These homemade butternut squash ravioli are cozy enough for cold winter nights but light and vibrant enough to enjoy on a warm spring day. Learn how to make a simple butternut and ricotta filling to stuff into perfect homemade pasta dough. Making any homemade pasta is a labor of love, and these delicious ravioli are no different. But get out that pasta roller, put on your apron, and settle into the perfect Sunday afternoon activity! Homemade butternut squash ravioli are as fun to make as they are to eat, making them totally worth a bit of extra love and effort.
Ingredients & Equipment
There are three different components to making these homemade ravioli. The pasta dough, the filling, and the simple brown butter sauce.
For the pasta dough itself you’ll need:
- Flour: 300 grams of all-purpose flour for the dough plus extra for dusting and shaping
- Eggs: 4 large, room-temperature eggs
- Bench scraper: To help you bring the dough together
- Pasta machine: Either a hand-crank machine or a stand mixer attachment
- Ravioli stamp: Or a ravioli mold. If you don’t have either one, you can use a pastry wheel or even just a simple pizza wheel.
For the butternut ricotta filling you’ll need:
- Butternut squash: 2 3/4 (or up to 3) cups of peeled and diced butternut squash. You could buy a whole squash and break it down yourself, but this is the perfect application to use the already prepped and pre-cubed butternut squash you can find at the grocery store.
- Ricotta: 3/4 cup ricotta cheese. Be sure to get whole milk ricotta for the best flavor.
- Parmigiano Reggiano: 3/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
- Egg: 1 large egg to help bind the filling
- Nutmeg: Just a scant 1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg. The nutmeg is an optional flavoring, but if you have some on hand it adds warmth and richness to the filling.
- Diamond kosher salt: to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper: to taste
- Food processor: using a food processor helps the filling come together in a snap
Finally, you’ll finish these butternut squash ravioli in a nutty brown butter sauce flecked with savory thyme leaves. To make this simple yet stunning sauce, all you’ll need is:
- Unsalted butter: 1 stick (or a 1/2 cup) total
- Thyme: 1 Teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves. Strip the leaves off and discard their woody stems.
- Diamond kosher salt: to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper: to taste
- Parmigiano Reggiano: Finely grated Parmigiano is just a finishing touch but definitely don’t skimp! The nutty parmigiano reggiano perfectly compliments the lightly sweet butternut squash and the savory butter sauce.
How to Make Homemade Butternut Squash Ravioli
Homemade Pasta Dough
The first step to any homemade pasta is making the dough itself. Creating fresh pasta dough requires just two ingredients, a few simple steps, and a little elbow grease.
- Form a well: On a clean, smooth surface make a mound with all-purpose flour and form a well in the middle large enough to contain your eggs.
- Mix in the eggs: Crack in room-temperature eggs and break the yolks with a fork. Scramble the eggs with the fork and slowly begin to incorporate the flour–careful not to break the well walls. If your eggs do spill out of the well, don’t panic, simply grab a bench scraper to scoop up the eggs and cut them into the flour. After all the flour is incorporated into the eggs, the dough will look dry and shaggy. Use a bench scraper to gather it all up into a rough ball.
- Knead: Then, knead the dough by firmly pressing it away from you with the heels of your hands, then rotate the dough back towards you and press away with the heels of your hands again. While you work the dough, you can feel it begin to change. It will feel smoother and less dry as the eggs continue to absorb the flour and the gluten develops. Set a timer and knead the dough for 15 minutes.
- Rest: Once kneaded, place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover it with a damp paper or kitchen towel, making sure the towel does not touch the dough directly. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and filling. Do not skip resting the dough, or it could be difficult to roll out your pasta sheets.
Butternut Squash Filling
Next, make the filling. You can save time by making the filling a day or two in advance of making the pasta dough. Just keep it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Roast the squash: Toss the butternut squash in a bit of extra virgin olive oil with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Roast in a 425° oven for 15 minutes until tender and caramelized. When done, let cool completely.
- Blend to combine: After the squash has cooled, use a food processor and blend to combine the roasted butternut squash, ricotta cheese, parmigiano reggiano, egg, and seasonings. Transfer to a piping bag, or a large zip-top bag and keep in the refrigerator until you are ready to fill the ravioli.
Assembly
Finally, it’s time to roll out your pasta dough and make the ravioli.
- Divide: Quarter the pasta dough using your bench scraper. Further, cut each quarter in half again to make 8 balls of dough. Work with one ball of dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough in its resting bowl.
- Roll out with pasta machine: With your fingers, press the dough ball into a rough rectangle shape. Set the pasta machine to the largest setting (on a standard machine, level 1 is the largest). Feed the rectangle of dough through the machine, long-ways, using a dusting of flour if needed. Run the dough through the largest setting twice before adjusting down and rolling through each smaller setting. Continue working your way down to the second-to-the-smallest setting (level 6 on a standard machine), which will yield a long sheet of thin pasta dough.
- Fill: Working on a lightly floured surface, cut the long sheet in half to make 2 shorter rectangles. Then use your ravioli stamp to lightly press into the pasta sheet to mark where each ravioli should be piped. Pipe a row of teaspoon-sized dollops of filling on the pasta sheet in the center of each mark. Use a small pastry brush to brush a small amount of water around each filling mound. Lay the remaining sheet of pasta dough over top and gently press around each mound to remove any trapped air and press to seal.
- Cut: Finally, use a ravioli stamp to cut out each individual ravioli. Use an offset spatula to transfer each ravioli to a lightly floured baking tray. If you don’t have a ravioli stamp, you can use a pastry wheel or a pizza wheel to individually cut out each ravioli square.
Tips for Easy Homemade Ravioli
For a speedy shortcut to homemade ravioli, look for fresh sheets of uncut pasta in the refrigerated section of your grocery store (sometimes labeled fresh lasagna sheets). With these store-bought pasta sheets, you can cut down prep time by an hour or more! Thanks to the amazing filling, your butternut squash ravs will be just as delicious– and, we promise, you can still call them homemade!
If you make ravioli with homemade pasta dough, the biggest tip we can give is to keep any dough you are not immediately using covered with a damp towel. When filling the ravioli, work with just one pasta sheet at a time on a lightly floured surface.
MAKE NEXT: Brown Butter and Sage Ravioli
Butternut Squash Ravioli Serving Suggestions
We kept the sauce for these ravioli minimal to let the gorgeous flavors of the butternut squash filling shine through. The brown butter and thyme sauce is a simple twist on our classic brown butter and sage ravioli. You can try our thyme version or stick with the tried and true sage, which would also pair beautifully with the butternut squash. Or, you could even toss your homemade ravioli in some simple melted butter. Whichever you choose, just don’t forget to serve these up with a mountain of finely grated parmigiano reggiano!
More Delicious Pasta Recipes
Butternut Squash Ravioli
Learn how to make a simple butternut and ricotta filling to stuff into perfect homemade pasta dough. Any homemade pasta is a labor of love, and these delicious ravioli are no different. But get out that pasta roller, put on your apron and settle into the perfect Sunday afternoon activity!
Ingredients
Butternut Squash Filling
- 2 ¾-3 cups butternut squash, cubed
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Diamond kosher salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 3/4 cup ricotta cheese, whole milk
- 3/4 cup parmigiano reggiano, finely grated
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, optional**
- 1 large egg
Homemade Pasta Dough
- 300 grams all-purpose flour, plus extra for dusting and shaping
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
Brown Butter & Thyme Sauce
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- Diamond kosher salt, to taste
- fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- parmigiano reggiano, for serving
Instructions
Butternut Squash Filling
- Preheat the oven to 425°. Toss the butternut squash to coat in extra virgin olive oil with kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes, or until fork tender and caramelized. When done, allow the squash to cool.
- Using a food processor, blend the roasted & cooled butternut squash, ricotta cheese, parmigiano reggiano, and nutmeg. Taste for seasoning and add additional kosher salt if desired before cracking in the egg. Blend again to incorporate the egg. Transfer the filling to a piping or zip-top bag. Keep the filling in the fridge until you are ready to fill the pasta.
Homemade Pasta Dough
- On a smooth, clean surface, use the all-purpose flour to create a well large enough to contain the eggs.
- Crack the room temperature eggs into the flour well and break the yolks with a fork. Using the fork, whisk the eggs. Then gradually begin to incorporate the flour from the well walls into the eggs while continuously whisking with the fork.
- Use a bench scraper to scrape up the egg and flour to form a shaggy dough. Pat the dough into a rough ball. Knead the dough by pressing it away from you with the heels of your hands, then rotate the dough back towards you and press away with the heels of your hands again. Set a timer and knead like this for 15 minutes.
- Once 15 minutes is up, your dough should be silky smooth and spring back when you touch it. Place the dough in a lightly floured bowl and cover with a damp paper or kitchen towel, making sure the towel does not touch the dough directly. Allow the dough to rest at room temperature for 30 minutes before rolling and filling. Do not skip resting your dough, or it will be difficult to roll out.
Butternut Squash Ravioli
- Quarter the pasta dough using your bench scraper. Cut each quarter in half again to make 8 pieces of dough. Work with one piece of dough at a time, keeping the remaining dough in its resting bowl covered with the damp towel.
- With your fingers, press the dough ball into a rough rectangle shape. Set the pasta machine to the largest setting (on a standard machine, level 1 is the largest). Feed the rectangle of dough through the machine, long-ways, using a dusting of flour if needed. Run the dough through the largest setting twice before adjusting down and rolling through each smaller setting. Work your way down to the second-to-the-smallest setting (level 6 on a standard machine), which will yield a long sheet of thin pasta dough.
- Working on a lightly floured surface, trim off the oval ends of the pasta sheet. Cut the long sheet in half width-wise to make 2 shorter rectangles. Use your ravioli stamp to lightly press into the pasta sheet to mark where each ravioli should be piped.
- Pipe a row of teaspoon-sized dollops of filling on the pasta sheet in the center of each mark. Use a small pastry brush to brush a small amount of water around each filling mound. Lay the remaining sheet of pasta dough over top and gently press around each mound to remove any trapped air and press to seal. Use the ravioli stamp to cut out each individual ravioli.* Transfer the ravioli to a lightly floured baking tray using an offset spatula.
- When all the ravioli are all filled and formed, bring a large pasta pot to a boil. Once boiling, salt the water liberally and carefully drop in the butternut squash ravioli. Cook the ravioli for about 2-3 minutes, until they float. Once done, use a spider to transfer the ravioli directly into the brown butter thyme sauce.
Brown Butter & Thyme Sauce
- Heat large skillet over medium heat and add the butter with a sprinkle of kosher salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Add in the fresh thyme leaves. After a few minutes, the butter will start to slowly deepen in color.
- Keep a close eye on the browned butter—you want to allow it to brown and caramelize, but not burn. When the sauce is fragrant and a beautiful golden brown, add in the butternut squash ravioli and toss to coat. Transfer to a large serving platter and top with a mountain of finely grated parmigiano reggiano.
Equipment
- 1 food processor
- 1 pasta machine, Hand-crank or stand mixer attachment
- 1 bench scraper
- 1 piping bag, or zip-top bag
- 1 pastry brush
- 1 ravioli stamp
- 1 offset spatula
- 2 sheet trays
- 1 spider
Notes
*We used a 2.5″ square ravioli stamp for this recipe. If you don’t have a ravioli stamp, you can use a pastry wheel or a pizza wheel to individually cut out each ravioli square. **Nutmeg is an optional flavoring for these ravioli. If you don’t want to purchase the nutmeg to use such a scant amount, feel free to omit, but if you have some on hand it adds a beautiful warmth and richness to the filling.
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