Golden Beet Ravioli in Brown Butter Orange Sauce with Walnuts and Fennel
This savory pasta dish is extra special! It's made with homemade golden beet ravioli and tossed in a super easy orange brown butter sauce. Walnuts, fennel and beet greens round out this vegetarian dish that is perfect for special occasions.
Fill a large pot with water and give it a generous pinch of salt.
Bring the water to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat so the water is simmering,
Add in the ravioli and cook 3-5 minutes, until the pasta is al dente.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the ravioli and set aside.
Brown butter orange sauce
In a large skillet (preferably stainless or ceramic) , melt butter over low heat.
Once the butter is melted, turn up the heat to medium high.
Swirl the pan and watch for the butter to foam up.
When the foam starts to die down and the milk solids are browned, remove the pan from the heat and add the orange juice.
Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve and reserve.
Saute the vegetables
Wipe out your saute pan with a paper towel and return to the burner.
Heat remaining tablespoon of butter over medium heat.
Add beets to the pan and saute 2-3 minutes.
Throw in the sliced fennel and cook until the fennel is tender and slightly browned, about 3-5 minutes.
Add in the walnuts and saute for a minute or two.
Pour the butter sauce into the pan.
Toss in the beet greens and wilt them for a minute or two, then add in the cooked ravioli.
Garnish
Dish up the ravioli between two bowls.
Garnish with shaved parmesan and fennel fronds.
Notes
If you're wondering how to brown butter, this post from A Beautiful Plate is very helpful.
Be careful to not cook your ravioli too hard. A hard boil will often break apart even commercial ravioli.
We've written this recipe as a dish for two, but you can easily scale up the recipe to serve more people. The beet ravioli recipe will serve ten people, so multiply this recipe by five to make a party dish.
If you'd like to make this dish for a holiday dinner, you can make the sauce and cook the vegetables in advance. When ready to serve, cook the ravioli in small batches (about 12 ravioli). Reheat the vegetables in a large pot, adding a little sauce if necessary. Resume the recipe with the walnuts, allowing a bit more time to reheat the sauce before adding in the ravioli.