Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce

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Impress your guests with this delicious and elegant Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce. Homemade ravioli, made with wonton wrappers, is a perfect meatless meal that’s on the table in under 30 minutes.

This post and recipe card updated March 7, 2020

This recipe was featured in Stillwater Living Magazine

Everyone who knows me knows that I am a big fan of pasta. Always have been, always will be.

I’m good about portion control at home, and only cook what I will eat. Because if I make a big batch, rest assured I’ll eat way more than I should. The only exception is my Baked Homemade Mac and Cheese, but that’s another story.

As much as I love pasta, I don’t recall my parents ever making filled pastas when I was growing up. So the only time I ever ate ravioli, stuffed shells, manicotti, etc. was at restaurants.

For my first filled pasta recipe, I wanted something relatively simple. And as we head into spring, it’s the perfect opportunity to create a spring-inspired dish that can be enjoyed year-round. So I got my creative juices flowing and created Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS

• The ravioli is really easy to make, and you can be so creative with the filling
• The sauce is fabulous, and you can make a big batch and use it for other types of pasta
• This dish is easy enough for weeknight dinner, and elegant enough for entertaining

My goodness, Spinach Ravioli with Asparagus Garlic Butter Sauce is so delicious! Delicate and so flavorful, with a wonderful combination of textures.

INGREDIENT TIPS FOR SPINACH RAVIOLI WITH ASPARAGUS GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Full disclosure: the ravioli is labor-intensive on the first try. And my kitchen looked like the fridge exploded! But once I made them a couple of times, the process got much faster.

You can find Wonton Wrappers in the produce section of nearly every grocery store, alongside tofu and other vegetarian options

Spinach, ricotta cheese, and mozzarella are pretty bland on their own, so I punch up the mixture with Nutmeg, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.

I use my Homemade Ricotta, because it’s super easy to make. You can also use store-bought, and use either whole milk or part-skim.

Use fresh baby spinach. Yes, you could use frozen, but then you’d have to thaw it and squeeze out all the liquid. Besides, you can find baby spinach in the produce section of the grocery store year-round.

Toasted Pine Nuts and fresh-grated Parmesan cheese are wonderful flavor additions to the final dish.

GARLIC BUTTER SAUCE

Use real butter. It melts the best, has a wonderful flavor, and a little goes a long way.

Use a white wine that you like to drink. If you don’t, you’ll end up with a sauce you don’t like. The alcohol cooks out, leaving nothing but gorgeous flavor.

I love garlic so I leave it in the finished dish. But if you don’t want pieces of garlic, remove them before serving.

IMPORTANT TIPS FOR USING WONTON WRAPPERS

• Don’t use more than 1/2 tablespoon of filling per ravioli, and press out the air pockets once you put the top wrapper over the bottom wrapper
• Seal the edges of the ravioli well. An egg wash around the edges forms the initial seal, and then I press the edges of a fork around all 4 sides
• Wonton wrappers are delicate and fresh, like homemade pasta, so the ravioli only takes about 2 minutes to cook
• Cook the ravioli in a large pot, and in batches of 4-5 at a time, so they don’t stick together.

STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Remove pine nuts immediately and set aside.

Heat oil in the same skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook for 2 minutes; then add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add baby spinach and cook until wilted.

Remove mixture from the skillet, allow it to cool, and chop into small pieces. Wipe the skillet clean.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta, mozzarella, onion powder, garlic powder, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

Add spinach mixture to cheese mixture, and mix well until fully combined.

Lay wonton wrappers on a flat surface. Scoop 1/2 tablespoon of the filling into the center of 12 wrappers.

Spread a thin layer of the egg wash along the edges of the wrappers with the filling

Cover each filled wrapper with a plain wrapper. Press lightly around the filling to remove the air bubbles, and then firmly press the edges.

Take a fork and press the edge of the fork tines around all 4 edges of each ravioli.

Melt butter in the same skillet over medium heat. Add asparagus and saute for 5 minutes, until tender-crisp. Remove asparagus and set aside.

Melt remaining butter in skillet. Add garlic and wine, and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add ravioli in batches of 4-5 at a time, and cook for 2 minutes each. Drain ravioli and immediately toss in garlic butter sauce.

Plate ravioli and sauce, and top with asparagus and pine nuts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Can you make Spinach Ravioli ahead? You can definitely make the filling ahead, and store it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.

How about leftovers? The ravioli is so delicate, it won’t hold up very well to reheating. Instead, I recommend making a larger batch of the filling and making more ravioli as needed.

MORE RECIPES WITH BABY SPINACH

• Sausage Spinach Artichoke Stuffed Shells
• Spinach and Bacon Stuffed Mushrooms
• Orecchiette with Sausage, Kale, Garlic &Pine Nuts
• Roasted Chickpea Spinach Salad
• Spinach Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups

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