Ravioli is one of those foods that can be difficult to find vegan versions of. Since it seems like the idea of ravioli without a ricotta cheese stuffing is unthinkable to food manufacturers, I set out to make my own healthy vegan version using butternut squash.

Don't let the pasta dough making step intimidate you, I promise it's way easier than it seems and after you do it once you'll want to try stuffing just about everything you make inside pasta dough. Sure it's quite a bit more time intensive than some of my other recipes, but the time your spending is well worth it and the process of making these is actually really fun.

This past weekend I tried Hot For Food's pierogi recipe which was just amazing! It was my first time ever making a pasta dough and it was way easier than I expected. I replaced the oil in her dough recipe with more water and everything worked out just fine without it. So this week, when I remembered that I had a butternut squash waiting to be used up, I knew that I wanted to utilize that pasta dough recipe to make butternut squash ravioli.

I decided to go with a rich and creamy alfredo sauce which complements the squash perfectly. Though I'm sure these would be great with a marinara or pesto sauce as well! I used a microplane grater to grate one macadamia nut for some "parmesan" on top, but this was more just for the aesthetic as the sauce is creamy and indulgent enough as is.

Mash steamed squash with the rest of the filling ingredients.

Before:

After:

Prepare the dough and allow to rest in the fridge. Then roll it out really thin and make evenly sized little circles or squares. I like to use a cup with a sharp edge. My cup was about 3 inches in diameter which made 30 whole ravioli, but the number you get will depend on the size you make them and how thin you roll the dough.

Place each dough circle on a parchment paper lined tray to keep them from sticking to the surface.

Take 1 or 2 teaspoons of filling and plop right in the center of half of your dough circles.

Use a small cup of water to wet your finger, then run your finger around the outside of the whole circle, then sandwich your dough circles together and press gently to seal together. You can decorate the edges with a fork, but only if you want to. They will stay sealed just from the gentle pressing alone.

Heat a pot of boiling water with a pinch of salt on the stovetop. Once boiling, add in a few ravioli and wait a minute or two for them to float to the top. Then scoop them out using a slotted spoon and place on a plate.