Flavorful al dente pasta filled with a winter spiced pumpkin ricotta, dressed with brown butter and sage sauce.
Every summer, my grandma and uncle grow an elaborate garden in their backyard with a variety of different melons, pumpkins, and veggies. They grow enough for the whole family to eat! This year, there were a lot of Asian Pumpkins. Typically, we stir fry, roast, or make soup from the pumpkins, but I wanted to prepare the pumpkin in a way my family was not used to: pumpkin ravioli!
This pumpkin ravioli is naturally sweet and delicious. It is paired with a brown butter and sage sauce, inspired by Trader Joe’s. It is impossible to resist!
What is an Asian Pumpkin?
Asian Pumpkins are sweet and earthy, similar to butternut squash. These pumpkins are grown over the summer and harvested in late summer/early fall. However, once harvested, they can be stored throughout the winter season. Each pumpkin ranges from 5 to 10 pounds, so this recipe doesn’t use the whole pumpkin. It can also be prepared by roasting it in the oven, making soup, or stir fry it.
Can’t find an Asian Pumpkin?
Asian pumpkins can be hard to find in stores. However, for this recipe, you can use your favorite type of pumpkin or squash like butternut squash, spaghetti squash, acorn squash, or regular American pumpkin.
There is no need for a pasta machine to make ravioli!
I had always thought that in order to make ravioli, you need to have a pasta machine. Oh how very wrong I was! There is no need for a fancy pasta machine, all you need is a rolling pin and a cookie cutter, and a little bit of patience.
Roast, season, and puree your pumpkin.
Begin to roast the pumpkin in the oven, seasoned to your liking. I seasoned my pumpkin with salt, oil, maple syrup, fresh garlic, thyme, rosemary, and sage. These are great winter flavors that complement the natural sweetness of your pumpkin of choice. You may want to add some spices like chili powder, nutmeg, paprika and/or Tumeric. Once seasoned, roasting is the best method to cook the pumpkin because it will dry out the excess water and make sure your filling isn’t too runny.
When the pumpkin is roasted and cooled, puree it in a food processor. Be sure to take out the leafy spices, they tend to get bitter during the roast. You will put some puree in the pasta dough and leave the rest for the filling. Adding the pumpkin to the pasta dough will add a little bit of sweetness and a beautiful orange color to the dough. Let the dough rest in the refrigerator for the gluten relax. This will make the dough much easier to work with. While the dough is chilling, make the filling and place in a piping bag fitted with a round tip.
Assembly
Cut the dough into quarters to make it easier to work with. Roll 2 quarters as thin as you could get it, roughly 1/8th of an inch. Gently mark the bottom sheet of dough with the 2.5 inch cookie cutter. This will help you map out how many ravioli you are going to make.
In the center of each mark, pipe about 1 Tablespoon of filling. Wet the rim of each mark and gently place the second sheet of pasta on top. Press and seal around each mound of filling. Cut each ravioli out with the cookie cutter. Place each finished ravioli on a lightly floured sheet pan to dry out.
Once you have made all of the ravioli, place them in the freezer to chill. Cold pasta will help ensure a more even boil. It will take about 4-8 minutes to cook the pasta, depending on how cold the ravioli is and how al dente you like your pasta.
While the pasta is cooking…
Make the butter and sage sauce in a large saucepan. Right away, place the cooked ravioli into the hot saucepan with the sauce and serve!
This recipe has a lot of flexibility in it with the endless seasoning possibilities and different types of pumpkins you could use! I would love to see how you make your ravioli! Tag me in your photos on Instagram @beyondbakingwithamandajane and use the #beyondbakingwithamandajane.
Grandma's Pumpkin Ravioli with No Pasta Machine
Ingredients
- For the Pumpkin Puree:
- 2 1/2 lb Pumpkin of choice
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
- 7 Cloves of garlic, smashed
- 8 Sage leaves
- 5 Sprigs of Thyme
- 5 Springs of Rosemary For the Dough:
- 2 Large eggs
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil For the filling:
- 4 oz. Whole milk ricotta
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded For the Sauce:
- 1/2 cup butter, cubed
- 10 Sage leaves
Directions
- Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut the pumpkin into cubes. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and season the pumpkin. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until deeply roasted and tender.
- Puree the cooled pumpkin with the garlic until very smooth. Set aside.
- Back in the food processor, add the eggs, flour, salt, oil, and 1/2 cup of pumpkin puree. Pulse until the dough forms. If needed, add water if the dough is too dry, or add flour if the dough is too wet.
- Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and form a smooth disc. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
- To make the filling, stir in the cheeses until well combined. Scoop into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip.
- Roll out a quarter of the dough at a time until 1/8-inch thick and form your ravioli. Place the ravioli on a lightly floured baking sheet and freeze while the water is boiling.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, meanwhile, make the browned butter and sage sauce by browning butter in a large saucepan with leaves of sage.
- Boil the ravioli for 4-8 minutes. Immediately place the hot ravioli into the saucepan and toss.
Beyond Baking with Amanda Jane 