Butternut Squash Ravioli With Lemon Herb Butter & Pistachios
Butternut squash ravioli are quickly cooked and tossed in a light buttery sauce with pistachios, fresh herbs. shallot, garlic and lemon. This delicious yet easy weeknight pasta dish can be on your kitchen table in about 30 minutes or less.
With the wide variety of fresh pastas available in our local market, I haven’t had my pasta machine out of the closet in years. Yes I know that freshly made thin sheets of pasta stuffed with ingredients such as roasted pumpkin or butternut squash are absolutely wonderful but they are time consuming and I don’t have that kind of motivation when cooking for just for two people. I would rather have a quick and but still delicious meal and you are probably the same way.
This is a restaurant quality dish that is very simple to prepare. You basically toast and chop some pistachios. Then you mince some herbs, shallot. and garlic, zest and juice a lemon. Everything is then simmered in wine, olive oil and butter to infuse the flavors. In the meantime you boil a package of ravioli, drain and add to the sauce. Toss and serve. The nuts add a nice crunchy contrast to the pillowy soft ravioli, the herbs add a savoriness that complements the squash and the lemon adds a brightness to the sauce.
Butternut Squash Ravioli With Lemon Herb Butter & Pistachios
Serves 2 as main course or 4 as a first course
- 1/4 c. chopped toasted pistachios
- 1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot, cut lengthwise then thinly sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
- 1/4 c. white wine
- zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 2 Tbsp. butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 pkg. store bought butternut squash or pumpkin ravioli
Toast the pistachios in a dry sauté pan over medium heat, tossing frequently, until just golden brown, watching carefully that they don’t burn. Transfer to a bowl and let cool then chop the nuts by hand into pieces.
Heat olive oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, cook until the shallot is soft. Add the herbs and lemon zest and cook another minute. Add wine and lemon juice and cook until the liquid reduces slightly. then add the pistachios and simmer about 1 minute. Reduce the heat to low and swirl in the butter and stir until the sauce is emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
In the meantime bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the ravioli and cook according to package directions. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the sauce Add about a 1/4 cup of the pasta water and cook for another minute. Gently turn ravioli until they are well coated. Plate the ravioli and top with the pistachios. Serve with grated Locatelli or Parmesan cheese, if desired
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You will find lots of recipes for butternut or pumpkin ravioli with brown butter and sage and I love pasta prepared that way. However, change is nice and my husband and I were very pleased with this dish that used rosemary, thyme and parsley instead of sage. The lemony herb sauce went perfect with the sweetness of the squash and the pistachios added just the right amount of crunch to the finished dish. The next time you want a simple yet very flavorful meal, I do hope you give the butternut squash ravioli with the lemon herb butter sauce and crunchy pistachios a try.
This is just the kind of pasta dish I love. I always buy filled fresh pasta too and this is a great way to serve it.
Oh yes please Karen! I want this for dinner tonight!
Jenna
Lovely recipe. And now you have inspired me to get out my pasta machine as I dint have access to good store bought butternut squash ravioli. (And I bought a pumpkin this week.)
I know how you feel about getting out the pasta machine to make pasta for 2. It’s so easy to find fresh pasta and I imagine the butternut ravioli tastes so good tossed in herb butter. And I’m all in on the toasted pistachios, that sounds great!
That sounds like a delicious sauce Karen – I will be trying it soon!
You know, I’ve never made homemade ravioli! This looks like my starting point!
Hi Karen,
Thanks for sharing this tasty recipe. You had me at brown butter and sage. I love how the flavours linger on the tongue as the fats from butter bind and stick to the membranes of my tongue and mouth.
Karen, we love pasta. This would be great on a cold Saturday night in January!
Sounds simply wonderful. I have never tried ravioli and I agree about motivation for cooking for 2 people! I keep thinking I want to make pasta but never quite get around to it.
I know how you feel about making your own pasta. I can buy some delicious freshly made pasta at our grocery store .
Oh that looks so darn good! Thanks for sharing…
… with lemon herb butter…, sounds so good! Love it.
Fabulous! And such a beautiful presentation.
Beautiful and delicious and yet, simple in presentation…isn’t that like the best things in life? Hope you are well and having a cozy January 2024. T
So very splendid with every bite and let’s enjoy a sip of an Italian wine with it!
I suspect I will have made this beautiful dish before the week is out! It absolutely sings to me. 🥰
It sounds very good Karen, and if I ever come across some ready-made butternut ravioli I will remember to look this recipe up. I made some once, years ago, and it was delicious but took hours and meant a lot of dishes to wash! 😉
That looks marvelous — especially on a cold winter’s night!
I’m not a pasta eater but this does look rather delicious!
https://sherryspickings.blogspot.com/
This butternut squash ravioli recipe sounds like a delightful weeknight meal that hits all the right notes: quick, easy, restaurant-quality delicious, and bursting with flavor.
Delicious idea, Karen! I appreciate easy meals for the two of us also. I love the addition of chopped pistachios!
This sounds an looks delicious! I’m quite a fan of butternut squash.
We used to eat butternut ravioli when my kids were young. So good–and great reminder to do it again!
Yum! Lemon Herb Butter + Pistachios sounds like a wonderful combination with the ravioli! 🙂
I love deceptive meals like this — ones that look like you slaved for hours, but actually prepared it in a jiffy. With a glass of wine and some crusty bread, this certainly makes for a restaurant-worthy meal in the comfort of your own home.
It sounds delicious … and all those fresh herbs!
I love butternut squash ravioli and your recipe sounds delicious. I feel the same way as you do about preparing them from scratch for just 2 people. Is there a particular store-bought brand that you prefer? Please let me know.
Thanks Karen! Happy 2024!
So impressive – the ravioli looks beautiful and elegant and the flavour profile is simply terrific. These are definitely worth to be served to the royal family! 🙂
Cool. I like it uses store-bought ravioli, which I can easily find in Lidl here. Looks really yummy. I will make it!
Mmmmm! This sounds scrumptious, Karen! The butternut squash ravioli and the fresh squeezed lemon juice would brighten a cold winter’s day in the Midwest. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!🩷