This recipe for ravioli with white wine butter sauce shows how fresh ravioli is perfect with a delicate sauce and some tender asparagus tips. Elegant and easy!
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Why we love this recipe
Ravioli by itself is pretty dang fabulous – it’s fresh pasta stuffed with cheese, or beef, or spinach and cheese…there’s something for everyone, ravioli-wise.
And my usual route is to serve it with some kind of ravioli tomato sauce, or even just plain butter, but one day I got a hankering for a non-tomato sauce that was nice and light that added to the elegant taste without overpowering the delicious taste of the ravioli stuffing.
I also wanted to be able to use some herbs and veggies to round out the flavor…and so with those two things in mind, I worked up an easy, silky white wine and butter sauce with a handful of fresh thyme and parmesan cheese to give it a little subtle kick.
And just for good measure and to make sure we got our veggies, I added in some asparagus tips (which you can cook for a minute or two right in the pasta pot!).
All of this comes together in less than a half hour, making this an elegant dish for either a festive Saturday dinner party OR a treat at the end of a long regular old Tuesday.
Ingredients you need
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Ravioli: The very very best ravioli is at an Italian specialty shop if you are lucky enough to have one near you. Otherwise head for the fresh pasta section of your supermarket – usually near the dairy section – and pick up a package.
- Butter Cubes: Make sure they are nice and cold – they will make the smoothest sauce that way!
- Asparagus: Not into asparagus, or just want to shake things up a little? Baby spinach can be swapped in for the asparagus, and is just as scrumptious!
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities and nutritional information.
How to make this recipe
STEP 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch salt and a little olive oil, and then some chopped asparagus. Cook the asparagus until just crisp-tender, about 2 minutes, and then scoop it out with a slotted spoon, leaving the water boiling.
STEP 2: Add one tablespoon of butter to a medium size skillet and melt it over medium heat. Add a peeled and chopped shallot and some minced garlic and stir it up until they are nice and soft, about two to three minutes.
STEP 3: Stir in some white wine and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about another two to three minutes. Now add some cold butter that you have cut into cubes stirring until each one is melted into the sauce.
STEP 4: While the sauce is cooking, add some fresh ravioli gently to the boiling asparagus water (I like to lower them in with a slotted spoon) and cook according to the package directions until they are just done, usually about 6 minutes.
STEP 5: When all the butter in the skillet is melted, stir in the chopped thyme.
STEP 6: Add the cooked asparagus to the butter sauce and give it a nice stir.
STEP 7: Add the ravioli and give it all a gentle toss so everything is mixed together.
Now divide your glorious ravioli among plates, drizzle on any sauce that is left in the pan, shower with parmesan cheese and serve it up!
Recipe FAQs
It can, although I love it best with plain old cheese ravioli. It’s a great sauce for tortellini and tortelloni as well!
Shallots are a member of the onion family. They are a bit smaller and have a milder taste, making them perfect for a light sauce like this one.
Fresh thyme is usually available year round in supermarkets in nice little bundles in the produce section, but if you just can’t find any, a teaspoon of dried thyme will work in a pinch. Stir it in when you add the butter so it gets the chance to soften up a little.
Pop your question in the Comments section below and I promise to answer pronto!
Want to round out your meal?
We love kicking this ravioli supper off with some caprese salad skewers! They are fun little nibbles that add a little more veggies and cheese.
If you are looking for a colorful side dish, this recipe for a cherry tomato green bean salad is perfect.
And how about a blueberry crumble cake for dessert? Yes please!
More ravioli recipes we love
Looking for more pasta inspiration? Here is our complete collection of pasta recipes!
Could you leave us some stars?
If you try this recipe, we would love to hear how it came out for you! I’d be super grateful if you could leave a star rating (you pick how many stars! 🌟 ) and your thoughts in the Comments section.
PrintRavioli with White Wine Butter Sauce and Asparagus
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4.5 from 2 reviews
This recipe for ravioli with white wine butter sauce shows how fresh ravioli is perfect with a delicate sauce and some tender asparagus.
- Author: Kate Morgan Jackson
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- One 20 ounce package chilled fresh ravioli
- One bunch asparagus (about 15-20 spears), trimmed and cut into two inch pieces.
- 1 tablespoon minced shallot
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 tablespoons cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme, plus more for garnish
- Shaved or grated parmesan cheese for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add asparagus. Cook asparagus until just crisp-tender, about 2-3 minutes, and remove asparagus with a slotted spoon, leaving the water boiling.
- Add one tablespoon of butter to a medium size skillet and melt over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and stir until soft, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in wine and simmer until reduced by half, about 2-3 minutes. Now add butter, cube by cube, stirring until each one is melted into the sauce. Stir in the chopped thyme.
- While the sauce is cooking, add the ravioli gently to the boiling asparagus water (I like to lower them in with a slotted spoon) and cook according to package directions until just done, about 6 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the skillet.
- Give everything a gentle stir until it is all combined.
- Divide the ravioli between plates and rizzle a generous portion of sauce over each serving, garnish with fresh thyme and parmesan and serve at once!
Notes
Ravioli: We love this recipe best with fresh ravioli, which you can find near the dairy section of your supermarket, but if you can use frozen instead.
Asparagus: Like the looks of this recipe but don’t love asparagus? You can swap in broccoli florets instead, or baby spinach.
Kathy Dardiz says
My favorite pasta dish is lasagna. I make it with shredded fresh spinach mixed in with the ricotta, and cream cheese. I use 4 cheese Italian blend shredded cheese and a fire-roasted vegetable spaghetti sauce. In addition to the shredded cheese I also sprinkle some fresh greated parm/romano cheese and fresh chopped basil on top before baking. Yumm!!
Kristy says
My favorite is either mac and cheese with gruyere and white cheddar, or sundried tomato pesto. Yum!
jaimee wood says
my favorite pasta dish is my homemade chicken Alfredo- it’s nothing fancy, but very good.
Poetesswug says
The favorite in this house…well, one of them…is spaghetti Parmesan with eggplant. YUM!!!…And yeah, I could cut up eggplant on a pretty cutting board too! ^_^
Tamara says
Love bake ziti it is so delicious, whole family loves it and so easy to make
tamben7996(at)aol(dot)com
Jill H says
My favorite pasta dish is angel hair pasta with roasted veggies, basil, garlic, and a light olive oil dressing
Theresa Murphy says
Fave pasta dish is capellini pomodoro using fresh Romas right out of the garden and basil from the herb pot. Don’t even cook the tomatoes; just chop them up and toss in some great olive oil and a little salt and pepper with the pasta and call it dinner. With a glass of wine, of course!
Jenny says
I love ravs, but my favorite pasta dish uses pesto and fresh garden peas (roasted tomatos, chicken, and other additions help too)! Your blog is so fun to read and very inspiring. Thanks!
K says
My favorite pasta dish is spaghetti and meatballs.
Sue says
Since pasta is my favorite thing it is hard to pick one….so I’ll give you a few of my favorites.
My first love is plain old spaghetti & meatballs but I have a few others that I love too.
1) Spaghetti with Walnuts, Gorganzola & Sun-Dried tomatoes
2) Chicken Enchilada Pasta
3) Bucatini all’Amatriciana (Spaghetti with Tomato, Pancetta and Pecorino Romano Cheese) I made this in a Sur la Table cooking class and it is awesome and simple.
4) Ravioli topped with kale sauteed in olive oil, white wine, tomatoes and garlic.
I could keep going………..
Sue says
I can’t believe I forget to mention another favorite is Ina Garten’s Summer Garden Pasta. That is unbelievably good and simple, simple, simple!
SANDY says
a great pasta to me is stuffed with vegies and covered with fresh parm cheese
Rachel says
I love puttanesca and any pasta with multiple gooey cheeses and earthy mushrooms baked with it.
Laura K. says
My #1 favorite pasta dish is my granny’s chicken spaghetti. Creamy, spicy, cheesy, deliciousness. Comfort food at its best.
Kalyn says
This looks good, but my favorite pasta dish is probably roasted vegetables with pasta and a mozzarella/olive oil sauce. Yum.
Catherine says
An all time fave that I can’t get anymore is my late father-in-law’s Turkey Tetrazzini. He was a hospital chef, and prided himself on making good food that was always simple and flavorful, both at work and home. Even if we had his recipes, we couldn’t match his years of experience at turning fresh ingredients into wonderful meals. Just one of the MANY reasons why we miss him!!