Pimp my pumpkin ravioli, please.
October 23, 2017 5:24 AM Subscribe
I bought a couple of packages of pumpkin and sage ravioli this weekend. Normally, I'd just make a browned butter and sage sauce, but that seems kind of spartan for a weeknight dinner. What could I add to these to round them out a little? I have some pancetta, but was thinking more along the lines of adding a veg. I'm open to making them with the aforementioned browned butter sauce, but could then use a side veg suggestion.
Best answer: I made this curry sauce once and was impressed with how well it paired with ravioli:
Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ Sweet Curry Cream
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:49 AM on October 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
Butternut Squash Ravioli w/ Sweet Curry Cream
posted by tofu_crouton at 5:49 AM on October 23, 2017 [3 favorites]
Best answer: I had leek-asparagus ravioli yesterday that were paired with arugula and ricotta - and were wonderful.
posted by leslies at 6:01 AM on October 23, 2017
posted by leslies at 6:01 AM on October 23, 2017
Best answer: Parsnips in that browned butter sauce might be really nice. Or roasted beets.
Agreed that pancetta - or just bacon - would be nice.
A side of roasted greens would be really nice. Broccoli rabe might be nice, with some bitterness to cut the sweetness a little bit: roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, garlic, and parmegianno-reggiano is where it's at. Arugula if you want bitter but not as bitter as the rabe. If you don't want to take the time to oven-roast them, you can sautee them, too, but you won't quite get the nice dried/roasted texture.
A lot of time if I'm doing a hearty or taste-strong pasta like a ravioli, I'll just throw a handful of greens into a butter/garlic sauce, let them all wilt in the pan, and then add the ravioli to that.
posted by entropone at 6:07 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Agreed that pancetta - or just bacon - would be nice.
A side of roasted greens would be really nice. Broccoli rabe might be nice, with some bitterness to cut the sweetness a little bit: roasted in the oven with olive oil, salt, garlic, and parmegianno-reggiano is where it's at. Arugula if you want bitter but not as bitter as the rabe. If you don't want to take the time to oven-roast them, you can sautee them, too, but you won't quite get the nice dried/roasted texture.
A lot of time if I'm doing a hearty or taste-strong pasta like a ravioli, I'll just throw a handful of greens into a butter/garlic sauce, let them all wilt in the pan, and then add the ravioli to that.
posted by entropone at 6:07 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
sweet green peas would go awesome just mixed up with the ravioli and sauce.
if you really want to make it into a one-dish meal, adding diced cooked chicken and a sage bechamel-based cheese sauce would be very tasty and comforting and rich. Peas would still be welcome.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:16 AM on October 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
if you really want to make it into a one-dish meal, adding diced cooked chicken and a sage bechamel-based cheese sauce would be very tasty and comforting and rich. Peas would still be welcome.
posted by fingersandtoes at 6:16 AM on October 23, 2017 [2 favorites]
Best answer: If you can find it some purple cauliflower would be gorgeous. Bonus, the colored cauliflowers are usually a bit more flavorful and nutritious than the white. Roasted is classic and it's easy to roast the cauliflower ahead of time and reheat in the pan (with your brown butter sauce) but if you have the energy that night blanching it will preserve the brightest color. (You can trim and prep ahead of time and the florets will keep in the fridge a couple days.) If you go with blanching toss it with some warm spices like paprika and tumeric after draining to add tons of flavor that would be compatible with pumpkin.
posted by Mizu at 6:41 AM on October 23, 2017
posted by Mizu at 6:41 AM on October 23, 2017
Pan-roasted Brussels sprouts, with or without bacon/pancetta.
Trim and halve the fresh Brussels sprouts. If you're making them with bacon, slice bacon strips into narrow lardons and cook in a wide flat pan. Remove the cooked bacon and leave at least some of the grease.
If you're not using bacon or if you think you need a little more oil, add some olive oil into the pan. Put the Brussels sprouts in there and pan-roast, not touching them for a while. When they are nice and browned on one side, flip and brown on the other side. If they're browning but not yet cooked in the middle, pour a little water in the pan, put a lid on it and steam them for about 5 minutes. They won't be as crispy but at least they'll be cooked through. Serve as a side or tossed with your ravioli.
posted by Liesl at 7:07 AM on October 23, 2017 [5 favorites]
Trim and halve the fresh Brussels sprouts. If you're making them with bacon, slice bacon strips into narrow lardons and cook in a wide flat pan. Remove the cooked bacon and leave at least some of the grease.
If you're not using bacon or if you think you need a little more oil, add some olive oil into the pan. Put the Brussels sprouts in there and pan-roast, not touching them for a while. When they are nice and browned on one side, flip and brown on the other side. If they're browning but not yet cooked in the middle, pour a little water in the pan, put a lid on it and steam them for about 5 minutes. They won't be as crispy but at least they'll be cooked through. Serve as a side or tossed with your ravioli.
posted by Liesl at 7:07 AM on October 23, 2017 [5 favorites]
Best answer: +1 for pancetta/bacon
+1 for bitter-leaning greens (kale, spinach, broccoli rabe, etc.)
I could also picture adding caramelized onions, to accentuate the sweetness. You don't need a whole lot of it, because it is so packed with flavor; maybe just a little as a topping on the ravioli would add a nice flourish.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 7:08 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
+1 for bitter-leaning greens (kale, spinach, broccoli rabe, etc.)
I could also picture adding caramelized onions, to accentuate the sweetness. You don't need a whole lot of it, because it is so packed with flavor; maybe just a little as a topping on the ravioli would add a nice flourish.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 7:08 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I bought some pumpkin ravioli recently and made a sauce that was basically just half-and-half, goat cheese, and a splash of white wine. It was great! I also added sausage, but lots of the above veg suggestions would work with this. Next time I might do broccoli rabe and mushrooms in the same sauce.
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:54 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by showbiz_liz at 7:54 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Best answer: I'd do spinach with a dollop of ricotta cheese.
posted by WeekendJen at 8:40 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by WeekendJen at 8:40 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: OMG - Thanks everyone. I'm drooling on my keyboard and now I need to go by a few more packages of that ravioli!
posted by sarajane at 8:53 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sarajane at 8:53 AM on October 23, 2017 [1 favorite]
I had some pumpkin pasta sauce I needed to work with the other night. It paired very well with feta and arugula. I'm thinking of using sun-dried tomatoes and roasted mushrooms next time.
posted by PearlRose at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2017
posted by PearlRose at 11:08 AM on October 23, 2017
My favorite pairing with this is sauteed broccoli raab with garlic.
posted by Miko at 3:03 PM on October 23, 2017
posted by Miko at 3:03 PM on October 23, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by flourpot at 5:38 AM on October 23, 2017 [4 favorites]