My favorite way to serve butternut squash ravioli! This lime sage butter sauce has a fresh zingy finish that balances perfectly with creamy sweet butternut ravioli. Using premade ravioli, it is a quick and easy dinner that is achievable even on the busiest weeknights… while feeling like an absolute treat!
Wondering what to do with a pack of butternut ravioli?
This! This is the thing. You spent good money on that ravioli so let’s make it count. Today I am sharing my family’s current favorite meal which I really wish I could make every night because it’s just so easy and agreeable.
Here’s the plan: we boil our favorite butternut ravioli, we cook up an easy lime sage butter sauce to pour on top, we sprinkle on some cheese and maybe some chopped pistachios? And… that is all. Ravioli perfection achieved. It takes very little, because a tasty ravioli does not need a substantial sauce, just something subtle that will enhance and balance its own flavors.
So… why are we adding lime to our sage butter? I don’t think I’d have ever thought of this myself, but I tried a lime sage butter sauce in Italy and I just loved the little twist it gave an otherwise very traditional dish. The way that the zingy lime cuts through the sweetness of the butternut filling is ideal, making the meal more fresh and lively.
Top Tips for Your Best Ever Butternut Ravioli
- You can make this with whatever fresh refrigerated or frozen ravioli is available to you, but given the simplicity of the recipe you want to make sure it’s good quality and has a lot of flavor. I buy a more premium brand because the difference is noticeable (and I buy when they are on special offer, because they freeze well). Aldi do excellent ravioli at a lower price point if you’re on a budget. You can also use tortellini or girasolle or any other filled pasta. The only thing I wouldn’t recommend here is a shelf stable ravioli, because the filling is usually too dry for such a light sauce.
- You ideally want salted butter for the flavor. If using unsalted, be sure to add a good amount of salt to the sauce when you’re cooking it.
- For topping, any kind of Italian hard cheese, parmesan, pecorino etc will work nicely.
- The pistachios are optional, so just use them if you have them. I love the crunch and texture they add, but you could get that from walnuts, pine nuts of even fried breadcrumbs if you wish.
Want to use a different type of ravioli with the lime butter sauce?
While butternut is my top pick to pair with this sauce, it also works well with any sweeter filling.
- Pumpkin ravioli would be an obvious choice to swap in, and is very similar in sweetness and flavor to butternut. Pumpkin ravioli is an easy one to find in the US, but less so in the UK, where it might just come out seasonally.
- Roasted tomato, while more obscure, works well too (there are roasted tomato burrata raviolis in a couple of UK supermarkets, these are my kid’s favorite, but I can’t speak to how common this variety is elsewhere).
And of course, you don’t have to use a sweeter filling at all. If you have a trusty, reliable cheese or spinach ravioli you’d like to make with this sauce – feel free! But how about roasting some small cubes of butternut squash to add to the bowl too, to capitalize on that tasty butternut – lime flavor combo I’ve been raving about?
This can be a 20 Minute Meal…
… just as long as you don’t get too ambitious with side dishes!
- When I serve this, I just put little bowls of berries and grapes out on the table and just let the butternut filling be the lone vegetable. Easy + agreeable is the name of the game when this is on the menu!
- Like peas? They will pair nicely with this ravioli! Just add some frozen peas to the pan when you boil the ravioli and serve them in the same bowl (you might want to scale up the butter sauce if you do this, because the peas will steal some of the sauce!)
- Air fryer users, you could throw some Air Fryer Broccoli or some Air Fryer Asparagus in to cook while you prep the ravioli, though you will need some tolerance for multi-tasking if you do this.
More Easy Meals with Fresh Pasta
Ravioli with Lime Sage Butter Sauce
Ingredients
- 18 oz (500 g) prepared refrigerated butternut squash ravioli, if using frozen, just use four servings in accordance with the packaging
- 6 Tablespoons (85 g) salted butter
- 25 fresh sage leaves
- 1 lime, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp grated Italian cheese, for topping
- 2 tbsp chopped pistachios , for topping
Instructions
- Start a large pan of water boiling for your ravioli.
- Meanwhile, get to work on your sauce. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over a low-medium heat. Add the sage leaves and allow to cook until they are shrivelling and getting crisp. (You can cook until the butter is fully browned if you wish, but I personally don't go any further once the sage is a little bit crisp.)
- Remove from the heat, add the lime zest and juice, and then set aside.
- Once the water is boiling, add the ravioli and cook according to package instructions. Once ready, use a slotted spoon to scoop it out onto plates for serving.
- Pour butter sauce over the ravioli, sprinkle with cheese and pistachios, and serve!
