Brown Butter Sauce for Pumpkin Ravioli

close up shot of ravioli on small white plate garnished with crispy sage, pecans and parmesan

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5 from 2 votes

This brown butter sauce comes together in absolutely no time and pairs PERFECTLY with pumpkin ravioli!

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: Dinner, Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Servings:

Author: Chris Collins

Cost: £3 / $4

Equipment

Large Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
Large Pot & Slotted Spoon
Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients

9oz / 250g Pumpkin Ravioli (see notes)
4 tbsp / 2oz / 60g Butter (see notes)
1/4 cup / 25g Pecans, finely/roughly diced (see notes)
6 Fresh Sage Leaves
2 cloves of Garlic, peeled & lightly smashed (optional)
2 mild Red Chillies, halved & de-seeded (optional)
Salt & Pepper, as needed
Parmesan, shaved or grated (to serve)

Instructions

Add the pecans to a dry large pan over medium heat and toast until they begin to lightly char, shaking frequently. Remove from pan and wipe out any tiny crumbs if needed.
Melt 4 tbsp butter into the pan and add sage, chilli and garlic. As it begins to foam, keep gently stirring and swirling the pan. At this point add ravioli to salted boiling water and cook to packet instruction.
After a couple of mins you should begin to notice it turning from a lemony yellow to a light brown. After a few more minutes you will start to see tiny dark specks start to form on the surface of the pan, these are just the milk solids. Once you see the butter turning a deeper brown colour, it will release a nutty aroma. This is when your butter is properly browned. If at any point the nutty aroma smells more like burning, or the milk solids begin to turn black, turn off the heat.
Remove sage and keep to one side, then remove chilli & garlic and discard. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked ravioli from the pot straight into the pan. Toss the ravioli in the sauce (the excess water should emulsify with the butter and cling to the ravioli). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve up with the crispy sage leaves, toasted pecans and parmesan!

Video

Notes

a) Where can I find pumpkin ravioli? - In the UK I have found varieties of pumpkin ravioli in Waitrose and Tesco before, but you will probably more likely find Butternut Squash ravioli, which is more or less the same. I know Sainsbury's and Morrisons both do Butternut Squash & Sage Ravioli, which works perfectly!

b) Can I use a different ravioli? - A brown butter sauce will go pretty universally with most ravioli fillings, from lobster right through to spinach & ricotta. My second favourite to pair with this sauce is a mushroom filling, where I substitute pecans with walnuts.

c) Butter - You can use unsalted butter if you'd prefer. This gives you more control over the saltiness of the dish and tends to foam up less, but regular salted butter is just fine if that's what you have on hand. Don't sub margarine!

d) Pecans - These pair perfectly with pumpkin/butternut. You could add a different variety of nuts though if you'd prefer. My second choice is pine nuts.

e) Garlic/Chilli - These are both great additions to infuse the butter and add a gentle background flavour. The garlic obviously pairs amazingly with butter, whilst the chilli adds a touch of spice to balance out the sweet pumpkin filling. I typically use regular store-bought red chillies you find in the fresh herb section at the shops. 2 will give you a nice kick of spice (just make sure they're definitely de-seeded) so if you want to reduce just use one. In general, though, the sauce is just there to dress the ravioli, and brown butter + sage does that wonderfully, so you can omit the garlic and chilli if you'd prefer.

f) Can I use dried sage? - Definitely use fresh sage for this recipe! Not only will it infuse the sauce more efficiently, but you also end up with crispy sage leaves which make an awesome finishing touch to the dish.

g) Calories - Based on 1/4 cup parmesan to serve, then shared between two.

Nutrition