Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli

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This homemade butternut squash ravioli is as impressive as it is delicious, with homemade pasta and butternut squash filling, then sauteed in a butter sauce with walnuts.

» You might also like this Simple Pulled Pork Gnocchi and Butternut Squash Sausage Soup.

Why You’ll Love It

So easy: It’s incredibly easy to make your own pasta for this butternut squash ravioli. With a pasta roller, you can make pasta like ravioli, spaghetti, and fettuccini at home. Don’t want to make ravioli? Try this butternut squash recipe with spaghetti.
Savory and full of flavor: Butternut squash is my favorite filling for ravioli because it’s so savory and full of flavor. After being roasted, it needs very little added to it to make the tastiest filling. I use any leftover squash to make butternut squash and sausage pizza.
Simple ingredients: I only add Parmesan cheese and salt to the butternut squash, which really allows the squash to shine. It’s similar to a Butternut Squash Soup, which doesn’t need a lot of ingredients.

How Long Does it Take to Make?

If you’re avoiding making pasta because it looks tedius, it’s really not. The pasta dough is easy to mix up in about 10 minutes with kneading. Then you need to rest the dough for at least 20 minutes in the refrigerator to let the gluten relax. It takes about 10 more minutes to roll out the dough and get it prepped to fill.

During this time you can be roasting the butternut squash in the oven, so it’s ready when the pasta dough is.

Filling and cutting the ravioli takes about 10-20 minutes, depending on how confident you are with the steps. Cooking takes another 10 minutes.

So total, you’re looking at just over an hour from start to finish – and 20 minutes of that is just waiting for the dough to rest.

This recipe doesn’t make a lot of ravioli. It’s meant to feed 2 people. If you were to double the recipe, it would take a bit longer to fill and press.

Like making your own pasta? Why not try making potato gnocchi at home too? It’s just as easy as ravioli making.

Ingredients You’ll Need

00 flour – 00 flour is a soft wheat flour that’s perfect for making ravioli, but you can get away with using all-purpose flour, if you need to.
Eggs – These need to be at room temperature so they don’t chill down the dough unnecessarily.
Oil – I use vegetable oil – you can use other cooking oils that you like.
Salt – Salt is required to add some flavor to the pasta.
Butternut squash – Use an average sized butternut squash. You can cook the whole squash and use the other half for something else, like butternut squash soup or butternut squash and sausage pizza.
Parmesan cheese – I like to grate my own fresh Parmesan from a block of cheese. It’s the most flavorful and high quality.
Black pepper – Add pepper to taste. I like a lot of pepper so I’m always going heavy.
Butter – I use salted butter because I like seasoning. If you don’t like salt, use unsalted butter.
Walnuts – These will be toasted and chopped.

Equipment Needed

Baking sheet – To roast the butternut squash on.
Parchment paper or silicon mat – This will make clean up a lot easier.
Food processor or bowl – You can mix the pasta dough in a food processor or in a bowl.
Pasta roller or rolling pin – It’s easily to use a pasta roller, like this one, to roll out the dough, but you can use a rolling pin if you don’t have one.
Pasta cutter or sharp knife – It’s super simple to cut the pasta with a pasta cutter (here’s the one I use), but you can use a sharp knife if you don’t have one.
Pot and skillet – You’ll need to boil the pasta to cook it, then toss it in butter sauce in a skillet.
Optional: A ravioli maker can make the process very easy, if you have one.

Expert Tips for Homemade Ravioli

The butternut squash filling is the star of the show, so take the time to roast your squash until it’s tender and caramelized for maximum flavor. If it’s not cooked enough it can be watery and less flavorful.
After making the dough, let it rest for at least 20 minutes to allow the gluten to relax. This makes it easier to roll out thinly, which is essential for a delicate ravioli.
Don’t overstuff the ravioli with filling or they will be difficult to pierce together.
After forming the ravioli, take extra care to seal the edges well. Eliminate all air pockets as these can expand during cooking, causing the ravioli to burst.
You can use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges or the ravioli to keep it together.

How to Make Butternut Squash Ravioli

Step One: Roast the Squash

Pre-heat the oven to 400° F. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon mat.

Cut the butternut squash in half and remove the seeds and stringy insides. Brush some oil on the fleshy parts, and season with salt and pepper.

Place the halves face down on the baking sheet. Roast for 45-60 minutes in the oven. The size of the squash will determine how long it takes. Pierce it with a fork to see if it’s done and it it’s very tender, it’s ready.

Scoop the squash out of the skin and put it in a bowl. Smash it with a fork or potato smasher. Add Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper. Stir it up until it’s well combined.

Step Two: Make the Pasta

To make the pasta dough, combine the flour, eggs, oil and salt in a food processor and pulse until a dough is formed. You can also stir it together in a bowl or on a clean work surface, if you don’t have a food processor.

Knead until the dough is elastic, about 8 minutes. Add flour as needed to keep it from being too sticky. Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes.

Take the pasta dough from the refrigerator, cut in half. Roll each half into long strips using a pasta roller or rolling pin.

If you’re using a pasta roller, you will feed it through the machine a few times, until you’ve gotten to the #4 setting. That’s the perfect thickness for ravioli.

If you’re rolling it out with a rolling pin, get to the thickness of a typical sheet of lasagna, slightly thicker than a piece of parchment paper. You don’t want it to be so thin that it tears.

Using plenty of flour, lay the pasta sheet on the counter and cut the edges to form a perfect rectangle.

Step Three: Fill the Ravioli

Add about 1 tablespoon of filling, spaced out in a 6×3 pattern, to make 18 ravioli. If your pasta sheet is larger, you can add more.

Place the 2nd sheet of pasta over the top. Pat the pasta down around the filling, so there are no air bubbles. Push the edges of the pasta together with the tips of your fingers to seal it.

Using a pasta cutter (here’s the one I’m using above), or sharp knife, cut along the strips to form 18 separate raviolis. Push the edges of each individual ravioli together with the tips of your fingers to seal them.

Step Four: Cook

Fill a pot with water and add 1 teaspoon of salt to the water. Set it over high heat until it’s at a low boil.

Drop the ravioli carefully into the water and let them cook at a low boil or just under a boil, for about 3-4 minutes, until they float. Take them out of the water and set them on a rack or paper towel to dry slightly.

In a skillet over medium heat, add the butter and chopped walnuts (you can add fresh sage if you like, as well). Let the butter melt and the walnuts begin to toast. Just as the butter is sizzling, add the ravioli to the pan. Toss to coat and let them cook for a few minutes to warm back up.

If you’ve used salted butter, there’s probably no need to further salt the ravioli, but you will need to adjust the seasoning if you used unsalted butter.

Serve the squash ravioli with the brown butter sauce, nuts and a dusting of Parmesan cheese on top, to suit your personal preference. This makes such a tasty dinner. Feel free to add any additional seasonings or use a different sauce if you want. It’s all up to you.

How to Store & Reheat

Storing:

Place any cooked ravioli in an airtight container, separating layers with parchment paper to prevent sticking. Store in the refrigerator for up to 2-3 days.
You can keep uncooked ravioli in an airtight container in the fridge for a day or two. For longer storage, freeze them on a baking sheet before transferring to a ziplock bag. They can stay in the freezer for up to 2-3 months.

Reheating:

The most effective method for reheating ravioli is to gently simmer them in a pan with a bit more butter until they’re warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. For frozen ravioli, you can directly boil them until they float to the surface and then simmer for an additional minute or two in butter as stated in the recipe.
The quickest but least recommended method is to microwave it. Place the ravioli in a microwave-safe dish and heat on medium power in 30-second intervals until warmed through.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I pick a good butternut squash?

A good butternut squash should be heavy for it’s size. The color should be a solid beige color with no brown patches, punctures or cuts. Any scrapes to the skin could allow bacteria to grow in the flesh. They are best from early fall through winter.

Can I freeze the ravioli?

Yes! After assembling the ravioli recipe lay them flat on a baking sheet and flash freeze then put them in an air tight container and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to cook them just pop them in boiling water until they float, up to 10 minutes.

Can I use pre-rolled fresh pasta dough?

Yes, you can buy sheets of fresh pasta to make this ravioli with if you don’t want to make your own homemade fresh pasta. Just make sure that the pasta sheets you get are flexible and soft. Some are too tough or leathery to work with.

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