There is just something so satisfying with pasta, whatever the shape or form it may be. Moreover, it is one of the most adaptable forms of food. The creamy and sweet pumpkin ricotta ravioli in marsala sauce is one such adaptation to cozy up these cold autumn days. The sweetness and nuttiness of the pumpkin paired with the creamy and refreshing ricotta, all tangled up like little parcels in rich egg pumpkin dough, smothered in prosciutto, sage, and Marsala sauce, is simply too good to pass on.
It may sound complicated and daunting to make ravioli at home. Yes, it can be time-consuming, but you can always make a huge batch and freeze the extras. So, next time you are craving some pumpkin ricotta ravioli or need a quick lunch or dinner, grab some frozen ravioli, cook them and drop in the sauce. You should be all set and ready to eat in about 10 minutes.
So, let’s see how to make these little delights.
Making the pumpkin ricotta ravioli in Marsala sauce
First, you need to make pasta. I also wanted the pasta to have a pumpkin kick, so I swapped some eggs for the pumpkin puree. Plus, it is a bit healthier option.
If you have a food processor, this is the time to use it.
Mixing pasta requires a bit of muscle action. So if you have already had your daily exercise, use the food processor; otherwise, go for it.
When initially mixed, the dough will be pretty dense, and you may wonder how you will even roll it thins like the lasagna sheets. But, don’t worry, it will soften up as it relaxes.
I usually leave it in the fridge for at least an hour to rest. Alternatively, you can make the dough the night before and leave it in the refrigerator overnight.
Onto the pumpkin filling
This step could not be more straightforward.
Again, we use the mighty food processor, but you can easily mix this by hand. Just add all the ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until evenly mixed. Don’t overmix to get a gooey paste.
To adjust the taste, pulse several times without the egg yolk, taste, and adjust the seasoning if needed. Then add the egg yolk and finish the mixing.
Making the little pockets of deliciousness – ravioli
At this stage, you have several options.
Roll the dough out by hand or using the pasta maker, place the 1.5 teaspoon of the filling spaced one inch apart, brush the pasta with water or egg white, place another long strip of dough over it, seal the two doughs, cut, and viola you have the ravioli.
Roll out the dough and place 1 1/2 tsp of the filling on one half of the dough spaced 1in apart. Brush with water. 
Fold over the other half of the dough. 
Press around each filling tryin to get as much air out and cut into pieces. 
Dust the ravioli with semolina flour.
The second option is to use the ravioli maker to get very uniform ravioli.
Use the clean egg to make indents in the pasta dough. 
Add the filling and brush the dough with water. 
Fold the remaining dough over and seal it by rolling and pressing the rolling pin down. 
Dust with the semolina flour and invert the ravioli to fall out of the mold.
If you are in a hurry and are not bothered by the non-uniformity of your ravioli, roll out the pasta with the machine and make the ravioli by hand.
Either way, they will be delicious.
About the sage, butter, and Marsala
I love quick pasta sauces.
This one combines some of my favorite fall ingredients, sage, prosciutto, and Marsala. Marsala is a fortified wine from Sicily, that has a sweet and nutty fragrance and taste. It makes for wonderful sauce especially when paired with sage and prosciutto. Since it is such a distinctive wine, I would not recommend to substitute it for anything else. To get the real Marsala, make sure it is produced in Sicily.
First, the prosciutto and sage leaves are cooked in butter until they start to crisp up. I like to take them out so that they remain crisp and chip-like. Then you add the garlic and sweat it a bit, followed by the Marsala. Finally, let the alcohol cook out and evaporate, leaving a nice tangy and sweet sauce behind.
Add in the cooked ravioli, and you got yourself the pumpkin ricotta ravioli in Marsala sauce ready for serving!
The ravioli freeze well. Place the uncooked ravioli on a baking sheet with parchment paper, leaving space between them. Place in the freezer until frozen solid. Transfer to a freezer zip-lock bag, write the date and store it in the freezer for future use.
There is no need to defrost the ravioli before cooking. Instead, simply toss the desired portion of frozen ravioli in the boiling salted water and cook for about 10-14 minutes, depending on their size.
More pumpkin recipes …
If you love pumpkin here are some more recipes which you may enjoy:
- Sourdough pumpkin buns
- Pumpkin, kale, mushrooms and chestnuts sourdough tart
- Sourdough pumpkin crescent rolls
- Sourdough pumpkin buns
- Pumpkin coconut soup
- Sourdough pumpkin pancakes with caramelized apples
Pumpkin ricotta ravioli in prosciutto, sage, and marsala sauce
Equipment & Tools
- Stand mixer pasta attachment or pasta machine
- Ravioli maker
- Food processor
- Rolling pin (optional)
INGREDIENTS
PASTA DOUGH
- 1 egg
- 75 g pumpkin puree
- 250 g T00 flour
RAVIOLI FILLING
- 200 g pumpkin puree
- 150 g ricotta
- 40 g parmesan cheese
- 50 g pecorino cheese
- ¼ tsp cinnamon (Ceylon)
- 1 tbsp maple syrup
- 1 egg yolk
- ½ tsp salt (to taste)
- ¼ tsp black pepper
THE SAUCE
- 5 slices prosciutto
- 1 tsp olive oil (extra virgin)
- 3 tbsp butter (unsalted)
- 1 bunch sage leaves (fresh, small to medium size)
- 1 garlic clove
- ¼ cup Marsala wine
- salt and pepper (to taste)
OTHER
- 1 cup semolina flour
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKE THE PASTA DOUGH
- Add all the pasta dough ingredients in the food processor and pulse until there are no dry bits and the dough starts to resemble breadcrumbs.Knead the dough by hand for another 4 minutes to form a smooth ball.Place in the airtight container and let it rest in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.
MAKE THE RAVIOLI FILLING
- Add all the raviolli filling ingredients except the egg yolk in the bowl of a food processor. Pule several times. Taste and adjust seasoning. It should have a sweeter note.Add the egg yolk and pulse until all the ingredients are incorporated evenly. Set aside.
SHAPE THE RAVIOLI
- Cut the dough into 4 pieces. Take one piece, while the rest should be covered in the airtight container. Flatten it with your hand or a rolling pin.
- Using the pasta roller machine on the widest setting (zero on mine) roll out the dough. Fold it over itself along the long edge and pass it through the machine. Repeat one more time.Set to the next width, 1, and roll out the dough. Repeat at the settings 2,3,4, and 5 (Note 1).
- Dust the ravioli maker with some semolina flour. Place the pasta dough on top and using a clean (washed) egg make the indents in the ravioli mold by gently pressing the egg in the mold. Dust the egg with flour if necessary.
- Place 1½ teaspoon of the ravioli filling in each of the indents.
- Brush the pasta around the filling with water. Starting from one edge place another sheet of the pasta dough over. As you place the pasta dough gently press any air out.
- Using a small rolling pin and starting from one edge, gently pres and roll towards the other edge of the ravioli mold. The two pasta sheet will connect and the ravioli will be cut out.
- Dust the ravioli with the semolina flour and invert them onto a semolina dusted baking sheet. Make sure there is plenty of space between the ravioli.
- Cook the ravioli in a salted boiling water for 3-4 minutes or until al dente. Drain and reserve some water for the sauce.
THE SAUCE
- Add the olive oil and the prosciutto to the skillet. Cook on medium heat until crisp. Set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of butter and sage leaves. Cook until the sage leaves are crisp. Add the sage leaves to the prosciutto.
- Cook the garlic just enough to release the smell but not take on the color. Add the Marsala wine. Turn the heat up and cook for about 30 seconds. Add the remaining two tablespoons of butter and reduce to sauce consistency. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Add the cooked ravioli and mix so that each ravioli is coated in sauce. Crumble the crisp prosciutto on top along with the sage. Serve immediately.
NOTES
- Please note that not all pasta sheet rollers are the same. For this recipe I used the KitchenAid pasta sheet roller attachment. Adjust the thickness to your pasta sheet roller. If you are rolling the dough by hand the thickness should be about 1/16″ (0.156 cm).
