Thompson Nutritional Yeast Flakes -- 9.2 oz

To be a chef, you have to act like a chef. At any high-end restaurant, you’d see the kitchen staff spend hours just on prep work. While you may not be feeding hundreds of hungry customers in one night, prep work will still be your secret sauce – especially for a dish as elegant, creamy, comforting and flavorful as butternut squash ravioli. And if you really want some culinary cred, make the pasta from scratch. This recipe provides step-by-step directions to get you there.

Makes 3-4 servings
Prep time: 1 hour
Cook time: 10 minutes

Pasta Dough

1 cup semolina flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
2 egg yolks
1 Tbsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt
Splash of water

Butternut Filling

1 butternut squash, peeled and diced, divided
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 Tbsp. MRM Mesquite
1 Tbsp. chopped sage
Zest of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper to taste

Butternut Sauce

Remaining butternut squash
2 Tbsp. butter or butter alternative
1 cup milk or milk alternative

Moringa Pesto

4 cups basil
1/4 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
1/2 cup olive oil
3 Tbsp. MRM Raw Organic Moringa Powder
2 cloves garlic
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. For ravioli dough: On a clean work surface, combine the flours and create a well in the middle.
2. Place eggs, yolks, olive oil and water in the well. Use a fork to mix together. Mix until flour and egg mixture combine to form a wet dough.
3. Using your hands, bring together all remaining dry mix and begin to knead. Continue kneading for 5-6 minutes, or until combined and smooth. Cover in cling film and set in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
4. For butternut filling: Preheat oven to 220 degrees F.
5. On a tray, evenly spread out ricotta cheese and place in oven for 30 minutes to dry slightly.
6. In a frying pan over medium heat, cook 2 cups diced butternut squash with olive oil and mesquite powder for 5-6 minutes. Remove from stove and let cool.
7. Stir in dried ricotta, sage, lemon zest, salt and pepper.
8. Place filling in a bowl until ready to stuff raviolis.
9. For butternut sauce: In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add remaining diced butternut squash and cook down until soft. Add milk, and then bring to a boil.
10. Transfer mixture to a blender and process until smooth. Add a pinch of salt, if desired.
11. For pesto: Add all pesto ingredients to a blender or food processor and blend until well combined.
12. Finish the ravioli: If using fresh pasta and a pasta roller, remove dough from fridge and roll it through once time. Fold over and roll through again. Turn settle down by one notch and repeat the process until you’ve gone through all the settings on your roller. Lay pasta on a lightly floured surface.
13. If using store-bought pasta: Simply unwrap and lay on a lightly floured surface.
14. Using a two-inch cookie cutter, cut pasta into rounds. Do this in small batches to prevent pasta from drying out. Cover remaining pasta with a damp cloth.
15. Fill the ravioli: Spoon a teaspoon of butternut filling into the center of half the pasta rounds. Brush the outside with a little water and cover with a second pasta round. Gentle squeeze together around the outside edges to create a complete ravioli. Repeat until all raviolis are made.
16. Cook ravioli: In a large sauce pan over high heat, add stuffed raviolis with a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Boil for 3 minutes. Drain sauce pan.
17. Add a squeeze of lemon over raviolis and toss while still in the drainer.
18. In a frying pan over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and chopped sage. Heat until butter browns.
19. Spread moringa pesto over 3-4 plates and top with drained ravioli. Pour sage butter over top and serve with butternut sauce.