3-Ingredient Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauce

I love a good butter sauce and this Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauce is one of our family's fall favorites.  Many Thanksgiving's ago (pre-kiddos) I would make from scratch sweet potato gnocchi with a delicious sage brown butter sauce.  It was a labor of love, but soooo worth it.  Even the people who swore they didn't love sage were going back for seconds!

Now, fast forward over a decade, and I'm ready to share with you a recipe that feels gourmet but can be on the table in about 20 minutes.  We've swapped the gnocchi for Trader Joe's butternut squash ravioli (from the refrigerated section) and made the sauce all in one pan. I'm loving premade ravioli in recipes right now as you can see from this frozen ravioli lasagna and the spinach ravioli bake.

With just 3 ingredients to make the butternut squash ravioli sauce, this recipe is as simple to make as my garlic butter pasta, garlic bread pull apart rolls and this gnocchi with peas.  I promise you can have dinner on the table quickly tonight!

Ingredients

• Fresh Sage Leaves: You'll want about 20 mid sized leaves.  15 of them you'll use chopped in the sauce and the rest are for garnishing the dish at the end.
• Butter:  I like using salted, but unsalted will work too.  Just be sure to taste the sauce before serving and add additional salt if needed.
• Parmesan:  Fresh grated parm is the way to go.  Use a microplane or the small holes on a box grater.
• Pasta Water: Retain the pasta cooking water from when you boil the ravioli.  The starches in this water have magic powers and will help bring your ravioli sauce together nicely.

Step by Step Directions

Cook the ravioli according to the package directions, retaining the pasta cooking water.

Make the brown butter ravioli sauce. In a large saute pan set over medium heat, add the butter.  Let the butter melt, swirling the pan as it cooks.  You want the butter to start turning an amber brown color, smell nutty and for the milk solids to start separating a bit.

Add the sage leaves. Once the butter has browned add the chopped sage leaves and let them fry for a minute or two.  The sauce will start to get fragrant at this point.

Finish the ravioli sauce. Add in the Parmesan cheese and pasta water and stir a bit for it to come together. 

Combine the ravioli and the sauce. Add the butternut squash ravioli to the brown butter sage sauce and toss until well covered.  Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestions

This butternut squash ravioli recipe is awesome as the star of dinner or as a side dish.

• Sides that pair well: Carrot Bacon, Garlic Bread Pull Apart Rolls, Ceasar Salad, Roasted Broccoli or even a cozy pumpkin soup.
• Mains that pair well: These butternut squash ravioli would be a great side dish to serve at Thanksgiving, Sukkot, or football Sunday in the fall.  Serve alongside a Whole Roasted chicken (if you don't keep kosher), Pesto Salmon or Fish Piccata.

More ways to use the butternut squash ravioli sauce

This brown butter sage sauce can be used in lots of other dishes.  Try tossing any of the following in it for a twist on the original recipe:

• Sweet Potato Gnocchi
• Homemade Taglitelli
• Rigatoni
• Grilled Whitefish
• Tortellini
• Roasted Veggies (Try substituting this sauce for the honey sauce in this roasted carrots recipe).

Variations

If a brown butter sage sauce isn't your jam, you can use any of the following sauces on the butternut squash ravioli:

• Garlic butter
• Alfredo
• Maple Cream Sauce
• Garlic and Oil
• Vodka Cream Sauce
• Balsamic Glaze (just drizzle over the top)

Or swap the butternut squash ravioli for any of these other flavors that Trader Joe's stocks seasonally.

• 4 Cheese Ravioli
• Arugula and Parmigiano Reggiano Ravioli
• Porcini Mushroom and Truffle Ravioli
• Roasted Cauliflower and Cheese Ravioli

Make Ahead Instructions

You can make the butternut squash ravioli sauce ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months.  If you are going to freeze it I suggest using either 4-oz mason jars or these large silicone ice cube trays.  

When you are ready to toss the ravioli in the sauce, you'll want to slowly melt the cold/frozen sauce in a saucepan over low heat.  Once it's fully melted, go ahead and add in the ravioli and enjoy!

Other Super Simple Pasta Recipes You'll Love

📖 Recipe

3-Ingredient Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauce

Marni Katz

This browned butter and sage butternut squash sauce is the perfect way to elevate your ravioli game! The nutty flavor of the browned butter pairs beautifully with the sweetness of butternut squash, while fresh sage and parmesan add a savory kick. Simple, rich, and full of fall flavor, this sauce will turn an ordinary pasta night into something special.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 15 minutes mins

Course Dinner, pasta

Cuisine Italian

Servings 6 people

Calories 170 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 20 sage leaves (15 chopped)
• ½ cup butter (salted)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese (finely grated)
• 2 8oz packages butternut squash ravioli
• reserved pasta water (amount will vary)

Instructions

 

• Cook the ravioli according to the package directions, retaining the pasta cooking water after draining.
• While the ravioli cooks: In a large sauté pan set over medium heat, add the butter.  Let the butter melt, swirling the pan as it cooks.  You want the butter to start turning an amber brown color, smell nutty and for the milk solids to start separating a bit.
• Once the butter has browned add the chopped sage leaves and let them fry for a minute or two.  The sauce will start to get fragrant at this point.
• Add in the Parmesan cheese and pasta water and stir a bit for it to come together.  Then add the butternut squash ravioli to the sauce and toss until well covered.  Serve immediately.

Notes

Seasoning the sauce: It's always good practice to taste as you cook, so be sure to taste the sauce and add salt if needed.  This is especially important if you substitute unsalted butter into the recipe.

Change the pasta: If you don't have butternut squash available to you, you can substitute another flavor, or just use a different type of pasta in it's place.

Nutrition

Calories: 170kcalCarbohydrates: 0.4gProtein: 3gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 47mgSodium: 257mgPotassium: 13mgFiber: 0.02gSugar: 0.1gVitamin A: 538IUCalcium: 104mgIron: 0.1mg

Tried this recipe?Let me know what you think!