Lemon Butter Ravioli With Roasted Asparagus and Peas
pasta, asparagus, peas, fiddleheads
This springtime ravioli dish is full of market fresh ingredients in a simple and delicious lemon butter sauce. Roasted veggies include local in season asparagus and fiddleheads which get tossed into the pasta with the peas and prosciutto. This ravioli dish is so simple to make and truly THE best any night of the week dinner but especially the midweek when you want something quick but delicious for dinner.
I’m always inspired to make something new with fiddleheads when I spot them at the market or grocery store. If you have never had them before they are furled fronds of a young fern that have a similar texture to asparagus and also similar flavour but with a more grassy undertone - sort of a cross between asparagus and spinach. I had this ravioli dish on my list to make for the spring when our local asparagus was in season and when I spotted fiddleheads at the market I thought I would combine the fiddleheads with the asparagus in this dish. I did this knowing that many of you may not really have fiddleheads in your neck of the woods - that way you can always just use asparagus for the recipe. I always like to make recipes as adaptable as possible. That being said, if you have loads of fiddleheads you can swap out all the asparagus for the fiddleheads too.
Ingredients for this Lemon butter ravioli:
This ravioli dish is all about the spring veggies. I added some of my favourite spring veggies to this dish but feel free to substitute with ones you might have on hand or that you prefer.
- Asparagus, fiddleheads, peas - These are spring veggies I love. Snap peas, broccolini, and sliced zucchini are great options if you wanted to swap out the peas or the other roasted veggies.
- Prosciutto - I love the saltiness it adds to the dish and the extra texture. Feel free to substitute it for some bacon or pancetta or leave it out completely if you want this vegetarian.
- Parmesan cheese - pecorino would be nice too. If you don’t want to add it to the sauce just reserve and serve it on the side.
- Ravioli - homemade is always best but who’s got time for that? Not me! If you do please use your homemade ravioli otherwise your favorite storebought cheese ravioli will do.
How to make this spring veggie lemon butter ravioli:
There are three simple and quick steps to making this delicious ravioli dish. It comes together quickly so I usually like to have all my ingredients ready and prepped before I get started. Here is how it’s done:
- Roast the veggies: roasting the asparagus and the fiddleheads is always a good idea - it always brings out its best. The flavors are more concentrated than if you were to steamed or sauté them. That being said it’s fine to pan fry them to skip this step but Im still partial to the flavour that roasting gives veggies.
- Boil/Cook Ravioli according to the package directions. I usually time boiling my water and adding the ravioli in while I am pan frying the shallots - that way I don’t have to drain the ravioli just use a slotted spoon and remove them from pot and they go straight into the pan. That is optional though. You do each step according to your timing.
- Make the sauce: this is where all the sautéing and pan frying happens. It all starts with melting and heating up the butter, then cooking the shallots, prosciutto, garlic, and the peas in it. Then stir in the lemon juice and zest followed by the ravioli, Parmesan cheese, roasted veggies and fresh herbs. I always like to keep some reserved pasta water to stir in and loosen up the sauce as it will thicken from the starch in the pasta. That is it - serve and enjoy while it’s hot! Easy and can be done in 35 minutes or even quicker if you have your ingredients prepped and have your water boiling and veggies roasting at the same time.
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Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 16 oz (1 lb) package store-bought cheese ravioli
- 8 slices of thinly sliced prosciutto
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1 bunch asparagus (approximately ½ pound), tough ends removed and slice into 1 inch pieces
- ½ lb fiddleheads washed trimmed and blanched (see recipe notes)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 1 small shallot, finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced
- ¼ cup shredded Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, plus more for serving
- 2 Tbsp finely chopped mint (could use basil or parsley too)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Arrange the asparagus and fiddleheads on a lined baking sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt. Toss to coat. Roast in oven for 10 minutes, until asparagus and fiddleheads are tender but still crisp.
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Add the ravioli to the boiling water and cook as the label directs. Reserve ½ cup cooking water, then drain gently.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a 10-12″ skillet over medium-high heat. Add shallot and prosciutto and cook until crisp, 3-4 minutes.
- Add peas and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add lemon zest and juice of the lemon, to skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Transfer ravioli to skillet, along with ½ cup cooking water, toss to combine. Stir in the cheese and roasted vegetables then toss. Season with salt and pepper. Toss with fresh mint. Add more cooking water, 1 tablespoon at a time, to loosen if needed. Divide the ravioli, peas and any sauce among shallow bowls. Sprinkle with extra cheese. Top with mint
Recipe Notes
- How to properly wash and prep fiddleheads: Wash fiddleheads thoroughly, in at least 2-3 changes of water. Trim away any brown, woody ends of fiddlehead stems. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and blanch fiddleheads for 5 minutes. Drain and plunge into an ice water bath to stop cooking. Drain thoroughly and now you are ready to roast, pan fry it or enjoy them then in any recipe you would like.
- No fiddleheads no problem - just use more asparagus instead. This recipe works really well with 1lb of asparagus.
- If you prefer your prosciutto extra crispy simply remove it from the pan after it has been pan fried onto a paper towel lined plate and allow it to dry. Once you have divided ravioli out into bowls, crumble the crispy prosciutto over top or stir it through once ravioli is done.
- Make this a one pan meal: Skip roasting and pan fry the asparagus and fiddleheads instead if you wish - I add them in with the shallots and prosciutto.
