There’s really nothing like homemade pasta. And when it comes to ravioli, it doesn’t get much better than this chai spiced butternut squash and goat cheese filling. Since this meal is a little bit labor intensive, I paired it with a simple sauce of brown butter and some crispy sage. The flavors come together beautifully, and while the process of making it may be involved, it’s also a lot of fun.
When it comes to making fresh pasta, most people assume that you need an abundance of advanced skills and special equipment. Those things don’t hurt, but I’m here to tell you that they’re not a necessity. The dough itself only contains a few ingredients. And while a pasta roller will certainly make your life easier, it’s not essential. A simple rolling pin will suffice. In fact, even an impromptu rolling pin like a wine bottle will do in a pinch. Same goes for ravioli stamps. They may give your ravioli a more polished look, but if you don’t have one it’ll be ok. You can always crimp the edges with a fork. The end result may be more rustic, but it’ll still taste great!
Now let’s talk process.
There are a few different things you’ll need to do for this meal. The butternut squash will need to be roasted. And then of course the pasta dough will need to be made. Alternately, buying fresh pasta sheets may be an option. If you decide to take this route, make sure that they’re fresh and not dried. This may sound obvious, but dried won’t work here, as the dough will need to be pliable before cooking so that you can fill it.
The filling itself comes together quickly, but it’s helpful to be mindful of timing. I would suggest putting the butternut squash in the oven and then making the pasta dough. While the dough rests (yes, the dough needs to rest), you can make the filling. Then when that’s done you can go ahead and start rolling out your pasta sheets. I’d recommend making no more than two at a time so that the sheets don’t dry out.
The final two steps are cooking the pasta and making the sauce. Both of these things will go fast. I’d suggest getting started on the sauce while the water for the pasta boils. That way it’s good to go once the ravioli goes in!
A note on ingredients.
If you’re anything like me, you don’t exactly love cutting butternut squash. For that reason, I’d recommend buying it pre-cut if you have the option. You totally can cut it yourself, but why bother? It’s just going to be blitzed into mush anyway.
Now for the chai spice blend, I’d recommend Chai Confection by Spice Tree Organics. Of course, you can throw together a spice blend on your own. But this is such an involved process that it makes sense to make things easier on yourself with something pre-mixed. Spice Tree Organics’ products are all organic (duh). They’re also made in small batches so that they’re still fresh once they get to you, unlike grocery store blends that have sat on the shelf for god knows how long. So yeah, get some of that if you wanna make this.
Chai Spiced Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli
Equipment
- Pasta roller (optional)
- Food processor
Ingredients
Pasta Dough
- 400 g 00 flour
- 4 Large eggs
- 1 tbsp Water
- A pinch Salt
Filling
- 1 lb Butternut squash (cubed)
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 4 oz Honey goat cheese
- 1 cup Parmesan (grated)
- 1 Large egg
- 1 tsp Chai Confection
- 1/2 tsp Salt (plus more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper (plus more to taste)
Brown Butter and Crispy Sage
- 4 tbsp Unsalted butter
- 10-15 Fresh sage leaves
Garnish
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese (to taste)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° Fahrenheit.
- Coat the cubed butternut squash in the 2 tbsp olive oil and then sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper onto it. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until it's tender and can easily be pierced with a fork.
- While that cooks, make the dough. To do this, put the 00 flour on a clean surface and make a crater in the center with your fingers.
- Add the eggs, water and salt to the crater, and gently work the wet ingredients into the flour with either your fingers or a fork. Go slowly and be careful here so that the egg doesn't all spill out of the sides.
- Once all the wet ingredients have been worked into the flour and it starts to look like dough, continue to knead it for about 8-10 minutes. You'll know it's ready when it's smooth and starts to spring back when you push your finger into it.
- Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it rest on the counter for about 30 minutes.
- While you wait for the dough to rest, make the filling! Add the roasted butternut squash, egg, parmesan, goat cheese, Chai Confection, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper to the bowl of a food processor. Blitz until it's smooth and combined, then set to the side.
- When the dough is done resting, roll it out with a rolling pin or pasta roller. You'll want it to be pretty thin – I try to get mine to be about as thick as a playing card. If you're using a pasta roller follow the instructions on the machine. Run a small piece of dough through the machine and then fold it back over itself. Repeat this at least 6 times so that the dough is smooth and elastic. (You don't need to fold the dough over the last time.)
- Prepare two sheets of dough this way. Once you've got your two sheets, lay one of them on a clean surface and start adding the filling. Starting from the left, scoop 1 tbsp of filling onto the pasta sheet. Then repeat this process about 1 inch to the right of your last filling bump until the whole sheet is spoken for.
- Place the second pasta sheet on top of the filled sheet and press down to seal. Then cut into either squares or circles (you can use either a knife or a ravioli stamp here). Repeat this process until all the pasta and filling is spoken for.
- Boil a large pot of salted water. While the water is heating, brown your butter. To do this, place the butter in a small pot over medium high heat. Let this go for a few minutes, or until it reaches a deep amber hue. You’ll see it slowly start to brown throughout this process. Once it’s browned, throw the sage leaves in for about a minute before removing it from the heat.
- When the water hits a boil, add the ravioli to the pot. Reduce the temperature to a simmer and cook for about 3 minutes.
- Drain, add brown butter and crispy sage, sprinkle with parmesan (to taste) and enjoy!
Like I said, this recipe is quite involved. But it’s also very worth it! I made these glorious raviolis weeks ago and I’m still dreaming about them.
For more comforting pasta dishes, check out my recipes for beetroot cavatelli with browned butter, crispy sage and beet greens or my easy weeknight balsamic and goat cheese pasta!
And as usual, if you make this, please let me know either in the comments or on Instagram! I truly always love hearing from you.
Pingback: Perfect Miso Caramel Dutch Apple Pie - Leisure Fan Club
Pingback: Quick and Easy Pumpkin Alfredo Sauce - Leisure Fan Club
Pingback: The Best Brown Butter Sugar Cookies with Cadbury Mini Eggs - Leisure Fan Club
Pingback: Instant Pot Cinnamon and Cardamom Apple Butter - Leisure Fan Club