What Sauce Goes With Pumpkin Ravioli?

Pumpkin ravioli is a classic dish and perfect for chilly evenings during pumpkin season. Made from scratch, you can create a divine seasonal meal, but if in a hurry, many stores and delicatessens carry ready-made pumpkin ravioli. Now, all you need is the sauce!

So what sauces go with pumpkin ravioli? As pumpkins are naturally sweet, you want a sauce that contrasts the sweetness of the ravioli. A butter sauce is a great, simple pairing that enhances the flavor of the ravioli. Or if you are looking for something more indulgent, try a cream and parmesan sauce. 

When it comes to butter sauce, you can actually make it in a variety of different ways and with different twists – brown butter sauce, garlic butter sauce, and sage butter sauce are but a few.

We’ll be looking at these in more detail shortly.

But first, if you find yourself in a hurry, have you considered skipping the sauce entirely?

You can drizzle the ravioli with some olive oil, toss over some grated parmesan, and top it off with some freshly ground salt and pepper.

If you want an extra touch, chop and roast some walnuts to go with it. 

It’s a good workaround, especially if you do not have the ingredients to hand.

Nevertheless, let’s have a closer look at your different options for sauces and the methods for making the various sauces!

Sauces for Pumpkin Ravioli (Pumpkin Ravioli Sauce Options)

• Sage parmesan cream sauce–a deliciously heavy sauce infused with sage and black pepper.
• Brown butter sauce (with pecans)–this is the simplest of sauces, yet it brings out the flavor of the pumpkin ravioli beautifully.
• Sage butter sauce (with hazelnuts)–this simple butter sauce takes winter to the next level with flavors of sage and hazelnut. 
• Garlic and sage brown butter sauce–if you love garlic, you will not be able to resist combining the pumpkin ravioli with a brown butter garlic sauce that adds some zing to your meal.
• Apple sage butter sauce–this butter sauce combines the flavors of fall beautifully and pairs really well with pumpkin (and yes, you do add a touch more sweetness with the apples, but it’s tart enough to work!)         

Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Parmesan Cream Sauce

This indulgent recipe will knock off the socks of anyone who relishes a simple yet hearty Italian fall or winter meal.

Sage is, after all, one of the herbs that rule the colder seasons. 

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups heavy cream
• 3 sage leaves–ripped in half
• 4 each white and black peppercorns–whole
• 1.5 cups parmesan cheese
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh sage
• ¼ tsp white wine vinegar
• ⅛ tsp kosher salt

Method

Step One: You will want to start by reducing and infusing the cream (no pun intended!). Use a medium saucepan (preferably with a thick bottom) to pour the cream in. Add the ripped sage leaves and peppercorns and bring to a simmer. Stir with a rubber spatula every couple of minutes to ensure the sauce does not stick to the bottom. 

Step Two: Once the cream has been reduced to about half the initial quantity (about 15-20 minutes), strain the solids and return the liquid to the saucepan.

Step Three: Stir the parmesan cheese, chopped sage, vinegar, and salt into the cream. Let simmer for two minutes while stirring continuously. Taste to check you don’t need any extra salt. 

Pumpkin Ravioli With Brown Butter Sauce (And Pecans)

If you want something simple, then this brown butter sauce is the way to go! Add pecans for some extra flavor and texture.

Ingredients

• 4 oz butter
• 2 ½ tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• 1 ½ tablespoons brown sugar
• ¼ cup pecans, toasted, chopped
• Salt to taste

Method

Step One: Toast the pecans for 10 minutes in an oven preheated to 350 F. They should be slightly browned. Once cooled off, chop the pecans. 

Step Two: Use a large skillet for melting the butter over medium heat for about four minutes–it should just start to brown when you remove it from the heat. Once the butter has been removed from the heat, you add the balsamic vinegar and brown sugar. Season with salt and taste. Add the ravioli to the skillet and spoon over the sauce, then transfer to plates and sprinkle with the roasted and chopped pecans. 

Pumpkin Ravioli With Sage Butter Sauce (With Hazelnuts)

If you want a true fall/winter dish with lots of flavor, then using a sage butter sauce with hazelnuts for your pumpkin ravioli is a winner.

The sauce works without the hazelnuts, too, in case you’re allergic. 

Ingredients

• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 6 fresh sage leaves or ¾ teaspoons of ground sage
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg (sub with ground nutmeg in case you don’t have fresh nutmeg at hand)
• ½ cup grated parmesan
• 2 amaretti cookies
• ½ cup toasted and chopped hazelnuts (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

Step One: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Spread out the hazelnuts on a rimmed baking sheet or on a baking tray. Roast the hazelnuts for about ten minutes or until the skin starts to brown and crack. Stir occasionally.  

Step Two: Melt the stick of butter over low heat in a small sautée pan or saucepan. 

Step Three: Tear the fresh sage leaves. Just as the butter begins to sizzle and brown, toss the torn sage leaves into the pan and fry for about 20-30 seconds. 

Step Four: Remove the pan from the heat and grate in the nutmeg. Stir. 

Step Five: Plate the ravioli and pour the butter sauce over the ravioli, and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese.

Step Six: Sprinkle the plates with roasted and chopped hazelnuts and grate the amaretti cookies over the dish and serve immediately. Season to taste with freshly ground salt and pepper.

Pumpkin Ravioli With Garlic And Sage Brown Butter Sauce

If you just can’t resist the taste of garlic, then what better sauce to pair your pumpkin ravioli with than garlic and sage brown butter sauce?

If you aren’t a fan of sage, you can even omit that, though it adds a lovely touch to the meal. 

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup butter
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh sage, finely cut

Method

Step One: Mince the garlic and cut the sage. 

Step Two: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan.  

Step Three: Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic and cook for one minute. Ensure you don’t burn the garlic–watch the temperature. 

Step Four: Add the sage and season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Step Five: Either plate the ravioli and spoon over the sauce or add the ravioli to the pan, spoon over the sauce and then serve on plates. If fancy takes you, you can always grate some parmesan over the ravioli, too.

Pumpkin Ravioli with Apple Sage Butter Sauce

This recipe beautifully combines the tastes of fall and winter.

And the apple, while sweet like the pumpkin, adds a refreshing tang. A little bit tartness, in other words. 

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter
• 16-18 fresh sage leaves chopped or ripped
• 1 apple – gala or Honeycrisp peeled, cored, and diced
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup walnuts chopped

Method

Step One: Chop the walnuts and toast them in a small pan over medium heat. Stir often to avoid them burning. Cook until fragrant–about three to four minutes. 

Step Two: Put the butter in a large skillet and melt, again, over medium heat. Add the apple and apple cider vinegar and let it cook for two to three minutes. In the meantime, tear or chop the sage, then add that, and let it cook for another two to three minutes. It should, by that time, start to sizzle and fry. 

Step Three: Add the pumpkin ravioli to the butter sauce and scoop the sauce over the ravioli. 

Step Four: Plate the ravioli and sprinkle with the toasted walnuts. Add freshly ground salt and pepper if desired. 

The No Sauce Option

As mentioned in the intro, you can serve pumpkin ravioli as is–drizzle a bit of olive oil, or add a tablespoon of butter on top, season, and serve.

You can also grate some parmesan cheese on top or sprinkle some toasted nuts (as you can see, walnuts, hazelnuts, and pecans are favorites for pumpkin ravioli). 

The Side Salad

As pumpkin ravioli can be quite a heavy meal (especially if you go with the cream sauce), consider a side salad.

An arugula salad with leftover toasted nuts, apples, and cranberries is a great pairing. You can opt to add some green cheese to the salad, too.

For something a bit more bitter (great for contrast!), switch the arugula for endives.

For something sweeter, switch the arugula for baby spinach. Arugula comes in somewhere in the middle of those!  

Love Ravioli? Wondering what the best sauces are for other types? Then my other related guides may be of interest:

• What Sauce Goes With Butternut Squash Ravioli?
• What Sauce Goes With Spinach Ricotta Ravioli?
• What Sauce Goes With Lobster Ravioli?
• What Sauce Goes With Mushroom Ravioli?