Butternut Squash Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

...last tuesday was a snow day for me. my classes for the afternoon were canceled so my whole day was wide open. i decided to take advantage of it and make ravioli! i love. love. l-o-v-e to make homemade pasta. there's just something so rewarding about it. now, i have just been dying to make ravioli since Christmas because my awesome sista, Kali, gave me a vintage ravioli kit for Christmas! when i found a recipe in cooking light for butternut squash ravioli with spinach pesto, i knew i had to make it on my next free day. this particular recipe was labeled as "shortcut fresh ravioli" because it used wonton wrappers instead of fresh ravioli dough, but i made it longcut and made my own fresh pasta dough!

first you make the dough and then roll it and place it over the cutter

then you use this handy dandy thing to press wells into the dough

then you scoop the filling into the wells

you then put another sheet of pasta on top and use a rolling pin to press the two sheets together

after that, you peel the excess pasta off around the edges, flip the cutter over and push out the pasta onto a pan

cook it and add a delicious sauce and Ta-da!

the butternut squash filling was sooo good! another thing that i loved was that you make your own pesto! i've had pesto before and i loved it, but i always wondered if i could make it myself and if it would be hard. well, turns out it's super easy! snow day = success

Recipes:

Pasta Dough
[in case you want to make it the long cut way, and if you don't have a ravioli kit: never fear, just click here]

MAKES: 36 raviolis SERVES: 6

Ingredients: 

2 c. flour

3 lg. eggs

1/2 tsp. salt

Directions:

[1] Pour flour into bowl, make a well in the center. Add the eggs and salt into the well. Mix together with a fork.

[2] After it's mixed well, take the dough out and begin kneading it on a lightly floured surface. Add water if it is too dry or flour if it is too wet. 

[3] Let rest for 10 minutes and then begin rolling.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Spinach Pesto

TIME: 1hour & 15 minutes SERVES: 6

Ingredients: 

1 butternut squash, halved lengthwise and seeded (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Cooking spray
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2.5 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
3/8 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
36 wonton wrappers
1 large egg, lightly beaten
2 garlic cloves
1 1/2 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted, chopped, and divided
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons organic vegetable broth
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
6 quarts water

Directions:

[1] Preheat oven to 400°.
[2]  Place squash halves, cut sides down, on a foil-lined baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 30 minutes or until tender [it took 40 minutes for me.] Cool. Scoop out pulp; discard peel. Mash pulp. Combine oregano, squash pulp, and butter in a large bowl. Stir in 2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) cheese, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep them from drying), spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons squash mixture into center of each wrapper. Moisten edges of wrapper with beaten egg; bring 2 opposite corners together. Pinch edges together to seal, forming a triangle. Repeat procedure with remaining wrappers, squash mixture, and egg. Cover ravioli loosely with a towel to prevent drying.
[3]  Place garlic in a food processor, and pulse until finely chopped. Add remaining 1/2 ounce (about 2 tablespoons) cheese, remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper, spinach, basil, and 2 tablespoons walnuts. With processor on, slowly pour oil, broth, and juice through food chute. Process until well blended. Place pesto in a large bowl.
[4] Bring 6 quarts water to a boil in a large Dutch oven. Add half of ravioli; cook 3 minutes or until thoroughly cooked. Remove ravioli with a slotted spoon. Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli. Add ravioli to pesto; toss gently to coat. Arrange 6 ravioli on each of 6 plates; sprinkle each serving with 1 teaspoon walnuts.