Here in wine country, we’re always pursuing the epicurean lifestyle. It’s the endless array of food, wine, art, and leisurely offerings that make Napa Valley and Sonoma such dream-worthy destinations. With the arrival of Fall, we’re excited about so many of the seasonal menu ideas served up by local chefs. Among our partnering wineries, you’ll find seasonal food and wine pairings that are irresistible.
This cozy meal idea is for one of those iconic Fall nights, when you want to uncork a special wine and serve up something different; something easy but sophisticated.
Squash ravioli offers something different to your traditional repertoire and something fun to make together when at home during the holidays. You can find a recipe for roast squash and ricotta filling online and we encourage you to do so but a fun secret is the pre-made squash ravioli from Trader Joes. Today’s recipe shares a fun way to embellish these little parcels with a seasonal squash sauce. Easy, delicious and festive!
Squash Filling & Pureé
½ lb. Delicata Squash
2-3 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1-2 Garlic Cloves (skin on)
½ tsp. Nutmeg, fresh grated
½ tsp. Kosher Salt
To Serve
¼ cup Parmesan Cheese, fine grated
¼ cup Baby Basil Leaves
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Black Pepper
Roasted Squash Pasta Sauce
- Preheat oven to 375ºF / 180ºC. Halve Squash Length Ways and oil with canned spray or a splash of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and place open side down on a baking tray lined with parchment with one or two garlic cloves. Roast for 1 hour until you’re able to easily puncture and insert a knife through the flesh with no resistance. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
- To create the pasta sauce, blend roasted squash and garlic with extra virgin olive oil, nutmeg, and a sprinkle of salt using a food processor or immersion blender to achieve a pancake-like batter (pouring) consistency. Set aside to create your sauce when boiling and serving raviolis. This will keep in the fridge, covered for 5-7 days or freeze for 6-months for best quality.
To serve Raviolis
- To finish ravioli, heat squash purée in a sauté pan over medium-to-low heat. It’s important to do this before boiling raviolis.
- In a separate pot, bring 3 quarts of water to a boil and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Boil your packet ravioli (or fresh ravioli) according to instructions. If cooking fresh-made raviolis, boil until parcels begin to float, usually 3 to 4 minutes.
- Once ravioli begin to float, strain ravioli into a colander. Remember to reserve some cooking water to add to the pasta sauce. The water used to cook the pasta will now contain starch from the boiled pasta, which helps to create a velvet smooth pasta sauce.
- Add ravioli to the pasta sauce and add fine grated parmesan along with a splash of white wine from one of your favorite wineries throughout Napa Valley. This helps to flavor and thicken the sauce. Allow to sauce to coat raviolis before serving.
- Serve with fresh black pepper and fresh torn basil.
Recipe adapted from Harvest Epicure.