Roasted Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Ravioli

My mother called me the other night after having had a great meal at a restaurant called Coquette in Milwaukee, WI. She raved about the butternut squash and goat cheese ravioli she had devoured that night. Since I live across the country, I decided that I would make up my own version of the dish. I use fresh lasagna sheets from the store, so this meal is actually pretty labor-light but flavor-full!

2 packs fresh lasagna noodles (or homemade if you're feeling ambitious)
1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and chopped into 1/2"cubes
1 small tube goat cheese, (usually 3-4 oz)
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, halved
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
water
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Truffle Oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Toss squash, onion, and garlic with enough olive oil to just coat, then sprinkle with salt and pepper and lay out in one layer on a roasting pan/cookie sheet. (If you have them piled up, you will end up steaming them)

3. Put in the oven and roast till the butternut squash is very soft. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

4. In a food processor, combine squash mixture and goat cheese. Puree. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

5. Lay out one fresh pasta sheet. Drop 6 rounded teaspoons of the squash-cheese mixture, spacing evenly. With your finger or a pastry brush, dip in water and slightly dampen the area around each mound. Place another pasta sheet on top , sealing the edges around each mound, pressing firmly to ensure a good seal. Cut using a paring knife or a pasta wheel, creating six ravioli. Repeat until all the pasta is used. (If you have leftover squash mix, this makes a great dip!)

6. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Salt generously. Making sure not to overcrowd the pot, boil the raviolis--you will probably have to do this in a couple batches. Fresh pasta cooks quickly--this should only take 3-4 minutes per batch. Fish out the raviolis using a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl with a couple Tablespoons of the pasta water. (Keep warm with saran wrap if doing another batch).

7. When you have all the raviolis cooked and in the bowl, add a couple Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and about 1 Tablespoon truffle oil. Toss very gently, making sure not to break the raviolis.

8. Plate raviolis and sprinkle with toasted walnuts.

Enjoy!

Rating: I guess I have to rate this as "devilish" because it's white pasta with cheese--but it's really not that bad. Goat cheese is naturally lower in fat, plus you have the super-healthy butternut squash, and we're finishing with a healthy oil.



This recipe was submitted for this week's Presto Pasta Night, hosted by sidewalkshoes. The creator of this event is Ruth from Once Upon a Feast. Thanks to you both for this great event!

Printable version here.