Step-by-Step Guide to the Best Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauces

Best Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauces (Step-by-Step Guide)

Love butternut squash ravioli? We do too! They’re soft, creamy, and cook in just a few minutes. In this guide, you’ll find the best sauces that taste amazing with the sweet squash filling.

Use fresh homemade pasta or store-bought ravioli. Both taste great. Each sauce includes cook time, ingredients, and topping ideas. You’ll also find a link to the full step-by-step recipe with photos and video.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter

Why it works: Nutty butter and earthy sage taste perfect with sweet squash.

Brown butter with sage is so delicious with the soft, slightly sweet ravioli filling. It’s not your regular butter sauce. You toast the butter until it smells nutty and tastes rich. Sage adds warmth and a tiny bit of bitterness that goes perfectly with the sweet filling. It turns crispy too! 

With this sauce for butternut squash ravioli, every bite tastes rich and cozy. It’s perfect for a comforting dinner on a chilly night. You definitely have to try it. It’s one of our favorite pasta sauce recipes. And it works not only for butternut squash, but also as a pumpkin ravioli sauce.

Cooking Time: 10–15 Minutes

This sauce takes about 10–15 minutes to make. Fresh ravioli cook in 3–4 minutes. So if you make both at the same time, you’ll have a delicious dinner ready in just 15 minutes. You can use fresh sage, dried sage, or even frozen sage. They all work great.

Ingredients: You Only Need 3

You only need two ingredients for this simple sauce for butternut squash ravioli. They’re butter and sage. And of course, ravioli. We recommend using unsalted butter. Salted butter can make the sauce too salty.

For toppings, we love adding dried tomatoes, crumbled feta, and finely chopped nuts. They’re optional, but absolutely delicious.

Full Recipe

Want a full, step-by-step sage butter recipe with images and a video you can easily follow? Check it here.

Tips

1. Check the cooking instructions so your ravioli and brown butter are ready at the same time.
2. If your ravioli are already cooked, and the brown butter is ready, take the pan off the heat and add the ravioli right in.
3. If the pasta isn’t ready yet, take the brown butter sage sauce for ravioli off the heat. Pour it into a cool bowl so it doesn’t burn. Combine it with the pasta when it’s ready.

What to Serve With

• Nuts: Any nuts work. Just toast them first in a pan. Check here how to do it.
• Our favorite toppings: Feta and sun-dried tomatoes. Curious how much you need? Check here.
• Crispy breadcrumbs: They add a nice crunch. Check the full recipe here.

Brown Butter Sauce

Why it works: Nutty, toasted butter tastes amazing with sweet, creamy squash.

Tired of sage pasta? Or just don’t have sage leaves? Brown butter sauce for butternut squash ravioli is just as delicious without sage. You can make the sauce ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.

The classic way to serve it is with nuts, especially pine nuts or walnuts. They’re optional, but they add a nice crunch. Don’t forget to toast them first. Toast the nuts over medium heat, then add them to the pasta. It makes them rich and buttery, and the sauce tastes even better. You can also serve pumpkin ravioli with brown butter sauce. It’s just as delicious.

Cooking Time: 10–12 Minutes

This butternut squash ravioli sauce with brown butter takes only 10–12 minutes to make. Pretty quick, right?

Ingredients: You Only Need 2

You need just two simple ingredients for this pasta dish. They’re butter and ravioli. Same as in the brown butter sage sauce, use unsalted butter here. When you brown butter, the water evaporates, and the salt becomes more concentrated. That’s why salted butter can make the sauce too salty.

We also like to add toasted walnuts on top. This topping is optional, but it’s absolutely delicious.

Full Recipe

Need exact measurements and step-by-step recipe? Check them in the recipe card.

• Cut the butter into pieces. Melt it in a pan over medium heat. It’s best to use a light-colored pan or pot. This simple sauce for butternut squash ravioli doesn’t have sage, but it can burn fast. Why? Because browning butter happens quickly. You need to see when the butter turns brown. And that’s almost impossible in a dark pan.

• At the same time, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Check how long your ravioli need to cook — you want them to finish around the same time as the brown butter. Brown butter takes about 10 minutes, and our ravioli cook in just 4 minutes, so we add them to the boiling water a little later, when the butter is almost ready.

• First, you’ll see foamy bubbles on top. Then you’ll notice bigger bubbles as it begins to sizzle. Stir often.

• The foam will slowly disappear, and small white bits will form on the bottom. Those are the milk solids. That’s when you start stirring all the time.

• The water should be boiling now. Add the ravioli and cook for 4 minutes while the butter browns. If your pasta takes longer, start it a little earlier so everything’s ready together.

• At first, the milk solids will be very light, almost invisible. Then they’ll get a golden color and finally turn a deeper brown. That’s when your butter becomes brown butter.

• If your ravioli are already cooked, take the butter off the heat and add the ravioli right away. That’s it: brown butter butternut squash ravioli is ready!

• Important: If the ravioli aren’t ready yet, take the brown butter pasta sauce off the heat and pour it into a cool bowl. Add the pasta when it’s ready.

What to Serve With

• Shaved Parmesan cheese. Just sprinkle it on top when you serve the pasta. Tip: It’s great to shave Parmesan with a potato peeler.
• Pine nuts or any other nuts. Check here how to toast nuts step by step.
• Our favorite topping: Add fresh, finely sliced figs and a little feta on top — it’s such a good combo.

We also have a simple butter pasta that pairs perfectly with ravioli. It’s quick, just 3–4 minutes, so you can cook both at the same time. Check the recipe here.

Cream Sauce

Why it works: Silky, rich, and so creamy. It coats sweet ravioli perfectly.

This cream sauce for butternut squash ravioli is for you if you love something rich and creamy. It’s easy, quick, and so delicious. With just a few simple ingredients — all from your local store — you’ll have a cozy, comforting dinner in minutes.

We love this butternut ravioli sauce with something savory and a little crunchy. Try fried vegan bacon or smoked tofu cooked until crisp. But it also tastes amazing on its own, so toppings are totally optional.

Cooking Time: 6–7 Minutes

This sauce takes only 6–7 minutes to make. So quick! You can cook the ravioli at the same time, and your dinner will be ready in under 10 minutes.

Ingredients: You Only Need a Few

You need three simple ingredients for this butternut squash ravioli cream sauce. Butter, cream, and cheese. Plus two basic spices.

Use cheese that melts well, like Cheddar or Gouda. Don’t use pre-grated cheese from the store. Grate it yourself so it melts smoothly and gives the sauce that silky texture.

Full Recipe

Check the full step-by-step recipe in this blog post. There’s a section for regular pasta and another for ravioli. Scroll to the part on how to make butternut squash ravioli with cream sauce.

Why is it different? Ravioli is delicate, so you need to add it to the cream sauce a little differently than other pasta shapes. The key is to add the ravioli at the very end and combine it gently. Ravioli can break if you stir it too much.

What to Serve With

• Crispy breadcrumbs. Check the recipe here.
• Smoked tofu fried until crisp. Cut it into cubes, add them to a pan, and fry until they are crispy on all sides.
• Vegan bacon fried until crisp. Cut it and fry until crispy, then sprinkle on top.

Lemon Butter Sauce

Why it works: Bright, tangy contrast to sweet ravioli. It’s such a delicious pasta combo, you won’t believe how good it is!

Lemon butter sauce is the best sauce for butternut squash ravioli. At least for us. It’s definitely our favorite, and we’ve tried so many! It’s bright, tangy, buttery, and creamy. It’s a little unexpected, since ravioli is usually served with brown butter, but this one is so good.

To make it, you need butter and a lemon. You’ll use both the zest and the lemon juice. The fresh lemon butter flavor is the perfect contrast to the sweet ravioli filling. It’s also a great choice if you want a quick sauce for butternut squash ravioli without sage.

Cooking Time: 5–6 Minutes

This sauce takes only 5–6 minutes to make. If you cook the ravioli at the same time, dinner is ready in about 7–8 minutes.

Ingredients: Simple and Easy to Find

You need three simple ingredients for this butternut squash ravioli sauce recipe. They’re butter, lemon, and cheese. Plus a little salt and chili flakes. The chili doesn’t make the sauce spicy. It just adds a light, toasty flavor.

Don’t use pre-grated cheese from the store. Grate it yourself so it melts smoothly and makes the sauce extra creamy.

Full Recipe

Find the full step-by-step recipe in this blog post.

There’s a section for regular pasta and one for ravioli. Lemon butter sauce for butternut squash ravioli works a bit differently.

Ravioli is delicate and can break easily, so the process is a little different from regular pasta. Add it to the sauce as the last step. And stir very gently.

What to Serve With

• Parmesan shavings.
• Herbs. Basil, thyme, or rosemary. Just sprinkle them on top when you serve the pasta.
• Lightly caramelized nuts. We made them for our white wine sauce recipe and will publish it soon.
• Toasted nuts. Like with most sauces for butternut squash ravioli, toasted nuts taste amazing. Check here how to toast nuts.

Pesto Sauce (Jarred or Homemade)

Why it works: Herby, creamy, and savory. Perfect with sweet ravioli.

Butternut squash ravioli with pesto sauce is a dream if you love herby flavors. The basil, Parmesan, pine nuts, garlic, and olive oil in the pesto make it fresh, nutty, and cheesy. With the creamy, slightly sweet ravioli filling, it tastes extra delicious. You can make it with jarred pesto or homemade pesto. With jarred pesto, it comes together super fast.

Cooking Time: 5–6 Minutes

This creamy butternut squash ravioli pesto sauce takes about 5–6 minutes to make. Ravioli cook in just 3–4 minutes, so dinner is ready in 6–7 minutes.

Ingredients: Just 3 + a Few Extras

You only need three ingredients: pesto, butter, and cream. Add a little salt and chili flakes. The chili flakes don’t make the sauce spicy. They just give it a light, toasty flavor. You can use store-bought pesto or homemade. Both taste great.

Full Recipe

For the step-by-step pesto sauce for butternut squash ravioli, check this blog post.

There’s a section for regular pasta and one for ravioli.

Make sure to check the ravioli part. Ravioli are more delicate, so you’ll add them to the sauce a bit differently than other pasta shapes. Add the ravioli last and stir gently, so they don’t break.

In the blog post recipe, we made the sauce creamier with more heavy cream and less pesto. For ravioli, we used a little more pesto for a stronger flavor. If you love it herby, go with more pesto. If you prefer it creamy, use a little less.

What to Serve With

• Grated Parmesan. Add extra on top when serving. It melts slightly and makes the sauce with butternut squash ravioli even richer.
• Pine nuts. Toast them in a pan and add a few extra on top for a nutty crunch. Check here to see how to do it.
• Breadcrumbs. This creamy butternut squash ravioli sauce tastes best with a bit of texture. You can make breadcrumbs from old bread or season regular ones.
• Lemon breadcrumbs. We made creamy pesto pasta with lemon breadcrumbs. You can add them to herby pesto sauce and sweet ravioli too. It’s such a delicious combo. Check how to make them here.

Tips, Tricks & Storage

Now that you have plenty of butternut squash ravioli sauce ideas, let’s look at some common questions. You’ll also find tips on how to cook ravioli the right way and how to add cooked pasta to the sauce. We’ll also cover how to store, freeze, and prep it in advance.

Tips from the Vegtasty Team

These tips will help you cook ravioli perfectly and make every sauce turn out just right.

How to cook ravioli (without tearing them)?

It’s important to cook pasta just right so ravioli stay firm and don’t turn mushy. This happens often with fresh pasta, which cooks much faster than dried pasta.

• Pour water into a pot and bring it to a boil. Salt the water well. 
• If the ravioli stick together, separate them carefully. Then add them gently to the pot.
• Don’t overcrowd the pot. Cook the ravioli in batches if needed.
• Gently stir right away so they don’t stick to the bottom or to each other.
• Cook just until al dente. That means the ravioli should feel firm but tender.
• Use a slotted spoon to remove them carefully and add them straight to the sauce.

Add the hot, cooked pasta to the freshly made sauce for butternut squash ravioli. Combine gently and serve right away. It’s important to add the ravioli while it’s still hot so the sauce clings to it perfectly.

How to thicken your butternut squash ravioli sauce?

Every sauce works a little differently, but there are a few easy ways to make it thicker.

• For lemon butter, creamy pesto, or cream sauce, add a bit of pasta water — the cooking water you boiled the ravioli in. It naturally contains starch, which helps the sauce thicken and come together.
• For lemon butter and cream sauce, you can also add more cheese. Stir it in before adding the ravioli.
• If you’re using cream in butternut squash ravioli sauces, make sure it’s heavy cream with at least 30% fat.
• We don’t add anything to make brown butter sauce thicker. Follow the measurements in the recipe card so you have the right ratio of brown butter to ravioli. The butter will coat the ravioli naturally. And remember, once you add the ravioli, the sauce thickens a bit more on its own. That’s true not only for brown butter, but for all sauces.

How to make thin brown butter sauce cling better?

• Add the freshly cooked ravioli to the hot sauce while both are still warm. Avoid a big temperature difference. This helps the sauce stick to the ravioli instead of sliding off.
• To make sure your butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce turns out just right, cook the ravioli and the sauce at the same time. Check the package instructions. If the ravioli cooks in 4 minutes, start it 4 minutes before the sauce is ready. That way, both are ready at once, and the sauce will cling better.

How to Store, Freeze, and Make Ahead

You can make the sauces ahead of time and store them in the fridge. It’s best to cook fresh ravioli and add it to the sauce right before serving.

How to prep in advance and store

You can make the butternut squash ravioli sauces ahead of time. And store them in the fridge for up to 3 days in a tightly sealed, airtight container.

If you’re making brown butter sauce, store it without sage. Crispy sage leaves turn soft and mushy in the fridge. The sauce won’t taste as good. It’s better to cook brown butter with fresh sage leaves and enjoy it right away.

Brown butter with sage is an easy sauce for butternut squash ravioli. It takes only 10–15 minutes to make. There’s really no need to prepare it in advance.

How to freeze

Don’t freeze ravioli with the sauce. Cheese and cream sauces can split or curdle after freezing. You can’t freeze butternut squash ravioli with brown butter sauce. But you can freeze the brown butter itself. Check here how.

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