Best Sauces for Ravioli

The sauce you choose to serve with your ravioli will depend on the filling of your little pasta pockets. The idea is to pair the right sauce with the filling to create balance. Light, cheesy ravioli pairs well with a rich, meaty sauce, while hearty meat-filled ravioli works better with something creamy or mild. This keeps the dish balanced so it’s not too heavy or boring.

Whether you make your own homemade ravioli, or buy the from a store, it's useful to have a few easy sauces in your tool kit to serve them with.

• Remember less is more. The focus of ravioli should be on the filled pasta-the sauce is just supposed to be a supporting accent that doesn't overpower them. Although, with mild fillings like cheese you can get a little more aggressive with the seasonings.
• There's nothing wrong with tossing ravioli in nothing more than a little butter. It's also a great place to use flavored compound butters like truffle butter or mushroom butter.
• Cheese, especially parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano, tend to clump when cooked. Instead of adding cheese directly to the sauce, serve some at the table so the cheese keeps its integrity.

Ricotta and spinach → Pairs well with a slow-cooked meat ragu for richness or a simple butter and sage sauce to keep it light.
Cheese → Fresh tomato sauce balances the richness, or try browned butter with crispy sage for a nutty contrast.
Meat → A creamy mushroom sauce adds earthiness, while a classic tomato sauce brightens it up.
Mushroom → Works beautifully with a truffle butter sauce or a light parmesan cream sauce.
Butternut squash → Brown butter and sage bring out its natural sweetness, or a sausage ragu adds savory contrast.
Lobster or crab → A light, buttery lemon sauce keeps it fresh, or a tomato cream sauce enhances its richness.
Pumpkin → Complements browned butter and sage for warmth or a light, herby cream sauce for a fresh contrast.

Classic, Smooth Marinara Sauce (best sauce for ricotta and spinach ravioli)

It's the perfect thing for picky eaters, or if you just want a mild, slightly sweet, basic tomato sauce. It's one of the best sauces for ricotta and spinach ravioli. It is technically marinara as it contains vegetables where tomato sauces called sugos or ragus may not include anything more than garlic or onion, if that. It's a workhorse sauce you can use with just about any pasta you want.

To make the sauce to serve 4 people, take a 32 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, squeeze the seeds out and puree the tomatoes in their juice, passing them through a food mill for the smoothest, seedless product.

Sweat 1 oz each of carrot, shallot and celery with 1 chopped clove of garlic in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter until soft. Add the tomato puree and simmer for 5-10 minutes, then puree until smooth in a blender.

Adjust the seasoning for salt and serve. You can toss the ravioli in the sauce or spoon it underneath them.

Classic Broken Brown Butter Sauce (best sauce for butternut squash ravioli)

Nothing more than butter cooked until the milk solids start to brown, this is the simplest, and makes the best sauce for butternut squash ravioli. The key is technique. The more brown the butter gets (without burning) the better the sauce will be. It's called a broken butter sauce as there's not enough liquid in it for it to be emulsified.

To make brown butter sauce for two people, cook 3 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a pan, swirling it until the butter turns light brown and smells nutty. Add a tablespoon of sliced sage or mint, cook for a moment, than add ¼ cup dry white wine. Add the cooked ravioli to the pan, along with a splash of pasta water if needed, double check the seasoning for salt and serve.

Emulsified Brown Butter Sauce (best sauce for mushroom ravioli)

Perfectly rich but not overpowering, this is one of the best sauces for mushroom ravioli. In restaurants brown butter sauce is often served emulsified with a knob of fresh butter to make it creamy. The process starts out the same as the regular brown butter sauce.

To make the emulsified brown butter sauce for two people, cook two tablespoons of butter until nut brown and aromatic, add a ¼ cup dry white wine, ¼ cup chicken stock, and two tablespoons cold, diced butter.

Simmer gently, whisking the sauce constantly until it barely coats the back of a spoon. Add the ravioli, simmer for a minute to enrich the sauce with starch, and serve. Spinach and mushrooms (for instance, sauteed porcini) are a great addition.

Ravioli en Brodo (Broth)

The lightest sauce for ravioli is broth. Here you want a good, homemade stock, and there's countless versions you could make. Dried mushrooms make one of the best broths, but as long as the broth is clear you can use just about anything you want. My smoked bone broth is nice, especially with cheese ravioli.

Broth is a light way to serve ravioli and especially tortellini, but it also lets you garnish the finished dish with flavored or colored oils. The oils will bead and float on top of the liquid giving it an attractive look and flavor.

Walnut Sauce (Salsa di Noci)

The richest sauce is made from walnuts or other nuts, a little garlic, wine, chicken stock and cream. It's especially good with a bitter greens filling as it's the traditional sauce served with Ligurian pansotti. Pansotti is Liguria's answer to ravioli, featuring a filling of ricotta and a variety of herbs and greens. The triangular pasta is traditionally dressed in a walnut sauce known as salsa di noci in Italy, also sometimes referred to as white pesto, resulting in a creamy, hearty dish that's a joy to eat.