Foodie Friday Recipe: Butternut Squash & Sausage Ravioli

Enjoy the comforts of warm, hearty winter food while it lasts with this gourmand-inspired butternut squash ravioli recipe.

While the lighter fare of spring and summer is just around the corner, I love winter comfort foods so much I always like to hold onto them as long as possible! This delicious and hearty recipe from ModernFarmer.com is a bit more advanced, but if you’re up for a challenge, it will be well worth the time spent on the preparations! The nutty richness of butternut squash complements the spicy sausage in these homemade ravioli, which are perfectly set off by the simplicity of the brown butter sage sauce.

This recipe contains loads of vitamin A and fiber from the squash, and the homemade pasta will be much better for you (and more flavorful) than the store-bought kind. For a healthier meal, use organic ingredients (especially the butter) and pasture-raised pork sausage.

To save time before dinner, you can also make the pasta dough and/or the filling the day before.

Butternut Squash and Spicy Sausage Ravioli in Brown Butter-Sage Sauce

Level: Advanced
Serves: 4

Filling
½ medium butternut squash (about 1¼ pounds), cut in half and seeded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¾ pound spicy Italian sausage, removed from casing

Pasta Dough
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more as needed and for work surface
2 eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-3 teaspoons water

Sauce
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
Shaved Parmesan, for serving

To make the filling:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F. On a rimmed baking sheet, place squash cut side up and brush with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Sprinkle each piece with a half teaspoon of salt and pepper. Bake until squash is very tender, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Allow squash to rest on pan until cool enough to handle.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining tablespoon olive oil. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds more. Add sausage and cook, breaking up any large chunks with a spoon, until browned and crumbled, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Scrape the squash flesh into sausage mixture, stirring well to combine. Set aside or refrigerate up to 2 days.

To make the pasta dough:
1. On a clean work surface, place flour in a mound. With your fingers, make a well in center of flour; add eggs, yolks, salt, and 1 teaspoon water. Using a fork, beat eggs thoroughly. Gradually pull flour into beaten eggs until a wet, sticky dough forms. Add a little more flour or water, a teaspoon at a time, if necessary. Knead dough until it becomes smooth, then form into a ball and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Chill for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.
2. Divide dough into 4 pieces and, using a pasta machine, roll each portion through machine according to manufacturer’s directions until dough is thin, about 1/16 inch thick. Alternatively, on a lightly floured surface with a rolling pin, roll dough until about 1/16 inch thick.

To make the ravioli:
1. Place one sheet of dough onto a ravioli mold and press down to create individual depressions in dough. Place 1 tablespoon of squash-sausage filling in each ravioli depression, being careful to keep edges of dough clean. Gently tap bottom of mold on table to remove any air pockets. Top with another layer of dough and, using a rolling pin, gently roll over mold until ridges become visible and ravioli squares are distinct. Use a pastry wheel to score edges of individual squares and gently pull them apart by hand. Cover ravioli with a clean, damp dish towel, so they don’t dry out, then repeat with remaining dough.
2. Over high heat, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Drop ravioli into water and allow to boil until ravioli are cooked through and float to top, 8 to 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove ravioli and transfer to a serving plate.

To make the sauce and serve:
In a small saucepan with a light-colored bottom over medium-low heat, melt butter and cook until it starts to brown and develop a rich, nutty aroma, about 10 minutes. Remove butter from heat and stir in sage leaves. Top ravioli with butter-sage sauce and fresh shaved Parmesan to taste. Serve immediately.

 

Image Source: ModernFarmer.com