Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

Creamy and delicious, this vegan butternut squash ravioli makes the perfect dinner for two. Made with a homemade vegan ravioli dough, and stuffed with roasted butternut squash and sage filling, they’re easy enough to make at home whilst still feeling totally fancy!

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Delicious vegan butternut squash ravioli

This butternut squash ravioli is one of my favourite Saturday dinners for Remi and I. They make a perfect meal for two, because we get to spend a bit of time in the kitchen together, rolling out the dough, making the little raviolis and drinking wine. 

If you don’t know it already, I love Italian dishes. Sometimes risotto or arancini, sometimes carbonara or creamy mushroom pasta. I don’t know why, but there’s something about Italian food and the weekend. If you’re anything like me, then you’re going to love this ravioli!

What type of flour should I use?

Making vegan pasta dough is simple, and really only requires two ingredients- flour and water. Although pasta traditionally contains egg, I find that this vegan pasta dough works great, and is the perfect go-to for any filled pasta or dumplings. It comes together really quickly, so you can spend more time doing the fun part!

I have used a mixture of wholemeal spelt flour and all-purpose white flour to make my ravioli dough. I love the slight nutty flavour that the spelt flour adds, and it makes them a little healthier which is a great bonus. 

I wouldn’t recommend using all spelt flour, as it may affect the integrity of the dough. If you use only all-purpose flour, you may need to reduce the amount of water slightly. Just add the water slowly, a bit at the time, to check.

You can also use some semolina flour, which makes a more traditional pasta. Again, mix this 50/50 with all purpose flour.

How to make vegan ravioli dough

To make the pasta dough, mix together the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, and add the water slowly, mixing the flour and water until they come together into a dough. 

Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth. It will get dryer as you knead it, so you can add a splash more water if it feels dry. If it still feels wet and sticky after kneading, add a little bit of flour.

It’s best to let the dough rest whilst you make the filling for the butternut squash ravioli. Make sure it’s covered so that it doesn’t dry out.

The butternut squash filling

The butternut squash filling is made from a few ingredients which are roasted all together in the oven, then blended to a puree;

• Butternut squash- sweet and nutty, and the perfect base for the ravioli filling
• Onion and garlic- punchy, fragrant and sweet from roasting
• Sage- brings a warm and earthy flavour
• Hazelnuts- delicious roasted, and add some texture
• Nutmeg- a pinch of spice to enhance warm and nutty flavours

To make the filling, start by adding the cubed squash to a roasting dish or sheet pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast this for 20 minutes, then add the onion, garlic, sage, and hazelnuts. Return the pan to the oven, and roast for 15 minutes more until the squash is soft and golden.

Remove it from the oven and allow to cool slightly, then transfer to a bowl. Blend the mixture until it is a smooth puree. Stir through the nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper to taste.

How to make vegan butternut squash ravioli

Once the dough and the filling are ready, you can make your homemade ravioli. Split the dough in half, then roll each piece out to around 2mm thick. Using a teaspoon, add a dollop of the filling to one half of the dough, at regular intervals around 3cm apart. 

Next, lay the second piece of dough over the top, going row-by-row to press the air out of each pocket. It’s really important that you do this, as air pockets will make the ravioli float to the surface of the pan before they are ready. Use your fingers to press down around the blobs of filling. 

You can make the ravioli any shape you would like. I like to cut mine into squares, but you could also use a cookie cutter to make round ravioli. Once you have cut the ravioli out, use a fork to seal around the edges.

Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the ravioli in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Bring the water to a simmer. Once the raviolis have come to the surface, cook for 3 more minutes, then remove from the pan. Your ravioli are ready to eat!

What to serve with butternut squash ravioli

Of course, no ravioli are complete without the perfect sauce. I see a lot of squash ravioli served with a browned butter sauce, but I don’t think that vegan butters work so well for this. Instead, I’ve served these vegan ravioli with a garlic olive oil sauce, which I think pairs perfectly.

To make this, I’ve gently warmed 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and added 4 chopped garlic cloves. After they’ve simmered and infused for a few minutes, I’ve added in the juice of half a lemon and a handful of chopped spinach. When the spinach has wilted, it’s ready to go.

You can then add the ravioli to the pan to coat, or spoon the sauce over the plated ravioli. I’ve also topped them with a few crushed roasted hazelnuts which I reserved from the oven, and a bit of lemon zest. 

These vegan butternut squash ravioli would also go great with a cream sauce, lentil ragu, pesto, or even a simple marinara.

The best equipment for this recipe

The great thing about this ravioli is that there is really no special equipment needed. I’ve always stayed away from homemade pasta because I thought it was too complicated, but I was wrong! You don’t need a pasta machine or a pastry wheel, just a good old fashioned rolling pin, a sharp knife or pizza cutter, and a fork.

The only piece of equipment you need for this recipe is some kind of blender to make a nice smooth filling. I like to use a stick or immersion blender. You can use a mini chopper, a bullet blender, or a full sized blender or food processor. The choice is yours- whatever you have, it will work!

Preparing ravioli in advance

Ingredient substitutes

If you fancied mixing it up a bit, I think these are great ideas for ingredient substitutes:

• Use your favourite squash or pumpkin, or even sweet potato, as an alternative to butternut squash.
• Add some vegan cream cheese or nutritional yeast to the blended filling for a tasty, cheesy flavour.
• Blend some medium tofu into the filling for added protein and a thicker consistency.
• Try different herbs- if sage isn’t your thing, try rosemary or thyme!
• Dumpling wrappers! If you’re feeling a little bit lazy, you can use dumpling wrappers from the Asian store instead of homemade dough. Just check the ingredients to make sure these are vegan before buying.

Looking for more recipes for two?

• For a tasty breakfast option, you might like these vegan banana pancakes or silken tofu scramble.
• Or if you fancy a bit more butternut squash, why not try this butternut squash traybake?
• This vegan zucchini pesto is so delicious and is a great way to use up a glut of zucchini!

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Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli

Chloe from Forkful of Plants

Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Course Main Course, Pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 2

Creamy and delicious, this vegan butternut squash ravioli makes the perfect dinner for two. Made with a homemade vegan ravioli dough, and stuffed with roasted butternut squash and sage filling, they’re easy enough to make at home whilst still feeling totally fancy!

5 from 1 vote

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Ingredients

  

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For the vegan ravioli dough

• 65 g plain flour
• 65 g wholemeal spelt flour (or plain)
• ½ tsp salt
• 80 ml water

For the butternut squash filling

• 250 g butternut squash peeled and diced
• ½ red onion chopped
• 4 cloves garlic peeled
• 7 fresh sage leaves
• 35 g hazelnuts
• pinch dried nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

For the garlic olive oil sauce (optional)

• 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
• 4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
• ½ lemon juiced
• 30 g spinach chopped

Instructions

 

For the vegan ravioli dough

• Mix together the flour and the salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the middle, and add the water slowly, mixing the flour and water until they come together into a dough. 
• Knead the dough for 3-4 minutes until it is smooth. It will get dryer as you knead it, so add a splash more water if it feels dry. If it still feels wet and sticky after kneading, add a little bit of flour.
• Cover the dough until ready to roll.

For the butternut squash filling

• Preheat the oven to 200°c/fan 180°c.
• Add the cubed squash to a roasting dish or sheet pan with a tablespoon of olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes.
• Remove from the oven, then add the onion, garlic, sage, and hazelnuts. Return the pan to the oven for 15 minutes until the squash is soft and golden. Reserve a few of the hazelnuts for garnish.
• Once cooled slightly, transfer to a bowl. Blend the mixture until it is a smooth puree. Stir through the nutmeg, and a little salt and pepper to taste.

To make the raviolis

• Split the dough in half, then roll each piece out to around 2mm thick. Using a teaspoon, add 16 dollops of the filling to one half of the dough, at regular intervals around 3cm apart.
• Lay the second piece of dough over the top, going row-by-row to press the air out of each pocket. Use your fingers to press down around the dollops of filling. 
• Use a pizza wheel, sharp knife or cookie cutter to cut out the raviolis. Use a fork to seal around the edges.
• Bring a pot of water to the boil. Add the raviolis in batches, making sure not to overcrowd the pan. Make sure the water maintains a simmer. Once the raviolis have come to the surface, cook for 3 more minutes, then remove from the pan.

For the garlic olive oil sauce (optional)

• Gently warm the extra virgin olive oil in a pan, and add the chopped garlic cloves. After they’ve simmered and infused for 2-3 minutes, add the lemon juice and spinach. Wait for the spinach to wilt, then remove from the heat.
• Serve sprinkled with lemon zest and chopped roasted hazelnuts.

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