Butternut Squash Ravioli with Maple Cream Sauce
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I created this Maple Cream Sauce for some fresh Butternut Squash Ravioli I purchased. I don’t care for the traditional sage based sauces, and thought this would be the perfect accompaniment to pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli or tortellini.
I initially purchased my fresh Butternut Squash ravioli at Russo’s in Watertown, MA. This market was unique as it had your usual vegetables, flowers, etc but had a great bakery, loads of cheeses, and had fresh ravioli. They also had an especially huge assortment of Asian produce, imported Cold Cuts (I can’t even count the number of Prosciutto varieties they have), their own baked cold cuts (their Roast Beef is incredible), breads, chicken and dairy. Sadly they are no longer there. Russo’s was a family business for over 100 years and recent owner Tony Russo has retired.
This is the huge assortment of fresh ravioli to choose from.
This sauce is a great “Fall” recipe. The flavors of maple and cinnamon and a touch of nutmeg scream Autumn, falling leaves and sweaters. I used my Alligator Dicer to finely dice the onions. This is one recipe you don’t want big chunks of onions.AS much as this recipe is great for Fall, it is perfect any time of the year.
This sauce is delicious and EASY! I even dipped my grilled chicken in it, it’s that good! A perfect blend of savory and sweet.
Maple Cream Sauce
Description
Perfect for Butternut Squash or Pumpkin ravioli or tortellini.
Ingredients
12 Butternut Squash Ravioli
2 Tbsp. butter
half a small onion, very finely diced
1 c. heavy cream
1–2 Tbsp real maple syrup
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch nutmeg
Instructions
Boil a large saucepan of salted water. Drop in ravioli and cook according to package or product instructions.
While ravioli is cooking, melt butter in a 10″ saute pan on medium heat.
Add onion and saute until soft.
Add cream (warmed a little in microwave), maple syrup, cinnamon & nutmeg and cook on medium to medium low until reduced and thickened. Do not boil as cream may curdle. Have patience and let it heat slowly.
Let cool slightly off heat.
Notes
Never add cold cream to hot ingredients. It will most certainly curdle. Warm cream in the microwave until room temperature. Once cream is added never let it boil. Cook on medium low until thickened.
This is a yummy recipe.
I didn’t have cream and used 2% milk instead.
Then I thickened the sauce by adding 1/2 tablespoon of flour to the butter.
Good Job. A true cook knows how to improvise And you did it exactly right! We don’t always have the ingredients and if you’re like me, dont want to run out for them. There’s always an alternative and you hit the nail on the head! Good job!
I can’t wait to try this I’m going to add candied salted Pecans to mine I love Pecans and maple
Thanks for the recipe
You will love this Denise!
Loved this recipe. I wasn’t sure how the onions and the maple syrup would work together, but somehow it does. I served it over Trader Joe’s Pumpkin Ravioli.
This is so good Pamela. Especially at this time of year! Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did!
How much ravioli do you need for this recipe?
Hi Diane, There really is no set amount. The sauce makes quite a bit and it is not meant to drench the ravioli.
I am unfortunately allergic to onions. I know, right? I am always improvising to add a boost to the flavor profile when omitting onion. I wilted spinach with lemon vinaigrette (it has a bit of dijon) and dried cranberries, topped it with butternut squash ravioli and whisked some into dijon to the maple cream sauce and topped the entire thing with some pine nuts and grated parmesan…. Serious yum!
Susan, that’s what cooking’s all about! Glad you found a variation! Enjoy!
Hi Sandie,
My daughter is allergic to onions as well as garlic. She is always looking for alternatives as well. She found that leeks can be used in place of the onions and the flavoring is similar. So when she comes to visit, I make sure I have a supply of leeks on hand to substitute in my recipes for onions.
Alice, That is definitely a good alternative! You can also eliminate the garlic! Enjoy!
I don’t see garlic in the recipe. Will try a tiny bit of garlic powder when I warm up the leftovers to see if it makes a difference.
No there is no garlic in this recipe. But let me know how it is!
This is my favorite sauce recipe and I also serve it with Trader Joe’s butternut squash ravioli. I add finely chopped fresh sage to it at the end which adds a nice savory hint. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as I had a hard time a couple years ago and never found one as good as yours!
Hi Susan,
I accidently replied to Sandie instead of you. Anyway, my daughter is allergic to onions as well as garlic. She is always looking for alternatives as well. She found that leeks can be used in place of the onions and the flavoring is similar. So when she comes to visit, I make sure I have a supply of leeks on hand to substitute in my recipes for onions.
Alice, That is definitely a good alternative! You can also eliminate the garlic! Enjoy!
Just had this on Trader Joes”s Butternut Squash ravioli. As my husband says this is a keeper and I fully agree.
Holly, so glad you loved. I love Butternut Squash ravioli, so really enjoy it as well!
Thanks so much for the recipe!
Does anyone happen to know how much sauce it typically makes?
Hi Mary, I haven’t made in a while but probably enough for 2 generous portions. What’s great about this recipe is, you can add a little more of the ingredients if you need more sauce!
This is my favorite sauce recipe and I also serve it with Trader Joe’s butternut squash ravioli. I add finely chopped fresh sage to it at the end which adds a nice savory hint. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as I had a hard time a couple years ago and never found one as good as yours!
Good plug for Russo’s but there service remains to be desired!
Hi Jim,
I’ve never really experienced a lack of service. Most of the goods they sell are self serve except for the deli, prepared food and bakery. They have an awesome variety of Asian produce!
Another nice touch to this recipe and also garnish is to fry Sage leaves till crispy and then place the whole leaves on top.. they add a great texture and flavor.. careful they are delicate
Thanks Kevin! What a terrific idea!
I made this today and I am in heaven!!!!!!
Thanks Tracy! This sauce defines Autumn!
I’ve made this a couple of times and added a handful of finely chopped walnuts and craisins. It takes only a few minutes to prepare, but still impresses your family and guests.
Thanks Diane, I have had so many compliments on this sauce! Its funny, because I wanted a sauce for my Butternut Squash Ravioli, and threw some ingredients together. If you do something like this, just don’t forget to write the ingredients down, so when it comes out yummy, you can recreate it!
I found that the only things I had in the pantry were the ingredients listed here except nut Meg. I made it quick and painless lady and it was awesome. Thank you so very much. That maple cream could even of been something over a breakfast meal it was so good.
So glad you loved it Allen. It is sinfully good!
This turned out delicious, I tbs of maple syrup was plenty sweet for me and added a little bit of crumbled bacon to help balance the sweetness. Wow sooo good. Definitely making this again!!
Great idea! Maple and bacon…an awesome combo!
This is an excellent recipe. I’ve added sage to a similar recipe before and this time I added a pinch of rosemary. Very easy and I substituted 1/2 and 1/2 and it was delicious. Thanks for sharing!
That sounds delicious!
Has anyone made this using a syrup like “log cabin” or Aunt jamima, instead of purchasing real maple syrup just for this recipe? I’m just curious if that would work similarly in this recipe?!
You certainly could Ashley. You just want the Maple flavor.
Hi Sandie, I know this post is old, but I’m hoping you still get notifications because I have a question / problem with the recipe and could use some advice!
So, my husband & I LOVE to cook Butternut Squash Ravioli anytime it becomes available, which for us here in Northern Maine is not often!!
I had been using a basic (VERY basic) white sauce for many years, and I’ve incorporated various herbs into the white sauce to give it some flavor.
I was BEYOND excited when I found this recipe for the Maple Cream Sauce, and I miraculously I had each & every ingredient on hand, so I decided to surprise my husband tonight by making this!
Unfortunately, somewhere I messed up … and I’m not quite sure how or why.
An ideal white cream sauce for Butternut Squash Ravioli should be somewhat thin, definitely not thick or heavy and just as you mentioned in a prior comment to another write-in, the amount of sauce to be used is not intended to drown the raviolis, but rather just coat them and add that extra yummy kick! And, in the picture you provided, you nailed the sauce perfectly!!
Sooooo …. what happened with the turn out of mine tonight??
My sauce came out very thick and even though my onions were SUPER SOFT and sliced/diced so small & so thin you could see though them, it was almost as if the sauce clung to each & every one of them, creating a weird “lumpy” texture …. almost like Tapioca .. yikes! The sauce itself as I said, was ridiculously thick and heavy. The FLAVOR however was TO DIE FOR!!!
I know the obvious simple solution to the thickness is to add more cream, but I’m wondering if it would still create a heavy, ‘lumpy’, thick result? I look at your photo of your sauce and it sincerely looks like the PERFECT everything….but somehow I managed to completely mess it up … except the flavor part … OH MY LORD it was phenomenal!!! The one thing I thought of AFTERWARDS was that perhaps I could add more cream to thin it out a bit AND perhaps strain the onions and then spoon the smooth creamy heavenly sauce (with the onions strained out) over the Raviolis? I would greatly appreciate your input! Thank You!!
Hi Elizabeth, Did the sauce separate, or was just a little thicker than you like? If it separated, it could be because whenever you add cold cream to a hot pan it could separate. Best to temper your cream before adding to your dish. You could do that by microwaving slightly to bring the temp up a bit, or if you have hot liquid your adding the cream to, add a little of the hot liquid to the cold cream. The point is to warm the cold cream before adding to the hot mixture or pan. If its just that the sauce is too thick, add more cream to thin. You could strain the onions out if you don’t want to see them in the dish, but I wouldn’t eliminate them entirely…they bring some unbelievable and necessary flavor to the dish. Either way, you are correct, this sauce tastes super delicious!
I tried the ravioli and sauce at a restaurant off my friends plate. But it was made with sea scallops. What meat/seasoning can I pair with the ravioli that isn’t seafood or pork (because I don’t like either haha).
Well I would pair with pork because it pairs well with Maple. Although I will tell you everything goes well with a really good steak in my opinion!
This is my favorite sauce recipe and I also serve it with Trader Joe’s butternut squash ravioli. I add finely chopped fresh sage to it at the end which adds a nice savory hint. Thank you so much for sharing this recipe as I had a hard time a couple years ago and never found one as good as yours!
Thank you Susan! I love it too!
Does anyone have any suggestions of what i can pair with this dish that is vegetarian friendly? Its beautiful but because its so rich i cant eat enough to make a full meal out of it.
I can’t wait to try this! I just struggled across your recipe and it has made me miss Russo’s SO MUCH! Gah! That butternut squash ravioli was a must when they had it!
Totally agree. Another part of history gone!
I have tried different maple cream sauce recipes to use with butternut squash ravioli and have never been satisfied with any of them until now. This sauce tastes delicious and is so easy to make. I added some crumbled bacon (an idea gleaned from another recipe). I’ve printed this one out to put in my tried and true recipe collection!
I love it too Valerie! Believe it or not, I just made this recipe up when I wanted a sauce for butternut ravioli! Enjoy!
Tastes great, incredibly runny. Recommend putting some flour or cornstarch in it
Not sure about cornstarch. You just need to reduce the heavy cream to the consistency you want. The more you cook, the thicker it becomes. Just like with alfredo.