I am so excited about this recipe – not just because it’s yummy, but because it was born of me trying to use up some leftovers, and it came together so well. Last week I was out of town visiting my parents. Before I left, I went through my fridge and used up what I could, froze what I could, etc. I had almost an entire container of sage left so I wanted to do something to preserve it. Remembering a flagged recipe in my Skinny Bitch cookbook, I made their sage pesto and froze it to keep my sage from going unused. I also flung my wonton wrappers from my wonton soup into the freezer.
So today when I decided it was time to use up the cutest little butternut squash I had, I was so happy to have sage pesto ready and in the freezer! Butternut squash + sage is a magical little combination. And keeping pesto or sauces in your freezer can make a magical dish come together so quickly.
Wonton wrappers can be a really fast and easy way to make ravioli instead of making your own pasta from scratch – and I don’t know about you, but store-bought vegan ravioli still eludes me. This is a great alternative.
ravioli
serves 2
1 tiny butternut squash (about 1 1/2 C when cooked and mashed)
1/2 t smoked paprika
1/2 t garlic powder
salt & pepper
about 12 wonton wrappers
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut butternut squash in half, scrape out seeds, and place cut side down on a foil-lined sheet tray. Roast for about 20-35 minutes or until soft. Since my squash is itty bitty, it didn’t take long, but the roasting time will vary depending on the size of the squash. A butter knife through the back of the squash should go through very easily when it’s done.
Allow it to cool. Hot squash will melt the wonton wrapper. I tried. When cool, scrape squash into a bowl and add the seasonings. I didn’t add much because the pesto supplies most of the flavor here.
Take a wonton wrapper, brush water around all four edges, and put a little spoonful of butternut squash mixture in the middle. Seal the edges and press all the air out of the middle. Repeat until you have as many ravioli as you want, or until you use up your squash.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, and boil the ravioli just until the wonton wrappers are softened – it only takes about 2 minutes each. Remove and toss in pesto (very gently – the wontons break easily). Garnish with a sprinkle of vegan parmesan and some crushed almonds.
Sage Pesto:
adapted from Skinny Bitch in the Kitch (I just cut down the fat)
note: I only used half of this for the ravioli
2 T whole almonds, coarsely ground
1 clove garlic
3/4 C fresh sage
1/4 C chives
2 T tofutti cream cheese
2 T extra virgin olive oil
pinch salt & pepper
Combine everything in a food processor until smooth.
To defrost: put frozen pesto in a small saucepan over low heat – make sure to stir it occasionally and turn over so the thawed part doesn’t burn before all of it is heated.
Nutrition facts per serving: Calories: 307; Calories from Fat: 87; Total Fat: 9.7g; Saturated Fat: 1.6g; Cholesterol: 0mg; Sodium: 327mg; Total Carbohydrates: 48.6g; Dietary Fiber: 2.8g; Sugars: 2.7g; Protein: 6.3g
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