Topless Butternut Ravioli with a Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
I am in love with creamy dreamy savory recipes. This topless butternut ravioli will satisfy all of your cravings. It has a creamy wild mushroom sauce with herbs, savory sautéed chicken, naturally sweet roasted butternut squash, cheesy gouda and even has a crispy fried ravioli toppings.
The single ravioli looked so isolated, bare and lonely here on the plate, just waiting for another layer to make it complete.
I slathered on a layer of creamy butternut squash on the open-faced ravioli.
I placed some sautéed chicken on top of the warm and cozy ravioli bed.
I then drizzled some creamy wild mushroom sauce on top. It seemed naked, open and exposed so I topped it off with another open ravioli. She still was not complete, so I made her layers as high as I could climb.
She is a magnificent tower of creamy dreamy bliss. She needed one final touch of roasted butternut squash, a fried ravioli and some thyme to make her feel complete. She is indeed topless. She has climbed far more layers than could have ever be possible, if I had made her squeeze into a traditional 9x11 baking pan and called her a "lasagna".
This topless butternut ravioli with Sautéed chicken and a creamy wild mushroom sauce is the poster board child for autumn. She has butternut squash, carbs and a creamy dreamy sauce that will warm your body on those cool and crisp evenings.
Maybe, I am craving to hear the crackle of the fall leaves under my feet. Maybe, it is just that I miss the bonfires out in the back yard. Maybe I miss hauling metric tons of yard waste (leaves, sticks and such) from my yard back to the forest while living back in the States. NOT! (I think I am just craving comfort foods)
Maybe I miss the cool crisp air and the ginkgo leaves on the ground in Japan. You can tell the weather is getting cooler in Japan because all the dogs are wearing matching sweaters and even shoes. The placemats will change from pastels to crimsons and greens and even matching little chopstick holders. It is the little changes in Japan that I miss the most.(or maybe I just need some carbs!)
I love the change in the seasons and you are just going to adore this delicious recipe. The first time I created this little recipe was for a ready steady cooking challenge where we were give a few ingredients and some staples and we had to create a meal. The more often I make this little comfort dish, the more I fall in love with it every time. I love the free style topless ravioli, as this is a really fun way to host a dinner party.
However, I also love the fact that you can take this recipe for 2 and make it into a regular lasagna platter, top it off with some additional gouda cheese and white creamy sauce and bake in the oven until golden and bubbly. This version is perfect for a make ahead lasagna dish for a family gathering. All you need to do is to multiply the lasagna noodles, chicken and wild mushroom sauce x 4 to feed a hungry crew. You will also need an additional one cup of gouda grated for the top of the 9 x 11 lasagna dish before baking.
Feel free to use some subsitute or exchange items in this recipe to make your life easier. Maybe you have frozen or canned butternut squash or dried thyme or left over chicken from last nights dinner? Go for it!
Wishing you a super weekend from our house to yours!
Topless Butternut Ravioli with a Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
October 25, 2013
This topless butternut ravioli with wild mushroom creamy sauce and chicken will satisfy all of your cravings as it has a creamy wild mushroom sauce with herbs, savory sauteed chicken, naturally sweet roasted butternut squash, cheesy gouda and even has a crispy fried ravioli topping.
- Cook: 1 hr
- Yields: 2 Adults or 1 Hungry Teenager
Ingredients
lasagna noodles - 8 cooked aldente
Butternut Squash Ingredients
butternut squash - 1 fresh (seeds removed, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes)
thyme - 1 bunch fresh removed from stem (leave some intact and whole for garnishing)
Sauteed Chicken Ingredients
olive oil - to saute the chicken
Creamy Wild Mushroom Sauce
wild mushrooms - handful of assorted wild mushrooms cleaned, stems removed and sliced thinly (shitake, brown mushrooms, button- whatever you like)
Garnishing Ingredients
Baked Butternut Squash cubes - 2 tablespoons
gouda cheese - 1 tablespoon grated
fried ravioli noodle - 1/2 slice fried ravioli noodle (after cooking the ravioli noodles until al dente, place a little olive oil in pan and fry ravioli noodle until slightly toasty brown on each side)
Directions
1Step 1: Bake the butternut squash: Preheat the oven to 190 degrees Celsius. Place squash, olive oil, thyme, nutmeg, garlic, salt and pepper in a bowl and stir until well mixed. Bake butternut squash about 25 minutes or until fork tender. Set aside- keep warm)
2Take 3/4 of the cooked butternut squash and place in blender with 1/4 cup cream and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside and keep warm
3Step 3: Saute the Chicken: Cut the chicken in half lengthwise so cooks evenly or pound chicken flat. Sprinkle chicken with garlic powder, paprika, basil, salt and pepper. Place a tablespoon of oil in pan and saute chicken until cooked- about 4 minutes per side. Chop chicken into bite sized cubes and set aside to keep warm.
4Make the Creamy wild Mushroom Sauce: In a small pot add oil and heat up. Add garlic, onions, wild mushrooms and cook until tender. Add flour and butter to make a roux and cook for a few minutes. Slowly add cream and stir until creamy and smooth, add salt, pepper and chives to taste. Set aside and keep warm.
5Cook lasagna noodles according to directions until al dente and run under cold water. Cut each lasagna noodle in half and set aside. Keep warm.
6Step 6: Assembly: Place one half slice of the cooked lasagna noodle in the center of your plate. Add 1- 2 tablespoon of butternut cream mixture on top. Add a few pieces of chicken on top, a sprinkle of gouda cheese and a drizzle of creamy wild mushroom sauce. Then start the process again with another layer of lasagna, layer of creamy butternut, sautéed chicken, gouda cheese, drizzle of creamy wild mushroom sauce. I made up to 7 layers tall.
7Garnish top of open-faced ravioli with drizzle of creamy wild mushroom sauce, a few roasted butternut squash cubes, thyme and a fried ravioli wedge. Drizzle entire dish with a little white truffle oil. Layers of rich and creamy goodness is sure to bring some warm smiles to your guests.
8
