Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter and Sage
It's not autumn until you've made freshly made pasta with a pumpkin cheese filling and sage butter sauce.
Serves6
Makes43 to 45 ravioli
Prep1 hour
Cook15 minutes to 20 minutes
Stuffed pasta is one of my favorite things to eat and make. And as soon as the air begins to feel crisp, I know it’s time to make ravioli. For this fall-forward version, I started with Kitchn’s basic pasta dough, then spruced up canned pumpkin purée with goat cheese. The filling comes together quickly and you can customize the flavor profile to suit your own palate. I kept the finishing touches pretty classic with browned butter, sage, and toasted pecans for texture (because, yum, you can’t get any better than that). Serve your pumpkin ravioli with a side salad or some crusty bread to sop up some of that browned butter.
Why Make Pasta from Scratch?
Although it’s time-consuming, making pasta from scratch can be very therapeutic. The process of getting to know the dough is one I like to make sure I am practicing throughout the year. You’ll get better every time! Putting forth the extra effort is like writing a love letter with food. Not only will you impress whomever you’re serving, but you’re also showing them you care.
Tools You’ll Need for the Pasta Dough
- Pasta roller or rolling pin
- Ruler
- Dough cutter
- Bench scraper
If You’re Making Pumpkin Ravioli, a Few Tips
- Make it ahead. You can save time by making the dough and forming the ravioli the day before. Store them in the fridge in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet overnight (or in the freezer if you plan to wait more than two days before cooking them).
- Use fresh pumpkin. I used canned pumpkin to keep things extra simple, but you can take it up a notch by making your own fresh pumpkin purée.
- Use a cake tester. Got air bubbles in your ravioli? Use a cake tester to poke a tiny hole in the ravioli to gently press out the air. Press to seal.
Pumpkin Ravioli Recipe
It's not autumn until you've made freshly made pasta with a pumpkin cheese filling and sage butter sauce.
Prep time 1 hour
Cook time 15 minutes to 20 minutes
Makes 43 to 45 ravioli
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
recipe Fresh Pasta Dough (about 1 pound), prepared through Step 5
- 1 ounce
Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 small clove
garlic
- 1 cup
pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
- 1
large egg
- 3/4 teaspoon
kosher salt, divided, plus more for the pasta water
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon
freshly grated or ground nutmeg
- 1 ounce
cold fresh goat cheese
All-purpose flour, for dusting
- 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick)
unsalted butter
- 1 bunch
fresh sage
- 1/4 cup
pecans
Instructions
Make the pumpkin filling while the pasta dough is resting: Finely grate 1 ounce Parmesan cheese (about 1/3 cup) and 1 small garlic clove into a medium bowl. Add 1 cup pumpkin purée, 1 large egg, 1/2 teaspoon of the kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon of the black pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg. Whisk until well combined.
Crumble 1 ounce cold fresh goat cheese into 1/4-inch or smaller pieces (about 1/4 loosely packed cup) directly into the bowl. Gently fold with a flexible spatula until combined, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.
Line 2 rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly dust with all-purpose flour. Divide the rested pasta dough into 4 portions. Roll each portion one at a time through pasta rollers (Steps 6 to 8), starting at the thickest setting and incrementally rolling the dough thinner, until very thin (about 1/32-inch thick). After each portion is ready, cut in half crosswise. Place on one of the baking sheets and lightly dust with more flour. You should have 8 sheets of pasta. Cover with plastic wrap or parchment paper.
Fill a small bowl with water. Place 2 sheets of the pasta on a lightly floured work surface, arranging them horizontally in front of you. Drop 1-teaspoon portions of the filling on the top half of the sheets, dropping them about 1 inch from the top and 2 to 2 1/2 inches apart (4 to 6 portions of filling per sheet).
Dampen your fingers in the bowl of water and trace them around the edges of each sheet and between each portion of filling. Starting from one side and working your way to the other, fold the bottom half of each sheet up and over the filling, pressing out the excess air around each portion of filling as you go and sealing the top and bottom together.
Using a fluted pastry wheel cutter or sharp knife, trim the edges as needed and cut between each portion of filling to form individual (about 2-inch square) ravioli. Transfer the ravioli to the second baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining pasta sheets, filling two of them at a time.
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Meanwhile, cut 6 tablespoons unsalted butter into 3 pieces. Pick the leaves from 1 bunch fresh sage until you have 18 leaves, then pat them very dry with paper towels. Coarsely chop 1/4 cup pecans.
Place the pecans in a large frying pan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until dark golden brown in spots and fragrant, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out the pan if needed.
Add the butter to the pan and melt over low heat. It will bubble, brown and melt quickly. Increase the heat to medium, add the sage leaves, and cook, flipping the leaves occasionally, until crisp and darkened in color, about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Transfer the sage to a paper towel-lined plate and keep the remaining butter in the pan.
Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally, until cooked through and floating, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove 1/2 cup of the pasta water. Using a slotted spoon or spider, transfer the ravioli from the water directly into the pan of butter.
Return the pan to medium heat. Add 1/4 cup of the pasta water, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Simmer, gently tossing the ravioli with a spoon and adding more pasta water as needed if the pan is dry, until the liquid thickens into a sauce, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the ravioli and sauce to a serving dish. Top with the pecans, fried sage, and more grated Parmesan cheese.
Recipe Notes
Make ahead: The ravioli can be shaped, frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet until solid, and stored in a zip-top bag in the freezer for up to 6 months. Cook the ravioli directly from frozen, they may need an extra minute of cooking time.
Storage: Leftover cooked ravioli can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.