Crispy Butternut Squash Ravioli

Do you have family or friends visiting for Christmas? Are you looking to impress?

Don’t bother. They love you without needing to be impressed.

Maybe you’re aiming to make someone fall in love with you.

Don’t bother. They probably love you anyway.

Do you have a new year’s resolution brewing in which you want to eat an entire recipe of ravioli by yourself and feel really, really good about it?

Don’t bother. You might not feel really good about it. I should know. I ate a lot of these raviolis. I only shared because I have a husband and a kids and we had company. Otherwise they’d be mine, all mine!

On a totally separate note, this ravioli recipe will impress your guests and make people fall in love with you. No big deal.

If you’re making squash for Christmas dinner this is a great way to use up any leftovers the next day. Its also a great excuse to make squash.

If you have small children this is also a great dish to make when you have the help of grandparents and other loving figures around your house to entertain your children. Don’t try to make these with crying kids at your feet. Not fun. Not delicious.

Would you rather use pumpkin? I’m with you.

I made this recipe once with egg roll wrappers because the grocery store didn’t have wonton wrappers. I just cut them into smaller squares and proceeded with the recipe. This is how we deal with the surprises in life.

The last step of this recipe involves coating the ravioli in brown butter and crisp, velvety sage. I like to leave the ravioli in there for a while to crisp the edges and add another texture element to the dish. If you want soft, delicate ravioli you can just coat them in the butter and take them right off the heat.

Heaven is heaven, no matter how you cook it.

Crispy Butternut Squash Ravioli

1 cup cooked butternut squash puree
½ cup cream cheese, softened
⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg yolk
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
pinch nutmeg
pinch cayenne pepper
1 package wonton wrappers
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons sage, chopped

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

In a large bowl mix squash, cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and cayenne thoroughly.

Lay one wonton wrapper on your work surface and use your finger to moisten around the edges with water.

Place one teaspoon of filling in the center of the wrapper. Fold one corner over diagonally and press the edges to seal, being careful not to trap any air in with the filling. If you’re feeling fancy or have a nanny and all the time in the world, you can moisten the top corner of the triangle and fold in the outer edges, pressing to seal.

Continue with remaining wrappers and filling. As you get more comfortable you can do several at a time.

Cook the ravioli in the pot of boiling water for 2 minutes or until they float to the top.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt butter over medium low heat until browned and the froth begins to subside. Increase the heat to medium high and add the sage and cook, stirring, until crispy.

Drain the ravioli and add to the butter sauce. Cook, gently stirring occasionally, until crispy, 5-8 minutes.

Serve with additional Parmesan cheese.