Brown Butter Sage Ravioli with Pancetta and Arugula
Sometimes meals come from a time-tested recipe and sometimes they come from a “what do I do with this?” moment in the garden. My Brown Butter Sage ravioli with Pancetta and Arugula is one of those moments.
Lately, blogging about gardening has kept me from actually gardening. Traveling, replying to emails, writing posts, editing photos and marketing all keep me very busy. I love what I do. But while my head was turned, my garden decided to enjoy an unsupervised week. Result? Crazy overgrown arugula!
I immediately called my neighbor to see if she wanted some. She gratefully grabbed several bunches, but it barely made a dent. I had a jungle of mature arugula.
Using Mature Arugula
While I was harvesting the leaves, I noticed that the stems were quite dense and felt almost like a kale leaf’s stem. I knew I didn’t want that in my salad or avocado toast-too crunchy.
Also, arugula gets more peppery as it ages with a stronger bolder profile. Again this isn’t the same tender green I love in my salad, and I really didn’t want to toss all of it into the compost. So I came up with an idea.
I was planning on making ravioli for dinner with pancetta and a side salad of arugula. I could’ve gone for the tender smaller leaves in the center of each plant, but I needed to use up these big leaves. Then it occurred to me: what if I wilted it like spinach?
As I was leaving my kitchen garden with a bucket of arugula, I quickly snipped off some beautiful sage leaves. They were essential for the brown butter sauce I was making for the ravioli.
I treat my garden like a science lab, experimenting with new plants and growing strategies. It’s a horticultural wonderland of trial and error! This clearly extends into the kitchen. Sometimes my weird ideas work, and sometimes they don’t This one DID.
I think Brown Butter Sage Ravioli with Pancetta and Arugula might be one of the easiest and tastiest dishes I have created.
Ingredients for Brown Butter Sage Ravioli with Pancetta and Arugula
Just a few ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
There are not many ingredients in this ravioli recipe especially since I used a bag of premade pasta. But the ingredients that are in it? They build so much flavor!
The peppery arugula, earthy sage, salty pancetta and rich brown butter meld together beautifully. The lemon cuts the flavor to bring it all together.
This recipe also comes together very quickly. If you have all of your ingredients ready to go, this will be on the table in 20 minutes.
How to Make Brown Butter Sage Ravioli
I’ve learned over the years that the first step in making a pasta dinner is to heat the pot of water before doing anything else. While that’s coming to a boil, I gather and prepare my ingredients.
This recipe began with a harvest of arugula and sage which I rinsed and dried to remove soil and debris.
To create the base of my flavors, I cooked the pancetta in a skillet over medium heat. Once it was lightly browned I removed it and set it aside. Pancetta renders a lot of salty flavorful fat that adds to the yumminess of this recipe, but I didn’t want all of that grease in my dish. So discarded all of the liquid, but didn’t wipe out the residual drippings in the skillet to keep that flavor.
Then I added a drizzle of olive oil to the skillet for wilting my arugula and tossed in the leaves.
Ginger with Roots Tip!
Greens can be deceiving when wilting. Put much more in the pan then you think you need because it reduces to such a smaller amount.
Wilting the arugula only took a minute or two. I used tongs to remove the wilted arugula and made a ‘bed’ on each plate. I wasn’t worried about it cooling because I knew I was going to add the hot pasta on top very soon.
By now the water was boiling and ready for the ravioli. My premade spinach and ricotta ravioli required 4 minutes to cook. Adjust your time as needed based on whether you are using freshly made, frozen or premade packaged like I did.
While the ravioli cooked, I added a stick of salted butter to the skillet without wiping it clean. The butter melted and slowly turned brown while I stirred it. This is when the golden-brown milk solids and a nutty aroma start to form.
Next I added my minced garlic and sage leaves. You could use whole leaves if you prefer, but I liked the idea of small pieces throughout the sauce. Talk about some incredible aromas-my kitchen was smelling amazing!
After the sage and garlic was cooked, I squeezed some fresh lemon juice into the sauce to cut the richness of the pancetta and brown butter.
To finish this dish, I carefully strained the ravioli and added them to the sauce. Then I returned the pancetta to the skillet and gently combined the pasta, sauce and pancetta together.
Remember the wilted arugula on the plate? It was just waiting for my ravioli. The finishing touch? A sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese on top. Yum!
Not a fan of parmesan cheese? Try adding some lemon zest on top!
Ginger with Roots Tip!
Skip the extra salt. Between the pancetta, salted butter, and Parmesan, this dish has plenty of seasoning. A small pinch of salt in the pasta water is all that’s needed.
Spinach and Ricotta Ravioli with Brown Butter Sage Sauce, Pancetta, and Arugula
Ingredients
- 1 10-ounce package spinach and ricotta ravioli
- 4 oz pancetta diced
- 1 garlic clove minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 cups fresh arugula
- ½ cup salted butter 1 stick
- 7-8 fresh sage leaves chopped
- ½ lemon freshly squeezed
- 1 pinch salt for the pasta water
- Freshly grated Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta water. Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding a pinch of salt.
- Cook the pancetta. While the water heats, add the pancetta to a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté for approximately 3 minutes, until lightly browned. Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon and set aside in a small dish. Pour off the excess rendered fat, leaving just a light coating of drippings in the skillet. Do not wipe the pan clean.
- Wilt the arugula. Add the olive oil and arugula to the same skillet. Cook over medium heat until the leaves are wilted. Divide the arugula between two serving plates and set aside.
- Cook the ravioli. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook for approximately 4 minutes, or according to package directions.
- Prepare the brown butter sage sauce. While the ravioli cooks, add the salted butter to the skillet without wiping it clean. Allow the butter to melt and slowly brown over medium-low heat, stirring or swirling occasionally. Watch for golden-brown milk solids and a nutty aroma.
- Add the garlic and sage. Reduce the heat to low and add the minced garlic and chopped sage leaves. Cook for 1–2 minutes, until the garlic is fragrant and the sage becomes slightly crispy.
- After the garlic and sage have cooked for 1–2 minutes, squeeze the juice of half a lemon into the brown butter sauce. Stir gently to combine before adding the cooked ravioli.
- Combine the ravioli and sauce. Drain the cooked ravioli and gently transfer it to the skillet. Toss carefully to coat the ravioli in the brown butter sage sauce.
- Return the pancetta. Using a spoon, transfer the pancetta from its dish into the skillet, leaving behind any accumulated grease. Gently combine with the ravioli and sauce.
- Serve. Divide the ravioli and pancetta between the two plates, spooning them over the wilted arugula. Drizzle with the remaining brown butter sauce and finish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.
Notes
I hadn’t planned on making mature arugula the star of this dinner, but its peppery flavor turned out to be the perfect complement to the rich brown butter, crispy pancetta, and fresh sage.
It’s also a good reminder that garden-to-table cooking doesn’t have to be complicated. Even a package of store-bought ravioli can become something special with a handful of homegrown ingredients.
I’d love to hear how you use your garden greens in the kitchen. Did you try this recipe? Share your ideas in the comments below!
