Handmade Ravioli with Summer Squash and Zucchini in Lemon Cream Sauce

handmade spinach and cheese ravioli with squash and zucchini topped with a lemon cream sauce

I made a special dinner for the lady and me this past week.  While making handmade ravioli is time consuming, the satisfaction and rolling pin workout is worthwhile in the end.  The lemon cream sauce in this dish was really delicious and a nice change up to using pasta sauce.  Also, I've handmade ravioli a few times now, but I think this turned out the best so far.  A couple of things I've noticed that helped out this batch: 1) be sure to roll out the pasta dough so that it is thin enough that its almost ready to rip; and 2) make the filling so that it is fairly dry since it can make the pasta sticky and easily broken when cooked.  The recipe for pasta dough was found here and the sauce was based off of a Real Simple magazine article I read recently.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 1-2 hrs (if hand making ravioli), otherwise 20-30 minutes
Cook Time: 30-40 min

Ingredients:

1 lb ravioli (handmade or store bought)
1 tbsp olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1-2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 lb summer squash and zucchini, thickly sliced
3/4 cup heavy cream
1 full lemon zest, approximately 1 tbsp (add slice of squeezed lemon for more flavor)
salt and pepper to taste
freshly grated Parmesan (optional)
1-2 chives for garnish
red peper flakes to taste

Directions:

• cook ravioli in boiling water
• lightly saute garlic and shallots in oil over medium heat for 1-2 min
• add squash and zucchini and season with salt and pepper to taste
• cook and toss for 4-5 min or until vegetables begin to soften
• add cream and lemon zest and cook for 1-2 min or until cream has lightly thickened
• top ravioli with sauce and vegetables serve 
• add Parmesan, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper to taste  

Potential Alternatives:

• lots of options for ravioli, I used a spinach and ricotta cheese filling for these, other possibilities include mushroom or butternut squash
• try other vegetables in the sauce (i.e. broccoli, swiss chard, peppers)
• I added some red pepper flakes for some spice but feel free to leave out
• make with whole wheat pasta
• go traditional with just a homemade red sauce instead

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