Roasted butternut squash ravioli with sage brown butter and toasted pecans is an indulgent fall dish that is as perfect for weeknight eating as it is for special occasions!
If there’s a meal that I will always always always order when I see it on a restaurant menu, it’s butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce.
Doesn’t matter the time of year, the time of day – I’m not picky.
Butternut ravioli for breakfast in the heat of summer? Done it. 10/10 would recommend.
So, after almost THIRTEEN YEARS of blogging, I decided it was time to finally make a version for the site. Let’s go!
The truly magical thing about this meal is that, while it tastes like a restaurant-quality dish, it is actually completely doable (EASY, even) to make at home. The flavors are just incredible – nutty sage-infused brown butter with sweet caramelized roasted squash, squash-stuffed ravioli, toasted pecans, and salty parmesan cheese to round it all out.
Are you running to buy the ingredients to make it for dinner yet?
I thought so.
The first step to getting this meal on your table is to grab a winter squash, peel it, seed it, cube it, and throw it in the oven to roast until deeply sweet and caramelized. I used butternut squash for this but honeynut squash or delicata would be excellent as well.
While the squash is roasting, we’ll cook our ravioli and make our brown butter sauce. I can never have too much squash, so I chose to use (storebought) squash-stuffed ravioli for this recipe but plain cheese or spinach-stuffed ravioli would be great. Since my ravioli was fresh, it cooked in just a few minutes. However if you’re using dried or frozen ravioli it may take a bit longer – just follow the directions on the packaging.
To make the sage-infused brown butter, melt a stick of butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once it has melted, add the sage leaves to the pan. They will cook in the butter as it browns, infusing it with all of their woodsy herbal flavor.
Once all of the components are cooked, gently toss the ravioli and parmesan cheese in the sage brown butter and divide among serving bowls. Top with the roasted squash cubes, toasted pecans, and a dusting of parmesan cheese just before serving. Enjoy!
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1.5 lb butternut or other winter squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1-inch cubes
- salt, to taste
- 2 (12 oz) packages butternut squash ravioli
- 8 tbsp butter
- 8-10 sage leaves
- ⅓ cup pecans, toasted and chopped
- ½ cup parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- Heat oven to 400F.
- In a large bowl, toss together the olive oil, squash cubes, and salt to taste. Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes or until the squash is tender and starting to caramelize. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Once water is boiling, add ravioli and cook until al dente, according to package directions. Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water, and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add the sage leaves to the pan. Continue to cook until the sage is crispy and the butter is a deep amber color. Remove from the heat.
- In a large serving bowl, toss the ravioli with the sage brown butter sauce and parmesan cheese. Add the pasta cooking water a bit at a time as needed to melt the cheese and ensure the sauce coats all of the pasta. Divide the pasta among serving bowls. Top with the roasted squash, pecans, and a sprinkling of parmesan cheese just before serving.
One of my favorites!! Looks and sounds amazing.
Gorgeous! These photos are just stunning.