February 11, 2016

Cheese Ravioli in brown butter with Walnuts Asparagus

My Ravioli with walnuts and asparagus is a meal that I am so proud of because it tastes soooo delicious and takes less than 30 minutes to prepare. It is the ideal weeknight dinner and you can feel good eating it because of the vegetables and walnuts (that cancels out the pasta you know!)- that’s a win-win for me!

This recipe calls for frozen store-bought ravioli (which is why the meal is simplified and quick) but you can certainly use a fancier fresh store-bought ravioli or make your own. I choose this type because it can be ready quickly and it is economical. If you cannot have gluten, you can easily substitute the ravioli for gluten-free pasta. Just make sure the pasta is a shaped variety like spirals or rigatoni and not spaghetti or angel hair which lacks the bite needed to round off the meal.

This dish couldn’t be more delicious and simple for your next weeknight meal. Really this can be made even as a special meal on weekends or even for guests. Give it a try, you won’t regret it!

Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. While you are waiting for the water to boil, clean your asparagus and trim off the thick rubbery ends and discard. Now, fill a large saute pan with water, add your asparagus and bring to a boil. You want to blanch your asparagus. Boil your asparagus for 3-4 minutes then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking and then set aside. In the same saute pan, dry it out then over medium heat add your walnuts and lightly toast them for about 4 minutes turning frequently. Remove the walnuts from the saute pan and set aside. Now add your stick of butter to the saute pan which is still very hot and let it melt over medium low heat. Once the butter is melted let it continue to cook on low heat until it starts to get foamy and turn a light brown color (about 5 minutes) then turn off the heat.