Pumpkin Ravioli

I made a cake yesterday that used exactly half of a large can of pumpkin puree (I’ll post the cake recipe later this week), which meant, if my math is correct, that I had exactly half of a large can of pumpkin puree leftover. Check my calculations there, will you?

I think canned pumpkin puree is one of the best canned foods there is—right up there with whole tomatoes and sweetened condensed milk—and rather than pack the extra away in a container and let it languish in the fridge, only to be forgotten, I decided to make a batch of pumpkin ravioli for a late Sunday lunch. I had everything I needed, after all: Pumpkin, garlic, butter, wonton wrappers, Parmesan, pine nuts…and will. Sheer will.

The results? Delicious! I love making ravioli with wonton wrappers—so much easier than spending the time to make pasta dough—and this would make a great little appetizer for Thanksgiving OR just a lovely fall weeknight meal.

Here’s how to make it!

Put a little butter and garlic in a skillet over medium heat…

And cook the garlic for a minute or two, being careful not to burn it.

Add the pumpkin! Now, as I said, this is the good canned stuff. But if you’re a stickler for homemade, you can make your own pumpkin puree! Whatever floats your boat, baby.

And I’m just going to say it for the sake of saying it: I’m talking about pumpkin puree here. NOT pumpkin pie filling. The two cans look similar, so make sure you don’t grab the wrong one because then the ravioli would taste weird.

Sprinkle on some salt and chili powder, just to give it a little zip…

Then stir it around and cook it over medium heat…

For a few minutes. This helps cook off a little of the liquid in the puree, which will help the mixture be nice and thick and ravioli filling-y…but it will also help the flavors deepen, which will in turn help you be a happier person.

For the “sauce” for the ravioli, I’m keepin’ it simple: Just melt a stick of butter in a skillet!

Let it start to bubble up…

Then get foamy…then the foam will suddenly start to turn golden brown. Then just take the skillet off the stove and set it aside, and marvel at the fact that you just made a batch of brown butter. The foam will settle down a bit, then you can easily skim it off the top.

I also toasted up some pine nuts! (Feel free to use walnuts or raw almonds instead.) Just put a small amount in a small skillet…

And toast them over medium heat until golden brown.

Now, get ready to assemble the ravioli! Beat an egg with about a tablespoon of water. This is the glue that holds the ravioli all together.

Now, here’s what makes the ravioli quick and easy: Wonton wrappers! They are wonderful and miraculous and while they don’t fall under the category of “fine artisan pasta dough,” they sure provide a fast way to get “homemade” ravioli in yo’ mouth as soon as humanly possible. Lay out a few squares and drop a small spoonful of pumpkin filling in the center. (I used a teaspoon scoop and underfilled it just a bit.)

Lay out a few at a time—just keep in mind that the wrappers dry out pretty quickly, so you’ll want to keep a steady pace going.

Dip your finger in the egg mixture, then smear it all over the wrapper around the pumpkin.

Lay a second wrapper on top and match up the edges, then gently press all around the edge to stick them together.

Next—and this is important—gently press your fingers all around the pumpkin, forcing out any small air pockets that have formed. This is important, as air pockets will wreak havoc on the ravioli when you cook ‘em…so pick ‘em up, talk to ‘em, work with ‘em. Do whatever you need to do to make sure the pumpkin is in a nice, tight pocket.

Keep going until they’re all done!

Now, this is totally, completely, absolutely, entirely, utterly, 100% optional: You can trim around the edge of the ravioli with a square or round cutter in order to give them a nice, neat edge. Again, as I just repeated a couple hundred times, this is not required at all. But sometimes I like to do it so that the ravioli all look perfectly uniform, because then I sleep more soundly at night.

Just kidding. I think.

Just press hard if you have a cookie cutter, or you could just use a knife.

See? Perfect!

All ready to go.

Oh, and one other important thing: I love life. Have I mentioned that lately?

Because I do.

Now, to cook the ravioli, I bring a pot of water to a boil and drop in 3 or 4 at a time. This just makes it easier to manage the delicious little wonders.

To serve up the ravioli, drizzle just a little browned butter onto each plate and smear it around…

Then put about 3 cooked ravioli on the plate…

And drizzle on a little more browned butter. Yum!

And sprinkle on some of the toasted pine nuts.

I repeat: Yum!

Next, grab some Parmesan and a peeler…

And shave some right on top.

A little black pepper is nice.

Oh, look! Sage from my garden! And the snow didn’t kill it.

Yet.

Amen.

Roll it up like you would a leaf or two of basil…

And, with a really sharp knife, slice it really thin.

Sage is strong! A little goes a long way.

(Pssst. You could also slice up the sage and add it to the skillet when you brown the butter.)

Sprinkle just a few slivers on top.

Pretty!

But even more than that: Yummy!

Here. I’ll prove it.

This was my plate few minutes later.

I rest my case.

Here’s the handy dandy printable!

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Recipe

Pumpkin Ravioli

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 10 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 6

Print Recipe

Ingredients

• 2 Tablespoons Butter
• 2 cloves Garlic, Minced
• 1 can (15 Oz. Size) Pumpkin Puree
• 1/4 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Chili Powder (more To Taste)
• 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
• 1 stick Butter
• 36 whole Wonton Wrappers
• 1 whole Egg, Beaten
• Black Pepper To Taste
• Fresh Parmesan
• Fresh Sage, Sliced Very Thin

Preparation Instructions

Melt butter with the garlic in a skillet over medium heat and cook for a couple of minutes to release the garlic flavor. Add the pumpkin puree, salt and chili powder. Stir and cook over medium heat for a few minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Toast pine nuts in a small skillet over medium-low heat, tossing occasionally, until golden. Remove from heat and pour the pine nuts onto a small plate.

In a small skillet (you can use the same one you toasted the pine nuts in) brown the butter by melting it over medium-high heat, then letting it cook and bubble for an additional minute or so until the foam is golden brown. Remove from heat and set aside.

Assemble the ravioli: Lay out 18 wonton wrappers and put 1/2 teaspoon of the pumpkin mixture in the center. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon water. Using your finger, smear the egg mixture all over the surface of one of the wrappers surrounding the pumpkin. Place a clean wrapper on top, matching up the edges. Press the edges together and use your fingers to press out any air pockets that form. Repeat with the rest of the wrappers. (Keep in mind the wrappers dry out quickly, so you might want to assemble 9 ravioli at a time, keeping the other wrappers covered.)

(If you like, you can trim the raviolis using a circular or square cutter to make the edges uniform. Totally optional!)

Bring a pot of water to a boil. 3 at a time, drop the ravioli into the water and cook for about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spatula and put the ravioli on a plate. Continue cooking the ravioli in batches of 3.

To serve, spoon a little browned butter onto each plate and smear it around. Place 3 ravioli on each plate, then spoon a little more browned butter over the top. Sprinkle on toasted pine nuts, sprinkle with a little black pepper, and sprinkle on shaved Parmesan. Finally, sprinkle on the sage and serve!

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on November 17 2014