Vegan Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Butter and Mushrooms

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F (205°C). Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Use a sharp knife to slice the top and bottom off of a medium butternut squash, then cut it in half length-wise. Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Brush the cut side of one half of the squash with olive oil, and sprinkle a bit of cinnamon on top. Place the squash cut-side-up on the lined baking sheet.

2. Make a packet from aluminum foil and place the 4 garlic cloves inside. Drizzle with olive oil, close the packet, and place it on the baking sheet with the butternut squash.

3. Roast the squash and garlic at 400°F (205°C) for 40-50 minutes, until the squash is fork-tender. Remove from the oven and allow the squash to cool about 30 minutes before continuing with the filling.

4. While the squash is roasting, prepare the ravioli dough. In the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment, or in a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour and salt. Add in the water and olive oil and mix on a low speed (2-3) until combined. After the dough has just come together to form a rough ball, switch to the dough hook if using a stand mixer, and knead on medium-low speed (3-4) for about 5 minutes, until the dough is smooth. Alternately, knead the dough by hand until it’s smooth. Then, shape the dough into a ball and place it in a bowl and cover with a damp kitchen towel. Set aside to rest while you finish the filling.

5. After the squash has cooled, add almonds to a blender and pulse until the almonds have been cut into small pieces. Use a spoon to scrape the butternut squash from the skin and measure 1 cup of squash. Add the 1 cup of squash, garlic, nutritional yeast, 1 tsp. lemon juice, salt, black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ground sage to the blender and blend until smooth. You may need to stop your blender occasionally to scrape down the sides. Transfer to a bowl and set aside.

6. Prepare a large, lightly floured work surface where you can roll out your pasta dough. Divide the dough into two equal balls (or four balls if you have a small workspace), then roll each one out until it’s 2-3 mm thick. When you hold it up to the light, you should be able to see light through the dough. Both sheets should be approximately the same size and shape. You can also use a pasta maker to roll out your sheets of dough.

7. Dip the edges a round or square ravioli stamp, cookie cutter, or glass (I recommend 1 1/2 to 2” diameter) in flour, then lightly press on one of the ravioli sheets to mark the outline of each raviolo (if the sheets aren’t exactly equal in size, use the smaller sheet for this step). Then place about 1/2 tablespoon of filling on the center of each circle using a pair of spoons. (You could also pipe the filling using a piping bag, if desired.)

8. Brush water along the inside of each circle on the dough to help seal the sheets together. Then, take the second sheet and carefully place it on top of the first sheet, working from one end to the other and pushing out air from the ravioli before pressing down on the top sheet to seal them. Use your stamp, glass, or cookie cutter to cut the ravioli, then crimp the edges using a fork, if desired. Set aside on a wire rack to dry for about an hour before boiling. You can re-roll the dough again to make more ravioli, but I’d only recommend re-rolling once, as the dough will get too tough. You can add a splash of water to soften the dough, if needed.

9. Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan, then add 4-5 ravioli at a time and cook for about 3 minutes, or until the ravioli float to the surface. Use a slotted spoon to remove them, and repeat with more ravioli until they’ve all been cooked.

10. In a large saute pan, melt vegan butter over medium-low heat. Add the fresh sage leaves and baby bella mushrooms, then increase the heat to medium. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly, until the mushrooms have turned a golden brown color. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the lemon juice and vegetable broth. Simmer for 2 minutes.

11. Add the ravioli to the sage butter sauce and stir until the ravioli are coated. You may need to add the ravioli in 2 batches, as they may not all fit in the pan. Garnish with sliced almonds or fresh sage leaves, if desired, and serve immediately.

Making ravioli is a little more complicated than other recipes; for that reason I've put lots of tips in the post above. Please read through it if you've never made ravioli before!