When my kids were younger, making dishes with homemade pasta dough was the perfect project for a rainy afternoon. They loved the sweet flavors of my homemade butternut squash ravioli recipe. The ravioli filling was so sweet and flavorful that they would eat it before it made it into the pasta. They would also dig through my ravioli stamp collection and enjoy creating various shapes of ravioli. Some were square, some were round, and some were shaped like tortellini. But one thing they all had in common was that they were delicious.

Homemade Ravioli Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted 00 pasta flour (all-purpose flour will do in a pinch)
• 5 eggs
• 2 Tbsp Olive oil
• Pinch of Kosher salt

Creamy Butternut Squash Filling Ingredients:

• 1 large Butternut Squash
• 1/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1/2 cup Ricotta cheese
• 1 tsp Nutmeg
• 1 tsp Cinamon
• 1 Tbsp Brown Sugar
• 2 tbsp Unsalted butter

Brown butter and sage sauce ingredients:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh sage

Butternut Squash Ravioli Filling Instructions:

1. Cut the ends off of your Butternut squash. Next using a peeler cut the skin and rind off. You will know when all the rind is removed when there are no more green veins on the outside of the squash.
2. Using a spoon remove all the seeds from the internal cavity. Next, cut the squash into approx one-inch pieces.
3. In a large saucepan melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter, and add a little olive oil. The oil helps prevent the butter from burning. Next, add the butternut squash pieces and chicken stock. Cover, and simmer on med/low until the squash is soft when poked with a fork. This usually takes 15-20 minutes.
4. Next, transfer the squash pieces into your food processor leaving any remaining liquid in the pan. Add 1/2 cup of ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup pecorino cheese, 1 tsp nutmeg, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tbsp brown sugar. Run the food processor until it creates a creamy butternut squash filling. Set it aside and let it cool off while we start to make the fresh ravioli dough.

Homemade Ravioli Instructions:

1. Sift 2 Cups 00 pasta flour into a pile on your work surface. Create a crater and add 5 eggs, 2 tbsp olive oil, and a large pinch of salt. 
2. Whisk the eggs with a fork slowly adding the flour to the center until a piece of dough forms. Knead the dough for 5-10 minutes, if it is too sticky add flour to the surface. If the dough is sticky it is telling you to add flour. Don’t be afraid to add flour it is the main ingredient of your pasta. Knead the piece of dough until it is elastic enough to rebound when pressed with your finger.
3. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 minutes.
4. Next, remove the pasta dough from the refrigerator and cut it into 4 equal pieces. Roll each dough piece out with a wooden rolling pin, a pasta machine, or a pasta roller attachment on your mixer. Next, lay out your pasta sheet on a dusted surface. Your sheet should be around 1-2 mm thick. 
5. Place approximately 1 tbsp of butternut squash puree on the pasta sheet a few inches apart. Either use a ravioli mold or brush around the filling with egg whites. Place another pasta sheet on top and cut with a ravioli cutter. Be creative with your ravioli shape; make them square, round, mezzaluna, or tortellini-shaped.
6. Fill a large pot with salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Next, reduce the heat to a simmer, add the ravioli to the boiling water, and gently simmer. Be sure to cook the tender pasta at a gentle boil, this will keep the homemade ravioli from coming apart. When the ravioli float, check to make sure it is cooked throughout and remove from the water.

Brown Butter Sauce with Sage instructions:

1. While the pasta is cooking, let’s make the sauce. In a small light-colored sauce saucepan, melt 1 stick of unsalted butter. 
2. Heat on medium/low heat until the butter begins to darken to a golden brown color. At that point, simply turn off the heat or change it to low, and add 1/4 cup chopped fresh Sage. The fresh sage leaves will become crispy, and then you’re ready to drizzle the sauce on your cooked ravioli.