Sweet Potato and Butternut Ravioli

The ISFA work continues — another kitchen table this week, another young family with numbers that might work. I sat across from a couple in Story County and laid out the grants and watched their faces change from fear to possibility, and the change is the thing I live for now.

I made potato soup this week — the winter version, the one that fills the kitchen with the smell that means this time of year, this stage of life, this specific Tuesday when the stove is warm and the family is fed and the feeding is the point. Kevin ate seconds. The man always eats seconds. The eating is the approval and the approval is the marriage.

The cookie season has ended and the soup season has settled in. The kitchen smells like broth and thyme and the slow simmer of food that takes hours and rewards the hours with warmth. Winter cooking is patient cooking. The patience is Marlene's gift. The cooking is mine.

The soup was already made, already eaten, already approved — and still I found myself thinking about what comes next in a winter kitchen that rewards the hours you give it. This Sweet Potato and Butternut Ravioli is that next thing: the same patient warmth as a long simmer, but shaped into something you can pass across the table like a small gift. It felt right for a week spent watching fear turn to possibility — the filling takes time, the folding takes care, and the result is exactly the kind of meal that makes the effort feel purposeful.

Prep Time: 45 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 1 hr 10 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup roasted sweet potato, mashed (about 1 medium sweet potato)
1 cup roasted butternut squash, mashed
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
Salt and black pepper to taste
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 fresh sage leaves

Instructions

Roast the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400°F. Halve the sweet potato and butternut squash, brush with olive oil, and roast cut-side down on a baking sheet for 30–35 minutes until completely tender. Scoop out the flesh and mash until smooth. Let cool.
Make the pasta dough. Mound the flour on a clean work surface and create a well in the center. Crack the eggs into the well, add the olive oil and salt, and beat gently with a fork. Gradually incorporate the flour from the inner walls of the well until a shaggy dough forms. Knead by hand for 8–10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.
Prepare the filling. Combine the mashed sweet potato and butternut squash with the ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Stir until well blended and set aside.
Roll the dough. Divide the rested dough into four portions. Working one portion at a time and keeping the rest covered, roll each piece on a lightly floured surface (or through a pasta machine) to a thin sheet, about 1/16-inch thick.
Fill and seal. Place teaspoon-sized mounds of filling 1 1/2 inches apart along one half of each pasta sheet. Fold the other half over the filling and press firmly around each mound to remove air pockets. Cut into individual ravioli with a sharp knife or pastry wheel and press edges with a fork to seal completely.
Cook the ravioli. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the ravioli in batches for 3–4 minutes until they float and the edges are tender. Remove with a slotted spoon.
Make the brown butter sauce. While the ravioli cook, melt the butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, swirling occasionally, for 3–4 minutes until the butter turns golden and smells nutty and the sage is crisp. Remove from heat.
Serve. Toss the cooked ravioli gently in the brown butter and sage. Plate and finish with additional Parmesan and a grind of black pepper.

Nutrition (per serving)

Sweet Potato and Butternut Ravioli — The Patient Cook’s Winter Table