Ravioli with Butternut Squash and Sage Butter is a Gracious Traditions from Highlands Bar and Grill and Bottega Favorita: A Southern Chef’s Love Affair With Italian Food. Stitt received the James Beard Award for Best Chef of the Southeast in 2001. by chef Frank Stitt

Ingredients 

For the Roasted Butternut Squash

1 medium size butternut squash, cut lengthwise in half,

seeds and membranes removed

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tablespoon fruity extra virgin olive oil

Method 

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Season the cut surfaces of the butternut squash with salt and pepper and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until just soft.

3. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly. When the squash is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and puree the squash through a food mill.

For the Ravioli Filling 

2 heaping cups of roasted butternut squash

1/2 cup ricotta

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Pasta dough, rolled out as directed and cut into

24-inch lengths

Cornmeal for dusting

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

4 large sage leaves, torn into pieces

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

Cracked black pepper

Method

1. To prepare the filling, combine the squash, ricotta, nutmeg, and salt and pepper in a bowl, mixing well. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up the filling.

2. Remove the filling from the refrigerator and spoon it into a pastry bag without a tip, or a plastic bag with a 1/2-inch opening cut in one corner.

3. Fold one pasta sheet in half so that the two short ends meet, to mark the center, then unfold the sheet so that it rests lengthwise in front of you. Working on one side of the crease, starting 2 inches from the end, arrange tablespoonfuls of filling down the sheet at 4-inch intervals.

4. Fold the other side of the pasta back over so that the edges again line up, and press the dough around the mounds of filling to seal. Center a 3-inch scalloped cutter around each mound of filling and cut circles. Press the edges together firmly to seal, without losing the pretty scallop.

5. Place the ravioli on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal, and repeat with the remaining dough and filling. (You need only 12 ravioli for this recipe. Arrange the remaining ravioli on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and freeze until firm. Then transfer to heavy-duty freezer bags and freeze for up to 2 months.)

6. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a rolling boil. Drop the 12 ravioli into the boiling water and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, until just tender.

7. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. When it is foamy, drop in the sage leaves and cook for 1 minute, or until lightly toasted but not brown.

8. Lift the ravioli out of the boiling water with a slotted spoon and place in the sauté pan with the sage. Add a small splash of the pasta water and gently toss to coat the ravioli with the butter. Serve in warm pasta bowls, sprinkled with a little grated Parmigiano and cracked pepper.

Recipe Notes

Pumpkin zucca is a classic filling for pasta in the Emilia-Romagna region around Bologna. To me butternut squash is more flavorful than our pumpkin, so I usually use it, but if you can find flavorful pumpkins or Hubbard or Delicata squash, don’t hesitate to use them. Although some recipes include crumbled almond biscotti in the filling for added texture and sweetness, I prefer this version, which allows you to savor the simplicity of the pasta and the autumn flavor of the filling with just a bit of sage and melted butter.

Tip 

You can freeze the extra ravioli this recipe makes in batches to pull out as needed. Drop the still-frozen pasta into boiling salted water, and you’ll have a delicious meal in less than five minutes.