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I know I am not alone on my constant mission to find healthy, well-balanced dinners that all four of us can enjoy together (I am not a fan of making separate meals). And the best part about this dish is that once you do the hard part, which is detailed below, you can freeze the uncooked raviolis. Think of those nights when you have no plan for dinner or better yet when you are going out and need something quick for the babysitter to feed the kids. What do a lot of moms do? Throw some frozen chicken nuggets in the microwave for a few minutes. Now if you had some raviolis in your freezer, you could put forth almost the exact same effort by throwing a few in some boiling water for only 4 minutes (sans the sauce). Yes, that is all it takes for fresh pasta to cook…even when they start out frozen!
So, I highly recommend spending one Sunday afternoon making a big batch of these tasty treats. It will take some time and oh it will make a mess, but I promise it is definitely worth it. Plus, if you have kids I am sure they would LOVE to help you roll out the dough. You don’t even have to tell them that the yummy, sweet butternut squash inside the ravioli is actually a vegetable!
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 6 eggs
- 3 cups whole-wheat flour ((I use King Arthur’s Organic White Whole-Wheat Flour))
Filling
- 2 ½ lbs butternut squash
- 1 tablespoon butter (melted)
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 large orange (zested)
- ½ cup mascarpone cheese ((if you can’t find mascarpone use cream cheese as an alternative))
- ⅓ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon (ground)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- salt (to taste)
- pepper (to taste)
Sauce
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 2 handfuls sage (leaves torn)
Instructions
Pasta Dough
- Blend the eggs and flour together in a food processor (with dough blade), Kitchenaid mixer (with dough hook), or by hand with a fork.
- If using a processor or mixer, the dough will be one large ball chasing itself around the bowl when it is done.
- If the ball of dough is even slightly sticky when you take it out then pat it with flour. Wrap it in plastic wrap and let it rest for at least 20 – 30 minutes on the counter.
- Either roll it out by hand or use a pasta machine to thin out the dough and make sheets of pasta (follow manufacturers instructions).
Some Pasta Making Tips:
When you are working with your dough it should not be sticky at all so pat it with flour as needed.
My pasta machine has 6 settings – setting 1 makes the dough the thickest and 6 makes it the thinnest. I start on 1, fold the dough over a few times and keep running it through on setting 1 until it is a nice flat piece. Then you progress through 2, 3, 4, etc. to the desired thickness. I find that when making ravioli it is best to stop at 4 otherwise it will get too thin and break apart easily once the moisture of the filling touches it.
Filling
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Slice the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Put the cut side down on a greased baking sheet (or sheet covered with parchment paper).
- Roast the squash in the oven until tender when pierced with a fork. For smaller squash it could take 30 – 40 minutes. For larger squash it could take up to an hour. (This is a good time to mix your dough so it has time to rest – see details above)
- When squash is done scoop the pulp out into a large mixing bowl and discard the skin. Add all ingredients from the butter down to the salt and pepper and stir together thoroughly.
- This filling can be made a day in advance or used to make raviolis immediately.
- When you are ready to make the raviolis, follow the instructions above for making your dough. Lay the finished dough out in sheets and by the spoonful add the ravioli filling. You can brush the dough in-between the filling with either warm water or some egg wash (egg with a touch of water) to help the two pieces stick together. I use an inexpensive Williams Sonoma ravioli tool to seal it together.
- Freeze (do not refrigerate) leftovers on sheets of wax paper in a Tupperware container. Raviolis should not be touching and there is never a need to defrost…just throw the frozen ones right in the boiling water for about 4 minutes.
If you are boiling them fresh just after making them then it only takes about 3 minutes.
Sauce
- Cook the butter over med-high heat in a sautee pan.
- Add the sage leaves to the butter.
- Cook until butter begins to turn brown then remove from heat immediately.
- Pour over cooked ravioli.
Erin says
For the first try they were great. We need to get them a little thinner though. In the future, if I want to make them earlier in the day. Would you put them in the fridge or leave them out?
Thank you for the help!
Erin
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. I would refrigerate it. ~Amy
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. Sorry, but we are rarely able to answer comments in real time. How were your ravioli? ~Amy
Erin says
We are trying this recipe today. If I make them earlier in the day, is it ok to refrigerate them for a bit or would you leave them out?
Christine says
Thanks so much for this recipe! Your instructions are so easy to follow! I just started a food blog and linked this recipe on my site...hope you don't mind : )
Shelby says
I like how she calls this recipe healthy :/ thats a whole lot of butter
DeAnne says
This looks like the perfect recipe to try with the butternut squash that my husband bought. I've been staring at it for a while wondering what to do with it since I'm not generally a big squash fan. But this looks awesome and I think even my kids would like it.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Jacqui. Did you use white whole wheat? It is a bit easier to work with especially if you've not made a lot of homemade pasta. "Shreds apart" sounds like the dough might have been a bit dry? ~Amy
Jacqui says
I tried this recipe and for some reason my dough gets holes in it and kind of shreds apart! What did I do wrong?? I used the white whole wheat flour.
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Erin. Yes! I serve them with marinara. ~Amy
Erin says
Would these be good served in regular (tomato) pasta sauce?
Christy says
How many servings (or ravioli) does this recipe make? I'm cooking for 12. Should I double it?
Assistant to 100 Days (Amy) says
Hi Christy. So very sorry for the late response! Next time you are cooking a for a group that large, you should definitely double the recipe. ~Amy
Megan S. says
Have you made other types of pasta with this recipe (i.e spaghetti, fettucine, etc)? What is the best way to store that type of pasta? Thanks
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Megan. I have made fettuccine with it. I let it dry first and then I place it in a ziploc bag, take the air out with a straw, and then seal and freeze it. It stays very fresh that way. Jill
alicia says
Any recommendations for substitute for maple syrup?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Alicia. Most of the recipes generally call for maple syrup or honey, so, you could try the honey instead. It will obviously give it a different flavor. Jill
alicia says
any suggestions for a substitute for maple syrup? i am not a fan of maple syrup. thanks.
jaci says
I got a pasta maker attachment for my kitchen aid for Christmas and made noodles for soup the day I got it! Cant wait to make this recipe too......but I do have a question....as I ran the pasta dough through the machine it would have holes in it like shreds.....I'm new to this but I'm assuming it means me dough wasn't quite right...but I don't know what to do to fix it...any help would be great...thanks
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Jaci. I don't completely understand your question and what happened when you ran it through the machine. Jill
Katie says
Hi!! I cant wait to try this recipe, been wanting to learn how to make my own butternutsqush for years! Question though, I found 2 pounds of butternut squash in the store the other day, no shell, just the squash. Any idea how much I should use for this recipe? I was thinking I would just use a pound and go from there....?? Thanks!!
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Katie. I'm not really sure. But, I did read that 1 lb. of squash yields about 2 cups cubed, so, that might help you with the conversion. Jill
Paula says
I made this awhile ago, but the the pasta was too thick. So I tossed the extra squash in the freezer for another trial. several months later, while trying to dig up some baby food that I was hoping magically fell out of the container for my twins, I came across the squash. I was super excited to look up the ingredients to make sure the girls could have it, and they LOVE the squash! better get back to feeding them.
Sara says
I just wanted to make sure that for the butternut squash amount it is the entire butternut squash that weighs 21/2 lbs or just the "meat"? other online recipes give the squash amount to add but it seems like you are meaning the entire squash before it is gutted?
Lisa says
It's the entire butternut squash...not just the "meat."
Sarah says
I made these today, SO Yummy! I made it without a pasta machine or ravioli cutter. I Used a pastry wheel, which looks just like your ravioli cutter. It works great! you could also use a pizza cutter. I have made my own pasta for years and I really like this recipe the best! The dough was so easy to work with!I am sure that i did not get the pasta as thin as you can with a machine, but it was still really good! And the butter and sage sauce was amazing and smelled so great cooking!
Gina W says
Oh, I so want to make these!!!!! I have a mill and a bunch of grain and have always wanted to make my own ravioli but just never thought it would work (everyone so poo poo's whole grain flour when I talk about doing it). Wow, you have so inspired me again.
Shannon says
Is this the same pasta recipe you use for other dishes, or just for ravioli?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Shannon. I have used this recipe to make homemade fettuccine and it turned out delicious. I would give it a try. Jill
Heather says
I am a nursing mom who really wants to try this recipie, but the sage in the sauce is known to dry one's supply. Can you recommend some alternatives I could use to make a tasty sauce for this?
Assistant to 100 Days (Jill) says
Hi Heather. Perhaps you could just try a plain marinara sauce.
Jessie says
We made this last night! Without a pasta machine or a ravioli cutter. I'm certain my dough was not a thin as it's supposed to be, but it was supoer delicious! After all the hassle I went through to get to the cooking stage, my husband actually said, "I don't like ravioli." I decided to only cook enough for me and my daughter. He came steal a bite and said, "That's actually really good. Can you still cook some for me?" He said that the only ravioli he ever had came out of a can, so he thought that's what they all would taste like. We made a ton a froze the rest.
Question- Does yours "grow" when you cook them? I think I had to much dough on each one (no pasta machine!), but when I boiled them they grew quite a bit!
100 Days of Real Food says
Glad they were a hit and yes the dough does expand a little when it boils/cooks.
Dori Stymiest says
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Courtney says
Is it possible to do this without a pasta machine. I would love to try making my own pastas, but the machine is not in the budget right now, nor anytime soon.
100 Days of Real Food says
You could, but would have to use a rolling pin and roll it VERY thin. Good luck!
Chelsea says
So, I've been dying to try this recipe (I love butternut squash and get so excited about making good food for friends that is actually good for them!) and the only thing that wasn't great was that it was difficult to get the pasta thin enough with a rolling pin...I felt like it might stretch on the counter and tear. Which leads me to wonder if maybe it would be REALLY AWESOME to own my own pasta machine...any thoughts of specific brands, etc?
100 Days of Real Food says
I want to mention that you might need to add more flour when rolling out the dough if it feels like it will easily stretch/tear, but a pasta machine is a fabulous investment as well (although your dough will still need to be the right consistency). I've had my pasta machine for more than a decade and I love it. It is similar to this one: http://www.williams-sonoma.com/products/imperia-pasta-machine/?pkey=e|pasta|42|best|0|1|24||2&cm_src=PRODUCTSEARCH||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-
aubry says
Do you boil all of the ravioli & then freeze it or can you just freeze the raw ravioli?
100 Days of Real Food says
You freeze the raw ravioli and then throw the cold frozen raw ones right into boiling water when you are ready to eat.
Sara says
I did this - without a pasta maker OR a pasta cutter! And it worked!!!!!! I did a lot of half-moons like you suggested. As I got more confident, I tried squares - I cut them like you did in the picture with a pizza cutter, then used the fork to seal all the way around. I doubled the recipe and froze 2 giant Ziploc freezer bags full. This wasn't that hard, and it was well worth the effort. Very rewarding. Thank you! :)
Jo says
I have never made my own pasta, but was given a pasta maker for a wedding gift (5 years ago!!). Thought I would attempt this recipe, sounds delicious!
Anne-Marie A says
how many ravioli's does one batch make? approximately how big are they?thinking about giving this a go.
100 Days of Real Food says
Oh I posted this recipe so long ago I can't remember how many we ended up with, but the quantity varies greatly depending on the size of the ravioli. You can make them whatever size you want AND you can freeze the leftovers so if you end up with more than you need just save them for later! I hope that helps!
Amy says
Could I still do this if I don't have a ravioli cutter? I'm dying to try this!!!
100 Days of Real Food says
Yes, you definitely could! Just cut out round shapes with an upside down glass and then put a little water around the edge to help it seal when you fold over the circle into a half moon shape (with filling on the inside). You could also use a fork to help seal it. Good luck!
Jordan says
I'm making these right now! I have 2 smallish butternut squashes and I have no idea how much they weigh. Do you know how many cups of squash 2 1/2 lbs would yield? I'm going to try to double the recipe with what I have so we'll see how it turns out!
Lisa says
With two small ones I would do about 1.5 recipes...not quite 2!
Amber says
I can't wait to try this! My husband and I spent 2.5 weeks in Italy this summer and I have to say the food was amazing and so fresh. Dried pasta doesn't even compare to fresh pasta. We actually bought a ravioli stamp to bring back with us, with plans to purchase a pasta attachment for our Kitchenaid, so we could make fresh pasta for ourselves at home. We had such delicious ravioli, including some butternut squash ravioli, so I am looking forward to breaking out our ravioli stamp to try out this recipe!
Lisa says
Lucky you spending time in Italy! I couldn't agree with you more about the difference between fresh and dried pasta. Good luck with your new cooking tools!
Danielle says
I've had a pasta maker since my son was born... ummm... yeah, that was back in 2002!! I wanted to make pasta SO bad... but then baby was born and well... I'm gonna guess you know what happened ;)
Anyway, I've been seeing butternut squash at the Farmers Market... sounds like I'm going to be making some pasta!!
Question... once the ravioli are frozen can they touch each other?
Thanks for the recipe :D
Lisa says
If you are thinking of freezing them while they are separated and then throwing them all in a zip lock back together...I think that should work although I have not tried it yet myself. And once you have a little practice making pasta it will become so much easier. You will be very pleased with the results - it is SOO much better than the dried store-bought stuff!
Karey Swan says
I just read the other comment. I currently grind grain with a Nutrimill. I've owned over the years Magic Mill and Whisper Mill - like this one the best. I get 25 or 50# grain quantity, and store in the garage, some in buckets. Even beans can be ground and added to stuff or add boiling water for an instant soup. Ask around. Some health food stores will order you bags. A white (used to be only red winter wheat for bread) whole wheat from Montana makes the best soft whole wheat bread. I post recipes at http://www.kareyskitchen.blogspot.com
Karey Swan says
I make pie crust from whole grain flour I've ground, and butter ... whatever grain I've got ground in the freezer in ziplock, including whole wheat, kamut, or spelt.
Jessica Graham says
All this talk about pasta dough has me thinking....
I have been making my grandmother's pie dough from scratch and freezing it for several years now. It is so much better than store bought. But, we use white flour in ours. Have you tried it and if so, have you or anyone else tried it with whole wheat flour?
I would love to be able to use the King Arthur's white whole wheat!
Lisa says
I have not tried pie dough with whole-wheat yet, but you should definitely give it a shot! I have also seen whole-wheat "pastry" flour for sale in the bulk bins at Earthfare so if the white whole-wheat flour doesn't work you might want to try that.
Anna Colvin says
I will definitely try this recipe, I have seen butternut squash at our farmers market already and my kids typically like it. Question for Karey who posted earlier... Can you tell me more about grinding your own grain? Where do you get the grain, tools needed, etc.?? I have been wanting to try.
Karey Swan says
I'll be trying this recipe. I've done ravioli before and have a pasta machine and the ravioli making thing you picture. I've been wanting to do a squash recipe.
I've been enjoying keeping up with your journey. All you need to add to your "homemade"ness, is grinding your own grain. I've been doing that now for years. It truly is the best nutritive choice - fresh ground flours!
Lisa says
Someone mentioned that to me before about grinding my own grain. At some point I am definitely going to have to try it! (In the meantime the place where we buy our bread grinds their grain fresh every morning) :)
Andrea @ Thin Thighs & Sweet Potato Fries says
This looks amazing! I so desperately want to start making meals from scratch. Maybe I will try this as my first attempt! :) I can just see myself making a huge mess though! Did it take several tries for you to get the ravioli's as perfect as they are above?
Lisa says
I have been making pasta for about 10 years so I am not sure if I remember how they turned out the first few times! But with anything ....lots of practice does help. You have to start somewhere though so definitely give it a shot (and don't let your dough get too sticky while you are doing it). Good luck!