Won ton wrappers make the best ravioli! Years ago I realized that I could make homemade ravioli without having to make fresh pasta. I started out making little tortellinis but wanted more filling so I made ravioli. These wrappers are not only super easy to use, but they are thin and they cook very quickly. I especially love that they become transparent and you can see the filling inside each one. I keep packages of them in my freezer so I can use them whenever we are craving fresh raviolis. I topped these with some cilantro pecan pesto.
Fresh pumpkins have the best flavor when cooked. I get this beautiful pumpkin squash from my friend and neighbor’s garden! They aren’t as big as the pumpkins you see during Halloween though…these have a lot of flesh and are easy to cut through. Their seeds are amazingly delicious roasted with a bit of coconut oil (I’ll post that later). The chard is from our little garden. I really like to harvest the smaller leaves because they are more tender. The chard stems are edible, but I didn’t use them in this recipe. Yes, thats Gary helping me fill the raviolis- he was very good at it. I think we made about 50 of them! We cooked some up for dinner and then saved some for the next day and froze the rest.
They are very delicate so you will need to first freeze them laid out on a baking sheet lightly dusted with a bit of rice flour. Then they can easily be transferred to a freezer bag or container. This way they won’t all stick together.
Feel free to add some cheese into the filling…like ricotta, parmesan or fresh goat cheese. It would be delicious!
pumpkin squash, sage & chard ravioli with cilantro pecan pesto
makes a lot (about 50)
ingredients
filling
1 medium sized pumpkin
2 bunches swiss chard, smaller leaves are best
4 cloves garlic
1/2t red pepper flakes, saving 1/8t for the chard (use less if you don’t like spice)
8-10 fresh sage leaves or 3t dried
6 sprigs fresh thyme, strip the leaves from the stems or 2t dried
juice of 1 lemon
2t sea salt
1t pepper
olive oil for sautéing chard
coconut oil for sautéing pumpkin
won ton wrappers
pesto
2 large bunch fresh cilantro, about 2c
3/4c pecans
4 cloves garlic, peeled
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4c freshly grated parmesan
1/2c extra virgin olive oil
sea salt
how to:
ravioli
Prep the filling first. Cut the pumpkin in half, remove the seeds using a large spoon and then cut each half into two. Be careful! Peel the wedges. Then cut pumpkin into thinner wedges. Cut each wedge into 1″ cubes.
Heat up a skillet with about 2T coconut oil. Add the cubed pumpkin to the pan along with 1/8t red pepper flakes, 2 fresh sage leaves and 2 sprigs fresh thyme. Saute on medium heat until the pumpkin is cooked, about 10-12 minutes. Stir every 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a food processor. Add 1t sea salt. Process until smith. Repeat with remaining cooked pumpkin. This is the time where you can add some cheese if you like. Taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. Set aside.
For the chard, remove the clean leaves from the stem and chop. Heat up a skillet on medium heat with about 1T olive oil. Add the chopped chard, 1/8t red pepper flakes, salt. Using tongs, turn the chard a few times to cook. Cover and cook for 3-4 minutes. Uncover. Squeeze some fresh lemon juice onto the chard. Cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from heat and transfer the chard into a colander to drain (there’s quite a bit of liquid in chard so you may need to press it a bit).
In a single layer lay out the won ton wrappers onto a baking sheet or a clean cutting board. Spoon about 1T of the pureed pumpkin into the middle of each square. Be careful not to over fill, otherwise you won’t be able to seal the edges without the filling coming out. Top with a small spoonful of the chard. Using your finger wet the edges of the filled won ton with some water. Cover with a wrapper and press the edges until they are sealed. Repeat until you have used up all of your pumpkin and chard.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and reduce to simmer. One by one, gently drop the raviolis into the water. they will float immediately. Let them cook for 1-2 minutes pressing them down into the water gently making sure all parts get cooked. Remember, the filling is already cooked so you only need to cook the wrappers. When they are transparent and quite soft, remove the carefully with a slotted spoon onto a serving plate. Top with the pesto.
pesto
Blend all of the pesto ingredients in a food processor until it forms a thick paste. Because this ravioli is so soft and tender, I like the pesto to be a bit firmer than usual. Taste and adjust for salt.
enjoy!
Anna Kim says
May 29, 2015 at 5:27 pmDrooling!