Creamy Tomato Ravioli Sauce with Parmesan and Fresh Basil
By Emma Collins
Prep
5 min
Cook
15 min
Total
20 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
The sauce for this ravioli dish can be prepared up to 2 days early and stored separately from the ravioli to keep the pasta coated rather than dry. This tomato sauce with Parmesan and basil can be prepared in 20 minutes and served with a 20-ounce package of ravioli.
Butter and minced garlic are sautéed with tomato paste and crushed red pepper. A short sauté of 1 minute helps to develop flavor in the tomato paste. Chicken broth is added to create a simmering sauce base. Cream and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese provide richness and salty flavor. Fresh basil is stirred in at the end of cooking to maintain basil flavor in each portion.
Look for golden, not browned, garlic when preparing cream sauce with tomato paste. The cream and other ingredients will blend when simmered in broth to produce a creamy sauce with an evenly colored appearance. Problems to watch out for when preparing this dish include curdling of cream if the sauce is overheated. Simmer sauce gently and remove it from the heat before stirring in basil.
Add cooked ravioli to a pan with sauce. Another option is to serve sauce on top of ravioli. Cheese and spinach or mushroom ravioli pair especially well with this sauce. When reheating leftovers, try reheating the sauce and ravioli separately and add broth or other pasta cooking liquid to the sauce to reheat.
Why this recipe works
- Make the sauce ahead of time, up to two days, because you can reheat the sauce with broth or pasta cooking liquid, and cooked ravioli will stay tender.
- A batch serves a 20-ounce package of refrigerated ravioli. This is a good recipe size for two side-dish-size servings without extra pasta sauce.
- Keep pasta and filling separate if you can. Stir the ravioli before serving to retain moisture in the filling.
- Gently heating food on the stovetop or in the microwave for a short time may help reheat leftover food. Gently stirring leftover food can help make creamy sauces flow more smoothly.
- Doubling the recipe is simple because all the steps for making the sauce include adding garlic and tomato paste to a skillet; other steps include adding cheese, cream, and basil.
- Don't freeze any cream-based sauce, as the source says it can separate and change its texture. According to the source, other dishes can be made in advance and refrigerated.
Ingredients
- •2 tbsp butter
- •3 cloves garlic (finely minced)
- •1 tbsp tomato paste
- •½ tsp red pepper flakes
- •½ cup chicken broth
- •½ cup heavy cream (or to taste)
- •½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano (or to taste)
- •5 leaves fresh basil (chopped)
- •sea salt (to taste)
- •black pepper (to taste)
- •1 package refrigerated ravioli (20 ounces, prepared according to package directions)
Instructions
- 1
Heat butter over medium heat in a large skillet.
- 2
Add minced garlic and sauté until lightly golden and fragrant.
- 3
Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes and stir for 1 minute.
- 4
Add chicken broth, stir until combined, and bring to a simmer.
- 5
Add heavy cream and stir until smooth.
- 6
Add Parmigiano-Reggiano, sea salt, and black pepper to taste.
- 7
Remove from heat and stir in fresh basil until well combined.
- 8
Gently toss with prepared ravioli and serve immediately.
FAQ
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories
167
Protein
5g
Fat
16g
Carbs
2g
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