Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce is indulgent, cozy, and so satisfying for a cold night. Plus, it's ready in only 20 minutes! Even better, garnished with toasted pumpkin seeds, this ravioli is so beautiful, you can serve it to last minute dinner guests and they will have no idea you whipped this up in a flash.
Ingredients for Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this recipe:
- Canned pumpkin puree
- Heavy cream: since the sauce is simmered, you cannot really substitute a lower fat version as it would be more likely to separate. Sorry, full fat only!
- Stock or broth: any kind will work! I used chicken stock.
- Salt and pepper
- Paprika: this helps balance out the inherent sweetness of the pumpkin. You can use regular or smoked paprika, both are delicious!
- Cream cheese: this is kind of the "secret" ingredient for the sauce. You can't really pinpoint it in the final sauce, but it gives the sauce extra body and creaminess. And it gives an extra savory flavor that also helps to balance the sweetness of the pumpkin.
- Pumpkin seeds: for garnish. They look pretty but are optional!
- Ravioli: I like to use fresh ravioli. I've tried it with cheese ravioli and butternut squash ravioli, and I actually preferred the cheese version. The butternut ravioli was too similar in flavor to the sauce and didn't provide enough contrast to complement the sauce in my opinion. But, feel free to use your favorite kind!
Tips for Making Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
This sauce is really, really easy to make! It's almost fool-proof in my opinion. But here are a couple tips I picked up when making this recipe:
Timing of When to Cook the Ravioli
This is probably the most helpful and important tip I have for you. The ravioli will taste best if you serve it as soon as you can after boiling. However, when I was testing this recipe, I found it a little challenging to perfectly time the ravioli to be cooked right when the sauce is finished. The water would take more or less time to boil than I expected, or maybe the sauce took an extra minute or two than I thought to thicken.
So, just err on the side of finishing the sauce first. The sauce is fine to hang out on the stove for a few minutes set on the lowest heat while the ravioli finishes cooking, as long as you whisk it occasionally. And so you don't have to worry about your water coming to a boil long after you finish the sauce (you will want to eat this delicious dinner as soon as possible I am sure!), just start the water boiling at the beginning of the cooking time and let it maintain a gentle boil as you cook the sauce.
A Few Other Recipe Notes
- You can use the same saucepan to toast the pumpkin seeds and make the sauce, saving yourself a dirty dish. Just toast the nuts first in the dry saucepan until you can hear them start to pop and they begin to brown. Then dump them out and you are ready to start making the sauce in the same pan.
- Adding the chunks of cream cheese is the last step. To speed up the process of combining the cream cheese into the sauce, make sure to cut the cream cheese up into small chunks. It may look lumpy at first as it starts to melt, but as you continue to whisk it will smooth out.
- Depending on how saucy you like your ravioli, you may have some sauce leftover. (If this happens I highly recommend using it to dip some crusty bread!) This will also depend on whether you let the sauce sit a bit because it thickens as it sits. If you're not sure how much sauce to add, you can either plate your ravioli and just drizzle the sauce on, or add some of the sauce to the drained ravioli, stir it gently, and then add more if needed.
I hope you enjoy this recipe for Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce! If you need more quick dinner ideas, check out these recipes:
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Ravioli with Pumpkin Cream Sauce
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: main course
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
A deliciously creamy, savory and slightly sweet pumpkin sauce coats fresh ravioli. A quick and easy main course that's equal parts elegant and satisfying!
Ingredients
- ⅔ c. canned pumpkin puree
- ½ c. stock or broth, any type
- ½ tsp. paprika
- ½ tsp. salt, or to taste
- ¼ tsp. black pepper, or to taste
- ¾ c. heavy cream
- 2 oz. cream cheese
- 20 oz. fresh ravioli
- 2 tbsp. hulled pumpkin seeds, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- For the ravioli: set a large pot of water over high heat to boil. While waiting for water to boil, proceed with the following steps (see note below about timing for the ravioli).
- If using the optional pumpkin seeds for garnish: set a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pumpkin seeds into the hot pan and cook for 1 - 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until the pumpkin seeds begin to pop and turn brown. Remove seeds onto a cutting board and roughly chop. Set aside.
- In the same saucepan set to medium heat, add the pumpkin puree, broth or stock, salt, pepper and paprika. Whisk to combine and cook for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the heavy cream and whisk to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook for 6 - 7 minutes or until the sauce thickens. Reduce the heat if needed to maintain a simmer (do not boil).
- Cut the cream cheese into small chunks and add to the sauce. Continue to whisk until the cream cheese has fully incorporated into the sauce and the sauce is smooth. Taste the sauce and add more salt and/or pepper if needed. The finished sauce can be kept on the stovetop over the lowest heat, whisked occasionally, until ready to serve. (The sauce will thicken further as it begins to cool.)
- Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook according to the package directions. This can be done either a few minutes before the sauce is finished or immediately after. Drain the ravioli.
- Either plate the ravioli and drizzle the sauce over top, or place the ravioli in a large bowl and gently toss with the desired amount of sauce and then plate. Garnish with the toasted pumpkin seeds (if using) and serve immediately.
Notes
The ravioli will taste better if you finish the sauce at the same time or before the ravioli is finished cooking, rather than cooking the ravioli too early and having it sit while the sauce is still cooking.
Fresh ravioli usually only takes a few minutes to cook, so if the water in the ravioli pot begins to boil before the sauce is ready, adjust the temperature as needed to maintain a gentle boil. Then add in the ravioli either a few minutes before the sauce is finished or immediately after.
Keywords: pumpkin cream sauce, ravioli with cream sauce, ravioli with pumpkin sauce, ravioli with pumpkin cream sauce
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