Butternut Squash Ravioli

Butternut squash ravioli are soft and delicious pasta pillows filled with incredible butternut squash, ricotta, and parmesan filling.

We’ll show you with simple steps how to make your own butternut squash ravioli from scratch. You’ll be surprised how easy they are to put together.

For the dough

SEMOLINA FLOUR: we make egg-free pasta dough with delicious semolina flour. This type of flour also called durum wheat semolina flour, or “semola di grano duro” in Italian, is great for most pasta recipes.

You can find it in most supermarkets and all Italian-owned joints. For this recipe, you can’t replace semolina flour.

WATER: plain tap water at room temperature.

TURMERIC: you won’t taste the turmeric. We add it for color; it makes a beautifully golden pasta dough, like the one you see in the pictures.

For the filling

BUTTERNUT SQUASH: we use fresh butternut squash that we peel, cut, and roast ourselves. You can replace that with store-bought mashed butternuts squash, as long as it’s thick.

Alternatively, you can substitute pumpkin, kabocha squash, and sweet potatoes for butternut squash.

OLIVE OIL: we use extra virgin olive oil to roast the butternut squash.

PARMESAN: parmesan cheese is great with butternut squash because it makes the filling less sweet and more flavorful.

You can use grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, or generic parmesan if you can’t find the real deal.

To make the recipe dairy-free, you can use a store-bought dairy-free parmesan alternative or our homemade dairy-free parmesan.

RICOTTA: ricotta cheese is a classic in ravioli fillings. It’s creamy and makes the butternut squash mellow and delicious. You can use regular ricotta or our homemade dairy-free ricotta.

NUTMEG: nutmeg is great with parmesan, ricotta, and butternut squash, and it makes this butternut squash ravioli taste genuinely Italian.

SALT AND PEPPER: while the pasta dough contains no salt, we recommend salting the butternut squash before roasting, the filling, and the pasta cooking water. Sea salt or kosher salt is our choice. We add freshly ground black pepper for aroma.

For the sauce

SAGE AND BUTTER SAUCE: the simplest way to serve butternut squash ravioli is by frying a few fresh sage leaves in melted butter (or dairy-free butter) and tossing the ravioli.

MARINARA: alternatively, you can serve them with our simple marinara sauce. We think that with marinara sauce, the ravioli are even more delicious.

Make the filling

Preheat the oven to 400°F or 200°C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel, seed, and cut the butternut squash into 1-inch chunks. Season it with olive oil and half a teaspoon of salt and roast it in the oven for 30 minutes or until very soft.

Tip: in the meantime, you can make the ravioli dough.

To a mixing bowl, add the ricotta, grated parmesan, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon of salt, black pepper, and grated nutmeg, and mix with a fork.

Once the squash is tender, transfer it into a separate mixing bowl and mash it well with a fork.

Add in the cheese mixture, and mix with a spatula until well combined.

Your butternut squash ravioli filling is ready. It should be creamy, spoonable, and relatively smooth. Taste it and adjust for salt, cheese, and nutmeg.

Make the dough

To a mixing bowl, add the semolina flour, turmeric, and water. Mix with a fork until the dough comes together.

Transfer to a work surface (you can use a cutting board, pasta board, or kitchen counter) and knead vigorously with your hands for about 5 minutes until the dough is smooth.

Tip: If the dough sticks sprinkle with a tiny bit of semolina flour at a time until it doesn’t.

Wrap with film and let rest on the worktop for 15 minutes.

Tip: in the meantime, you can prep the ingredients for the sauce or finish preparing the filling.

Make the ravioli

Cut off 1/3 of the dough and wrap the remaining 2/3 in plastic wrap to prevent it from drying. Sprinkle your worktop with semolina flour.

Tip: we make a few ravioli at a time to prevent the dough from drying out while you work it. This is super important, especially if it’s your first time making stuffed pasta.

Run the dough through your pasta machine with the widest setting.

Next, run it again with the middle-widest setting. Finally, run it one more time with the second thinnest setting. Finally, lay it flat on your worktop and cut it in half with a large knife.

You want to roll each dough piece three times, cut it in half, and get two equally long and rectangular sheets of pasta.

Tip: if your rolled pasta has a wonky shape or breaks, then fold it on itself twice to form a rectangle, and run it through the pasta machine again.

With your ravioli stamp, mark one pasta sheet lightly without cutting the sheet through. This will help you know where to position the filling.

Add about 1 tablespoon of butternut squash mixture to the center of each marking. I do this with two spoons.

Then brush the exposed pasta with a bit of water to make it sticky.

Cover with the other pasta sheet.

Seal the ravioli pressing away the air bubbles with your fingers.

Now cut the ravioli with your ravioli stamp. Repeat until you run out of pasta dough.

Tip: use all trimmings to make more ravioli.

In total, you should be able to make 28 ravioli with our quantities, to serve 4 to 5 people.

Transfer them onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or with a kitchen cloth.

Fresh ravioli cook in one minute, so our advice is to make the sauce first. You can use our marinara sauce or a simple butter and sage sauce.

For the butter and sage sauce, melt the butter on a skillet, add the sage, and fry it for 1 minute.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle simmer, and cook seven ravioli at a time without overcrowding the pot.

They are ready when they float to the surface. It takes about 1 minute. Gently scoop them out of the water with a slotted spoon and add them to the pan with the sauce.

Serve 5 to 7 ravioli per person, drizzle the sauce on top, and sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Buon appetito!

Butternut squash ravioli are a fulfilling main course, and we recommend pairing them with a tasty side dish of veggies or with one of our delicious salads. These are some of our ideas:

• Italian salad with oregano dressing
• Green bean salad with creamy mustard dressing
• Roasted broccoli and cauliflower
• Simple side salad with crunchy leaves
• Grilled, roasted, or air fryer eggplant
• Shaved brussels sprout salad
• Fennel and orange salad
• Roasted brussels sprouts

The best way to store butternut squash ravioli is to do so before cooking them. You can store them in the refrigerator, covered on a tray for about 3 days.

You can freeze them for up to 6 months. To do so, arrange them on a baking sheet without overlapping.

Pop them in the freezer for about 2 hours, or until hard, then transfer them into a freezer-friendly bag to save space and put them back in the freezer.

You won’t need to thaw frozen ravioli. Cook them in salted boiling water from frozen.

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More Butternut Squash Recipes

• Roasted butternut squash soup
• Butternut squash risotto
• Creamy butternut squash pasta
• Roasted butternut squash