Friday Foodie - Pumpkin Ravioli in Herbed Cheese Sauce

Back in February I picked up about 25 new cookbooks. They weren't really new but they were new to me. One of these cookbooks was the Vegetarian Times Complete Cookbook. When we moved into the new house I quickly unpacked the cookbooks. Furniture? Not needed. Clothes? replaceable. Cookbooks? Priceless.

So I'm offering up another scrumptious recipe that makes Meatless Monday painless.

A couple of days ago I picked out this recipe. I modified it just a little in order to take advantage of that great sale I got on cheese. I noted the changes that I made.



Pumpkin Filled Ravioli in Herbed Cream Sauce
Ravioli

1 cup canned pumpkin or homemade pumpkin puree
1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potato*
Pinch nutmeg*
Dash salt
1/4 teaspoon white pepper, or to taste*
72 wonton wrappers*

* For the mashed sweet potato I used a boxed mix that I got awhile ago on a great sale. I didn't use the nutmeg because the mix had it in there already. I also just used plain black pepper. Really, who has white pepper? That's just way too fancy for me.

* Dang! I used half this many wonton wrappers for the three of us. I still had enough left overs for lunch. I figured on 3 to 4 raviolis per person.

Sauce

one 4 ounce package light cream cheese, at room temperature*
1/2 cup plain low-fat yogurt*
1/2 cup skim milk
1 tablespoon unbleached white flour*
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)
1/4 teaspoon salt
White pepper to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

* I used some soft herb cheese that I had gotten on sale. Another substitutions I made was to use Greek yogurt and regular white flour.



Ravioli: In a bowl, combine all the ingredients except the wonton wrappers. Place about 6 wonton wrappers on your lightly floured work surface. mound 1 tablespoon filling in the center, and wet the edges of the wrapper with a little water. Place a second wrapper over the first, pressing down around the filling to expel any air. Seal the edges and trim the excess dough around the filling with a sharp knife or a decorative cookie cutter. Transfer the ravioli to a dry towel. Repeat the process with the remaining wontons. Turnover the ravioli occasionally to let them dry slightly. Yeah, this all sounds like a pain in the butt. It really is not. Doing a half dozen at a time makes it easier.


Bring a large pot of salted water to a gentle boil. Cook the ravioli in batches of 8 to 12 until they rise to the surface and are tender, about 2 minutes. Do not let the water boil vigorously. Transfer the cooked ravioli to a dishcloth. cover and keep warm.

Sauce: Mash together the softened cheese, yogurt and milk in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour. Stir over low heat until very smooth. Do not let the sauce boil. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper (skip this part if you are using herb cheese). Remove from the heat.

To serve: divide the ravioli among 6 individual plates and top with the sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Per serving: 394 cal. 18g protein. 6 g fat. 65g carb. 18mg cholestrol. 299mg Sodium. 13g fiber.

This was a fantastic recipe that everyone in the family loved. The left overs got gobbled up for lunch. For something that seems sort of fancy dancy it wasn't all that hard. I was able to put it together in about 30 minutes. That is my upper time limit for dinner these days. The whole work thing gets in the way.


I used the left over pumpkin mixture to make pumpkin coffee cake. Yumm.

If you like pumpkin give this one a try. You don't have to wait until Thanksgiving for pumpkin anything. It's like eating your desert first. You're all grown up (at least chronologically) so you can get your desert first. Eat your pumpkin out of season! Be a rebel! A rebel without a squash.

Shout out your favorite ravioli ingredients. Got something weird? Like goat's liver? Anthrax ripple?

Love,
M