Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter, Sage & Hazelnuts

⏱ 95 min · Serves 4

Silky homemade ravioli filled with sweet roasted squash and ricotta, bathed in nutty brown butter and crisp sage leaves. It looks like restaurant food but it's really just flour, eggs and patience — and the smell of sizzling sage is worth the effort alone.

Per serving: 835 kcal · 25.0g protein · 75.0g carbs · 49.0g fat

Ingredients

• 300g '00' flour (or plain flour), plus extra for dusting
• 3 large eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/2 tsp fine salt
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 600g butternut squash, peeled and cut into 3cm chunks
• 1 tbsp olive oil (for roasting)
• 150g ricotta, drained
• 40g Parmesan, finely grated, plus more to serve
• Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• Salt and black pepper
• 120g unsalted butter
• 20 fresh sage leaves
• 50g blanched hazelnuts, roughly chopped
• Squeeze of lemon juice

Method

1. Make the pasta: pile the flour on a work surface, make a well and add the eggs, yolk, salt and olive oil. Whisk the eggs with a fork, gradually pulling in flour until a shaggy dough forms. Knead 8-10 minutes until smooth and springy. Wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan. Toss the squash with 1 tbsp olive oil, salt and pepper, spread on a tray and roast 30-35 minutes until tender and lightly caramelised. Cool slightly.
3. Mash the squash to a smooth purée (or blitz), then beat in the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, and plenty of salt and pepper. It should be thick — if loose, spread it on a plate and chill 10 minutes.
4. Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Roll each through a pasta machine down to the second-thinnest setting (or roll by hand until you can see your hand through it), keeping the rest covered.
5. Lay a sheet on a floured surface. Place teaspoons of filling in a row, 5cm apart. Brush around each mound with water, lay a second sheet on top, press out air around each mound, then cut into squares with a knife or cutter. Seal the edges firmly and set on a floured tray. Repeat; you should get around 32 ravioli.
6. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Add the hazelnuts and cook until the butter foams, smells nutty and turns golden-brown, 3-4 minutes. Add the sage leaves and fry 30 seconds until crisp. Take off the heat.
7. Cook the ravioli in batches for 3-4 minutes, until they float and the edges are tender. Lift out with a slotted spoon straight into the butter pan, adding a splash of pasta water.
8. Return to low heat and swirl for 30 seconds so the butter clings and emulsifies. Add a squeeze of lemon, taste for salt, and serve at once with extra Parmesan and black pepper.