Butternut Squash Ravioli with Shallots and Fresh Ricotta

I have this problem when fall rolls around. I get overly excited about fall foods. Especially squash. I seriously told my mother that I am going to prepare squash for every meal until my husband turns orange. (Yes, I realize that sounds insane, but I am not going to take it back). You may think that I am exaggerating… but squash was incorporated in to a breakfast, lunch, and dinner last weekend. I also made enough butternut squash ravioli and gnocchi to feed a small army. Butternut Squash is certainly my favorite squash variety, but I do make quite a bit of Acorn Squash and Spaghetti Squash too.

I decided to make ravioli with the roasted butternut squash I had leftover from making gnocchi. I had roasted two large butternut squash, which was far too much. It only seemed logical to make some ravioli, since I had leftover fresh ricotta in the fridge and fresh lasagna sheets in the freezer.

This butternut squash ravioli is very simple to prepare, even though it is a bit time consuming. Only about half of the preparation time is active preparation time. I did make the ricotta from scratch, but you could use store bought ricotta instead if you want to save some time. The other thing to know about this recipe is that it freezes very well. If you want to see a demonstration of how the ravioli are assembled, check out this video.

Total Time: 2 hours
Active Time: 1 hour
Serves: 4

You will need:

1 large Butternut Squash
2 Shallots
4 tablespoons Butter, divided
1 package fresh Lasagna sheets
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Sage

For Homemade Ricotta:
2 cups Whole Milk
1 cup Heavy Cream
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 1/2 tablespoons White Wine Vinegar
Cheesecloth

Step 1:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Slice the squash in half lengthwise. Then scoop out the seeds. Slice the shallots, and place them in the holes where the seeds where. Place 1 tablespoon of butter over the shallots. Place in oven and bake for 30 minutes. Then flip the squash and cook for another 30 minutes. *I know some people peel and cube squash before they bake it, in this case that would be a waste of time. Cooking it in the skin and then scooping it out is much faster and easier.

Step 2:
While the squash cooks, prepare the ricotta. In a saucepan combine the milk, cream, and salt and bring to a rolling boil. Let boil for 1 minute. Then turn off the heat and add the vinegar. Let sit for 2 minutes. Line a colander with the cheesecloth. Then pour the milk and cream mixture through the cheesecloth to separate the curds and whey. Let the ricotta drain for 30 minutes.

Step 3:
Remove the squash from the oven. It should be fork tender, if it is not, continue cooking it until it is. Then let the squash cool. Use a large spoon to scoop out the squash and place the squash and the shallot in a blender. Pulse until the shallots are blended into the squash.

Step 4:
In a bowl, combine equal parts of the butternut squash and the fresh ricotta. Stir together.

Step 5:
Assemble the ravioli. Begin running a lasagna sheet under warm water. You want to rinse off the flour or cornmeal that was used to separate the pasta sheets. After about 20 seconds the pasta will become sticky again. Place the lasagna sheet on a floured surface. Line up teaspoons of the filling 2 inches apart and 1 inch from the edges. Then fold the pasta over. Cut in between the raviolis. Press the edges with your fingers, removing any air bubbles, and then seal edges with a fork. (Check out the video for detailed instructions).

Step 6:
You can either freeze the ravioli – or cook it. Cook in boiling water for about 3 minutes (or 6 minutes if it is frozen) or until the ravioli floats. While the ravioli cooks, melt the remaining butter in a small saucepan. Heat until the butter begins to brown, then add the sage and turn off the heat.

Step 7:
Top the cooked ravioli with the sage butter.