
Butter Sage Sauce & Toppings
- 115 g (8 tbsp) salted butter
- 8 fresh sage leaves
- 113 g (4 oz) cubed pancetta
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Instructions
- Roast Butternut Squash: Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Place a whole unpeeled butternut squash on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast for about 1 hour until tender. Let cool about 20 minutes, then peel and scoop out the seeds. Process the roasted flesh in a blender or food processor until smooth. Chill or freeze until ready for filling.
- Make Pasta Dough: In a food processor fitted with a metal blade, combine flour, eggs, and olive oil if using, and process for 15-20 seconds until dough forms. Transfer to a work surface, cover with upturned bowl, and let rest for 5 minutes. Knead dough for 1-2 minutes until smooth, cover again, and let rest for 30 minutes to 1 hour to relax the gluten.
- Prepare Butternut Squash Filling: Heat the roasted squash, 42 g butter, and nutmeg in a small pot over low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Taste and season with salt as needed. Transfer filling to a bowl and chill for 1 hour to firm up; warm filling can cause soggy ravioli dough.
- Set Up Workstation: Clear a large surface. Dust work surface and pasta machine with semolina flour. Prepare 2 sheet pans with parchment and cut additional parchment pieces to layer between pasta sheets to prevent sticking.
- Roll Pasta Sheets: Divide dough into 4 equal pieces. Flatten one piece with a rolling pin into a disc approximately 5×8 inches. Run through pasta machine on widest setting twice, then through settings #2-5 twice each, dusting with semolina as needed. Pasta sheet should be about 1 mm thick and slightly translucent. Trim edges and cut into 10-12 inch sheets. Cover with parchment. Repeat for remaining dough.
- Assemble Ravioli: Place one pasta sheet on work surface. Spoon rounded teaspoons of chilled filling down center, spacing about two finger widths apart. Lay a second sheet over top and gently press around filling to remove air bubbles and seal edges. Cut ravioli into 2 1/2 to 3-inch squares using a fluted cutter or knife. Transfer to semolina-dusted parchment-lined sheet pan and cover with towel or inverted sheet pan. Repeat with remaining sheets and filling.
- Cook Pancetta and Sauce: Cook pancetta cubes in a skillet over medium heat until slightly crisp. Drain on paper towels. In the same pan, melt 115 g butter, add sage leaves, and cook until butter is slightly under-browned (it will continue browning off the heat), infusing the butter with sage aroma.
- Cook Ravioli: Bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. In batches, gently add ravioli and cook for 3-6 minutes depending on thickness, testing for doneness (pasta should be tender but firm). Use a slotted spoon or fine mesh strainer to remove ravioli carefully.
- Serve: Plate the cooked ravioli, spoon sage butter over the top, sprinkle with crispy sage leaves, pancetta, and grated Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately for best flavor and texture.
Notes
- This recipe includes making pasta dough and rolling sheets from scratch; for guidance, refer to step-by-step videos or tutorials if new to pasta making.
- The whole butternut squash can be roasted ahead, and the filling can be chilled or frozen to save time on the day of assembly.
- Only 400 g of roasted squash flesh is needed for the filling; leftover squash can be used for soup or other dishes.
- If not cooking ravioli immediately, freeze assembled ravioli on parchment-lined trays and then store in sealed bags for future meals.
- Resting pasta dough is crucial to relax gluten for easier rolling and tender pasta texture.
- Be gentle when handling ravioli to prevent tearing the delicate pasta sheets.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 6 ravioli)
- Calories: 550
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 600 mg
- Fat: 30 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 50 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 18 g
- Cholesterol: 190 mg
