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Pumpkin ravioli pairs fresh pasta pockets with a creamy pumpkin, ricotta, Parmesan, and nutmeg filling, finished in garlic brown butter with crisp sage and spiced pecans. This is definitely a pasta project, but trust me, the final result is worth the extra effort. Is there really anything better than fresh pasta? It takes a little more time, but the texture is so light while still being sturdy enough to hold a filling and stand up to a rich sauce like this one. When those fall pasta cravings hit, this is the recipe you’ll want to make.
Why You’ll Love This Pumpkin Ravioli
- Sweet and savory: Pumpkin has a subtle natural sweetness that works so well with the rest of the ingredients here. We often think of pumpkin only in sweet dishes and lattes, but it pairs so perfectly with savory flavors as well.
- A true pasta project: This isn’t a 20-minute weeknight dinner, and we’re not pretending it is! It’s for those days when you actually want to get into the kitchen, make fresh pasta, and enjoy the process on a crisp fall day.
- Texture on texture: You get tender fresh pasta, creamy pumpkin filling, crisp sage, and crunchy pecans all in the same bite.
- So satisfying: If you’ve been wanting to try a pumpkin ravioli recipe completely from scratch, this is your sign.
What This Recipe Actually Makes
Let’s clear something up right away: we’re making the ravioli and the sauce here. These aren’t store-bought ravioli tossed into a homemade sauce. Yes, you can skip making your own homemade ravioli and buy some, but you won’t get the same result.
Maria Koutsogiannia
Maria is the creator of FoodByMaria and your go-to Greek food expert for cozy, flavor-packed recipes. Inspired by her Mediterranean roots, she brings traditional Greek flavors, feel-good ingredients, and a whole lot of joy to everyday cooking.
The fresh pasta is filled with canned pumpkin purée, ricotta, Parmesan, nutmeg, onion powder, salt, and pepper. Once cooked, the ravioli are tossed in brown butter with fresh sage, garlic, and pumpkin spice pecans.
It’s rich, savory, nutty, and fall-coded without turning pumpkin into dessert. The brown butter mixture is the pumpkin ravioli sauce for this recipe, so everything is designed to work together from the filling to those final toppings.
Key Ingredients and Their Jobs
Fresh pasta sheets: Fresh pasta is the foundation here, and its texture is exactly why I think making it yourself is worth it for filled pasta. You can use my homemade pasta dough recipe to prepare the sheets before assembling your ravioli.
Pumpkin purée: Check that can before it goes into your cart, people! You want plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pumpkin pie filling already contains sweeteners and spices and will completely change your savory pumpkin ravioli filling.
Ricotta + Parmesan: Ricotta makes the filling creamy while Parmesan brings saltiness, flavor, and structure. You can swap the ricotta for my cashew ricotta if needed, but keep in mind that this doesn’t replace the Parmesan or butter elsewhere in the recipe.
Nutmeg + onion powder: The nutmeg gives the pumpkin warmth without making the filling taste like pumpkin pie, while onion powder rounds out the savory flavor.
Butter + garlic + sage: Truly one of the best flavor combinations. As the butter browns, the milk solids become golden and develop that unmistakable nutty aroma. Fresh sage gets crispy, and the garlic adds another savory layer.
Pumpkin spice pecans: These bring crunch to an otherwise soft and creamy dish.
The Technique That Keeps Ravioli Sealed
The difference between homemade pumpkin ravioli and a pot of pumpkin filling floating around in pasta water really comes down to the seal.
Keep any pasta you’re not actively working with covered so the edges don’t dry out. When adding your filling, leave a clean border around it. Filling smeared onto that border makes it much harder for the two pasta sheets to bond properly.
Next, get that air out! As you cover the filling, gently press out any trapped air before completely sealing the ravioli. Air expands as the ravioli cook and can cause them to burst.
If you’re using a ravioli mold, you want to see defined pockets and completely pressed seams, with the frame of the mold visible through the top layer of pasta. Filling shouldn’t be squeezing out into those seams (see photos above).
No ravioli maker? No problem. You can also cut and seal the ravioli by hand. Either way, transfer the finished pieces to your prepared tray in a single layer so they don’t stick together or tear.
When it’s time to cook them, don’t attack them with a wild rolling boil. Keep the water at a gentler boil and avoid crowding the pot. The ravioli beginning to float is one indication they’re ready, but also check that the pasta is tender around the thicker sealed edge.
Brown Butter Sage Sauce Success Cues
Brown butter sounds fancy, but your eyes and nose are your best tools here.
The butter will first melt and begin to foam. As it continues cooking, watch the milk solids carefully. You’re looking for a golden-brown color and a distinctly nutty smell.
Once you hit that point, pay attention because brown butter can go from perfectly toasted to burnt FAST.
For this sauce, the sage should finish crisp rather than dark and bitter, while the garlic should smell fragrant without burning. Those little details matter because there’s nowhere for burnt garlic or butter to hide in a simple sauce like this.
The final sauce should taste nutty, garlicky, savory, and rich, with the sage and spiced pecans giving you texture in every bite.
Troubleshooting Homemade Ravioli
Why is the filling leaking out?
There are a few likely culprits: too much filling, filling smeared onto the sealing border, trapped air inside the ravioli, pasta edges that dried out before sealing, or seams that weren’t pressed together completely.
Keep your borders clean and take the extra few seconds to press out the air and check every seal.
Why did the ravioli burst in the pot?
Even well-made ravioli need a little TLC when they’re cooking. A weak seal can open up, but an aggressive boil or overcrowded pot can also knock the ravioli around and cause them to split.
Work in batches, keep the boil gentle, and remove the ravioli carefully with a slotted spoon.
Why did my brown butter burn?
Brown butter moves quickly once the milk solids start changing color, and the residual heat in your skillet keeps cooking them even after you adjust the heat.
Watch for golden-brown milk solids and that nutty aroma instead of relying exclusively on a timer.
Why is my filling loose?
The consistency of pumpkin purée can vary between brands. You want the filling to be creamy but sturdy enough to portion into the pasta without immediately spreading everywhere.
What to Serve with Pumpkin Ravioli
Pumpkin ravioli is rich from the cheese and brown butter, so I love serving it with something fresh and simple on the side.
A peppery arugula salad is perfect because those fresh, slightly bitter greens help cut through the richness of the pasta and butter sauce.
If you’re making this as part of a bigger dinner, add my no-knead bread to the table. Because is bread beside a bowl of homemade pasta excessive? Maybe. Do I care? Absolutely not.
Storage, Freezing, and Make-Ahead Notes
This recipe is a great candidate for making the ravioli ahead because you can get the more time-consuming pasta assembly out of the way before you’re ready to serve dinner.
For uncooked ravioli, arrange the pieces in a single layer on a lightly floured, parchment-lined baking sheet so they aren’t touching before freezing. Once completely firm, they can be transferred to an airtight container or bag so they don’t freeze together in one giant ravioli brick.
FAQs
Yes. Use plain canned pumpkin purée, not pumpkin pie filling. Pie filling is already sweetened and spiced, which would change the flavor and consistency significantly.
No. A 12-piece ravioli maker gives the pasta a consistent shape, but you can also cut the dough into squares with a knife or pizza cutter. Add the filling, moisten the clean border, cover with a second piece of dough, press out the air, and pinch the edges securely.
The ravioli will begin to float, and the pasta should feel tender at the thicker sealed edge. Treat floating as one cue rather than the only test, and keep the water at a gentle boil so the filled pasta doesn’t split.
Yes. Arrange the uncooked ravioli in a single layer on a lightly floured, parchment-lined tray and freeze until firm before transferring them to an airtight container. Keep the pieces separated so they don’t stick together.
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Ingredients
Pumpkin Ravioli
- 4 fresh pasta sheets
- 1 ¼ cup pumpkin puree
- ½ cup ricotta
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- pinch ground pepper
- ¾ cup parmesan cheese
Pumpkin Spice Pecans Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 1 tbsp grated garlic (from about 3 garlic cloves)
- ½ cup Sante Nuts Pumpkin Spice Pecans, chopped plus more for garnish
- 1x bunch Fresh sage (20 fresh sage leaves)
- salt to taste
Instructions
Start CookingPumpkin Ravioli
- Make a batch of pasta dough (see notes below for a link to our pasta dough recipe) or use premade dough. You’ll need 4 sheets of dough, each piece of dough at least 4.5 inches wide and 14 inches long and about ⅛ inch thick.
- In a bowl combine pumpkin puree, ricotta, salt, onion powder, nutmeg, ground pepper and shredded parmesan cheese. Set aside.
- If using a 12 piece ravioli maker follow the instructions below. If you do not have a 12-piece ravioli maker see notes below.
- Dust the top of the rolled-out dough with more flour and your ravioli maker/press.
- Flip the dough over and place it onto the ravioli maker. Gently press the plastic ravioli piece into the top of the dough, making small pouches. Fill the pouches with 1 tablespoon of pumpking filling each.
- Using water, lightly brush all of the edges of the ravioli maker, around the filling. With a rolling pin or pasta maker roll out another piece of dough very thin, approximately 1/8-inch-thick- making it large enough to cover the area of the entire ravioli press.
- Transfer the pasta sheet to cover the ravioli maker, removing air pockets.
- Seal all edges by running a rolling pin over the top. Roll across the dough in all directions until the frame is visible through the pasta.
- On a lightly floured surface, flip the ravioli maker upside down and gently tap the edges on the surface to release the ravioli.
- Transfer all of the ravioli to a baking sheet covered in parchment paper, until ready to cook. Repeat the process to make another batch.
Pumpkin Spice Pecans Brown Butter Sage Sauce
- To make the brown butter sauce, in a large skillet melt the butter over medium heat until starting to foam. Then turn to medium-low heat and continue cooking until butter starts to smell nutty and turns a golden brown colour, about 4 minutes.
- Add the grated garlic and sage and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant and sage leaves are crispy. Add the pecans and then remove the pan from the heat.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Then working in batches, cook ravioli until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Ravioli will start to float to the surface when done cooking. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked ravioli and place right in the brown butter sauce. Turn back to medium-low heat and toss gently with the sauce, ensuring each ravioli is covered, about 2-3 minutes.
- Serve topped with more pecans, parmesan cheese and pinch of salt.
Notes
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So good!