Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce
Sep 15, 2022, Updated Jan 11, 2025
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This Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce is delectable! The ravioli melt in your mouth and the nutty brown butter sage sauce complements the ravioli in the most comforting way!
Serve Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce with Crispy Baked Cod, pear gorgonzola salad, and ciabatta bread.
Making ravioli from scratch is delicious and rewarding! Other great recipes you’ll love: Homemade Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli and Pumpkin Ravioli.
Try more ravioli recipes: lobster ravioli sauce and Easy Ravioli Piccata with Mushrooms and Asparagus.
You will also love this post on how to cook butternut squash!
And, if you’ve never made ravioli before make sure you check out my guide on how to cook frozen ravioli.
Table of Contents
- Simple Ingredients
- How To Make Butternut Squash Ravioli
- How To Make Sage Brown Butter Sauce
- Expert Tips & Tricks
- Substitutions for butternut squash
- Variations and Shortcuts
- Suggested Tools for making ravioli
- Storage
- What To Serve With This Recipe
- Other Sauce Options For This Recipe
- FAQ
- Butternut Squash Ravioli Recipe
Simple Ingredients
The ingredients for homemade ravioli are simple. It takes only a few ingredients and a bit of time to get this delicious pasta meal on your table!
Ravioli dough
Use this pasta dough recipe
- Flour LINK TO THE “00” FLOUR I USE (also use all-purpose flour)
- Eggs
- Semolina flour for dusting
Butternut Squash Filling
- butternut squash
- olive oil
- onion
- Parmigiano
- clove of garlic
- pinch of sea salt and black pepper
- nutmeg
Brown Butter Sauce
- 4 tablespoons good quality salted butter
- 5-6 fresh sage leaves
- Freshly ground black pepper, if desired
- Parmigiano cheese (parmesan cheese), for serving
See the recipe card for quantities.
How To Make Butternut Squash Ravioli
The first step in the homemade ravioli recipe starts with homemade egg pasta dough. Once you start making your own pasta you will want to do it again and again!
My Homemade Pasta Recipe walks you through the entire process step by step with photos. It is my go-to recipe.
You will follow this egg pasta dough exactly except for cutting it into strips.
Top Tip: I love my pasta machine and it is a big-time saver! You can also make homemade pasta with a rolling pin- instructions for that are on my pasta dough recipe as well!
I like to roll my pasta out to number 6-7 on my pasta machine. Typically, pasta machines go from 0/1 to a 9/10.
Use semolina flour to prevent the dough from sticking together. I prefer semolina over all-purpose flour for dusting.
I like the pasta to have a bite to it and remain ‘al dente’. Rolling the dough too thin results in the filling breaking the tender layer of the dough.
After you make ravioli for the first time you can adjust it to the exact thickness you prefer.
Preparing the Homemade Pasta Recipe. See the link for step-by-step instructions. Let the dough rest and make the ravioli filling.
Make the butternut squash ravioli filling:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Prepare butternut squash by peeling, cutting into cubes, and discarding seeds. Drizzle with olive oil and bake for about 30 minutes until soft and golden. Set aside, let cool slightly.
In a small skillet heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until slightly golden about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Set aside.
In a food processor or blender combine the cooked squash, onion and garlic, cheese, salt and pepper, and nutmeg.
Pulse until smooth. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use for filling ravioli.
Prepare pasta dough: After the pasta dough rests and you’ve made the filling. Divide the dough into four parts. Roll each piece in the pasta machine to 6-7 settings or desired thickness (not too thin).
TIP: Only roll dough one section at a time and cover the rest of the dough with plastic wrap as you fill the pasta sheets with filling- or the dough will dry.
Fill ravioli:
You can use a ravioli mold, or ravioli stamps to make the ravioli and achieve the shape you desire!
Tip: do not overfill the ravioli! This is tempting to do, but they will likely explode when cooking if you overfill them.
Cut out the ravioli using a mold or cutter depending on your preference.
Fresh ravioli cook fast! About 3-5 minutes in total. The ravioli are done when they rise and float to the top of boiling water. Taste for perfect ‘al dente’ texture. You want a slight bite and soft tender texture. Read How to Cook Fresh or Frozen Ravioli Pasta (Instructions) for precise details!
How To Make Sage Brown Butter Sauce
Place brown butter sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until butter turns dark brown and golden color.
You can also microwave for 1 minute at a time until the butter turns slightly brown- careful not to burn!
Add fresh ground pepper to taste, if desired.
Toss hot ravioli in brown butter sage sauce and add extra grated Parmigiano cheese. Mangia!
Expert Tips & Tricks
- make sure the filling is not too wet – the ravioli won’t seal and the filling will leak out of the fresh pasta.
- make sure the filling doesn’t puncture the pasta dough– ingredients that will break the dough while cooking (for example- raw vegetables or large chunks of cooked meats) are not recommended. If you using vegetables make sure to steam or sauté them until soft and drain liquid.
- Make sure you have a large pot of boiling salted water.
- Stir gently at the beginning of cooking. My favorite tool is Pasta Server & Spaghetti Portion Utensil.
- Slotted spoon– this is helpful when transferring the cooked ravioli to a pan with the sauce, or transferring to a strainer.
- Do not overcrowd the pot– cook them in batches or they will stick together and not cook evenly.
- Light coat cooked ravioli in the sage brown butter sauce while waiting for the rest of the pasta to cook. This will prevent them from sticking together.
Delicious filling options for ravioli:
- ricotta and spinach
- prosciutto and cheese
- mixture of cheeses
- ricotta and mushroom
Substitutions for butternut squash
You can use any type of squash for this filling and use the same method. I think pumpkin or sweet potato would also make a wonderful ravioli filling option. Pumpkin or sweet potato ravioli also pairs nicely with delicious brown butter ravioli sauce!
Variations and Shortcuts
If you don’t want to make your pasta dough from scratch you can use wonton wrappers as the dough and fill them with the butternut squash filling.
Simply place a teaspoon of the filling in the center of each wonton wrapper and cover with another one and press to seal.
If you want to skip making the ravioli from scratch altogether you can purchase pre-made butternut squash ravioli in the refrigerated or frozen section of your grocery store. I know Trader Joe’s has a great butternut squash ravioli variety.
Suggested Tools for making ravioli
Depending on the shape and method you choose there are different tools to help you achieve the perfect ravioli!
You can use a ravioli mold, or ravioli stamps to make the ravioli and achieve the shape you desire!
Storage
If you aren’t eating the ravioli the same day it is best to freeze them right away for another time. If the fresh ravioli sit in the fridge for too long the filling might make the pasta dough soggy.
How to Freeze Ravioli – sprinkle the ravioli with semolina flour. Lay them flat on a cookie sheet in an even layer and freeze. Once they are frozen transfer them to a freezer-safe bag. Store up to 2 months
How to Cook Ravioli from Frozen – do not thaw or defrost ravioli! Simply cook straight from frozen in salted boiling water. Cook for about 5-6 minutes until they rise to the top and are ‘al dente’.
What To Serve With This Recipe
Serve fresh ravioli with No Knead Italian Focaccia Bread or Easy Soft Italian No Knead Bread. The BEST Breaded Chicken Cutlets (Italian) make a nice addition with a side of pear gorgonzola salad.
Don’t forget dessert! Simple Italian Apple Cake (one bowl), Classic Italian Tiramisu Recipe (Authentic), or Italian Crumb Cake with Pistachio Cream (Sbriciolata)!
Make sure to check out this post for the most delicious ideas! What to Serve with Ravioli (50 best side dishes)!
Other Sauce Options For This Recipe
For butternut squash ravioli I prefer brown butter, olive oil, or heavy cream-based sauce. I am listed red sauce and meat sauce options in case you want to mix it up and try those!
- BEST Italian Beef Short Rib Ragu (hearty pasta dish)
- Classic Italian Ragu Recipe (Meat Sauce) (family recipe)
- Sausage, Peppers, and Arugula (video) (uses Italian sausage)
- Pappardelle Pasta with Mushrooms (easy and delicious creamy sauce)
- Brown Butter Basil – (video) (nutty brown butter meets fresh basil!)
- Lemon Brown Butter (fresh and indulgent)
- Italian Pink Sauce Pasta Recipe (Tomato Cream)
- Caramelized Onions would also pair nicely with
- Favored olive oil with fresh basil and Parmigiano
- Simple butter and Parmigiano cheese or pecorino romano cheese
- A slightly sweet and creamy cheese sauce with the addition of maple syrup to create a rich flavor of maple cream sauce.
FAQ
The best sauces for butternut squash-filled ravioli are cream or butter-based sauces rather than an acidic tomato sauce. Try a brown butter and sage sauce, béchamel, or creamy cheesy white sauce.
You can use canned filling if it’s available to you but fresh will always taste better!
You can make pasta dough in a mixer with a paddle attachment but I highly recommend making it by hand.
Of course not, you can always use pre-made dough or frozen dough if it’s available to buy near you. However, you’ll be blown away by the difference between the fresh and frozen options.
Butternut Squash Ravioli Recipe
- Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
Description
This Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter Sauce is delectable! The ravioli melt in your mouth and the nutty brown butter sage sauce complements the ravioli in the most comforting way!
Ingredients
For the pasta dough (click link to see recipe and step-by-step instructions):
- 400 grams flour Caputo “00” Flour (also use all purpose flour)
- 4 eggs
- Semolina flour for dusting
For the butternut squash ravioli filling (enough for about 50 small ravioli):
- 1 medium butternut squash (about 4 cups), prepared and cut into 1 inch cubes (no skin or seeds)
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling the squash
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 tablespoons Parmigiano cheese, or pecorino romano cheese
- pinch of nutmeg (to taste)
- Salt and Fresh ground pepper, to taste
For the Brown Butter Sauce:
- 4 tablespoon good quality salted butter
- 5–6 fresh sage leaves
- Freshly ground pepper, if desired
- Parmigiano cheese (parmesan cheese), for serving
Instructions
- Preparing the Homemade Pasta Recipe. Let the dough rest and make the ravioli filling.
Make the butternut squash ravioli filling:
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil. Prepare butternut squash by peeling, cutting into cubes, and discarding seeds. You can also buy pre-cut butternut squash. Drizzle with a bit of olive oil, toss to coat, and bake for about 30 minutes until soft and golden. Set aside, let cool slightly.
- In a small skillet heat olive oil on medium-high heat. Add onion and cook until slightly golden about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant about 1 minute. Set aside.
- In a food processor or blender combine the cooked squash, onion and garlic, parmigiano, salt and pepper, and nutmeg. Pulse until smooth. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use for filling ravioli.
Ravioli Maker Method
- After the pasta dough rests and you’ve made the filling. Divide the dough into four parts. Roll each piece in the pasta machine to 6-7 setting or desired thickness (not too thin).
- TIP: Only roll dough one section at a time and cover the rest of the dough with plastic wrap as you fill the pasta sheets with filling- or the dough will dry.
- Place your prepared pasta sheet on top of the ravioli maker a single layer. The dough will hang over the edges.
- Place the plastic holder with indent over the pasta sheet. Using light pressure press down on the dough. This creates little pockets for the filling.
- Fill the ravioli with a small mound of filling- 1 heaping teaspoon per ravioli. Do not overfill or they will be hard to seal and spill out the sides.
- Place the second sheet of dough directly over the first. Get rid of air pockets by pressing down gently on the dough. With a rolling pin press down gently and roll on top of the second pasta sheet to cut and seal the edges.
- When done- turn over the ravioli maker and the individual ravioli will pop out sealed and cut! If they don’t come out gently wiggle them until they come off from the mold.
- Place the uncooked ravioli on a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper and semolina flour. Cover with a clean and light kitchen towel until ready to cook.
- Make your sauce of choice and boil ravioli in a large pot of salted water for about 3-5 minutes until they float to the top. Cook in batches. Coat with brown butter sauce and extra cheese.
Brown Butter Sage Sauce:
- Place brown butter sauce ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat until butter turns dark brown and golden color. You can also microwave for 1 minute at a time until the butter turns slightly brown- careful not to burn! Add fresh ground pepper to taste, if desired.
- Toss hot ravioli in brown butter sage sauce and add extra grated Parmigiano cheese. Mangia!
Notes
You can use a ravioli mold, or ravioli stamps to make the ravioli achieve the shape you desire!
Top tip:
- Category: Savory
- Method: Italian
- Cuisine: Italian
I got the opportunity to learn how to make this from Elena her self. To say this ravioli is life-changing would be an understatement. Beyond incredible.
This ravioli is so full of flavor and is as deliciously authentic as anything I’ve eaten in Italy. The flavors of the butternut, browned butter and sage marry so well together, this is a recipe I will come back to often, it was a big hit with my entire family! So delicious!!
So happy everyone loved it. It is perfect for the fall season. I feel like I am home in Italy every time I eat any homemade ravioli. Now you need to try the ricotta and spinach variety! Enjoy.
This pasta was heavenly!! So so yummy. Thank you so much for having us in your class- so fun to see you work your magic!
Happy you love it Rach! It is a well-loved recipe. Here’s to creating more memories in the kitchen!
What a fun class! So glad we were able to come and learn from a pasta/Italian pro! Can’t wait to make this at home ASAP! And the crispy sage–heavenly! Thank you so much.
You are welcome it was a wonderful class. The sage brown butter is heaven. Try it with the butternut squash risotto recipe. You will LOVE! It is perfect for the fall/winter season.
This recipe was delicious and the ravioli class was so fun! I’ll definitely be subscribing to make sure I get all future recipes! Thanks Elena for making cooking fun and delicious
So happy you loved the class and recipe. Here is to many more pasta memories!
This ravioli is without a doubt one of the best dishes I have eaten. The bonus is you don’t have to go to an expensive Italian Restaurant. Elena makes it fun and very easy to make. If you get a chance to sign up for one of her pasta making classes…do it without hesitation. You come away with the confidence to make your own yummy pasta and then there is no going back!!
So happy you loved the restaurant-quality ravioli recipe! They are easier to make than you’d think and you can’t beat homemade ravioli with the experience it brings as well as a delicious meal.
Every minute was so fun! Thanks for sharing your talents with us your, you are adorable!
Thanks Michelle! So lovely to see you.