Butternut Squash Filled Ravioli with Light Pesto Cream Sauce

[mish]

Haven't tried this one yet. I like all the ingredients (& a big pasta fan), & using won ton skins to seal in the mixture, rather than homemade dough, is appealing as well. Adding half & half to the pesto for the sauce & topping with tomatoes, sounds like a nice sauce to accompany other pasta/poultry/seafood dishes too. (Hoping a pastry cutter will seal in the filling -- anyone tried this method with using won ton skins & a pastry cutter? Also, not sure what Light Olive Oil means. Thanks for any advice/input).

Butternut Squash Filled Ravioli w Light Pesto Cream Sauce
Serving Size : 6

- 1 butternut squash
- 2 tablespoons Light Olive Oil
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, minced
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 12 ounces wonton wrappers
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- Light Pesto Cream Sauce (see recipe below)
- Fresh grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
- Fresh diced tomato, for garnish

- For Light Pesto Cream Sauce:
- 1 cup tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup Mild Olive Oil
- 1/3 cup half-and-half

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut squash in half; remove seeds and brush the interior with olive oil. Place squash cut side down in pan brushed with additional olive oil. Bake, uncovered for 40 minutes or until fork tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, in skillet, heat light olive oil. Add onion and garlic. Sauté until softened. Transfer onion mixture to a large bowl. Scoop squash from skin and place in bowl with onion and garlic. Stir in ricotta cheese, basil, salt and pepper. Mash until you have a coarse paste.

For each ravioli, place a wonton wrapper onto a lighly floured surface. Spoon a small amount of filling (about 1 1/2 teaspoons) onto the center of the wrapper. Lightly wet the edges of the wrapper with the cornstarch mixture. Lay a second wonton skin over the filling and carefully press edges to seal. Trim edges with a ravioli cutter or a pastry wheel. Repeat with remaining wonton wrappers.

Carefully place ravioli (one at a time) in a large pot of boiling, salted water. Cook and stir gently for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. Remove cooked ravioli with a slotted spoon and place on a warm platter. Serve with Light Pesto Cream Sauce (recipe follows).


For Light Pesto Cream Sauce: In work bowl of food process or blender, process basil, pine nuts, garlic, cheese and salt to form a paste. With the machine running, gradually add oil in a steady stream until evenly blended. Place pesto mixture into a small saucepan. Heat until warmed through. Stir in half-and-half until smooth and warmed through. Serve sauce over ravioli. Garnish, if desired, with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and diced tomatoes.

[jkath]

Here's something I found on the Olive Oil Source:

"In the U.S., flavorless and often low quality (refined) oil is sold as "lite" or "light" oil for a premium price. The "light" designation refers to flavor, not caloric content, as all olive oil has the same amount of calories. There is no official definition of lite or light."

[buckytom]

mish, i use light olive oil for frying things like breaded chicken breasts for parm. the main benefit that i've seen is it has a higher smoking point than evoo.

but, like jkath said, it's lighter in color, but not calories or anything else.

as far as low quality, i don't know. i buy bertolli brand. it does have much less olive oil flavor, but sometimes that's desireable, and you still end up with the benefits of cooking with olive oil.

[mish]

Originally Posted by buckytom

mish, i use light olive oil for frying things like breaded chicken breasts for parm. the main benefit that i've seen is it has a higher smoking point than evoo.

but, like jkath said, it's lighter in color, but not calories or anything else.

as far as low quality, i don't know. i buy bertolli brand. it does have much less olive oil flavor, but sometimes that's desireable, and you still end up with the benefits of cooking with olive oil.

Thanks BT, you read my mind - was going to ask what brand

(Thinking out loud, perhaps a sage cream ((walnut?)) light sauce might be good too.)

Re the won ton method: have made many won tons using one skin & folding it over the filling, but never two skins (ravioli-style). Hoping they wont break apart during cooking...but do like this idea, the yummy filling & the over-all appeal. Yeah, I know I could probably use one won ton skin, but don't want a dumpling type recipe for the filling.

Thank you. Learn something new all the time.