Date Night Creamy Tuscan Ravioli
The easiest Valentine’s Day dinner ever – Creamy Tuscan Ravioli. Store-bought ravioli tossed in a garlicky sun-dried tomato cream sauce topped with baby spinach, basil, and parmesan cheese. Ready in less than 30 minutes!
It’s date night food, but it’s also easy enough for weeknights to throw together for the whole family.
Creamy Tuscan Ravioli. It’ll make you feel like you’re in some fancy-schmancy restaurant where you paid way too much money to eat at, only this time you didn’t, and the portions will actually going to fill you up! Tuscan sauce – you know the traditional (I use the term loosely) sun-dried tomato, garlic, and baby spinach cream sauce that was going around the internet paired with both shrimp and chicken?
Well, I’m making it a lot easier to get that on the table, by using store-bought ravioli. But that also means that you could totally make this meal carnivore-friendly by using a chicken or prosciutto stuffed ravioli. Take it in a pescatarian direction by using stuffed lobster ravioli (okay, that would be AMAZING.) And my personal favorite (my husband would totally disagree when he has the meat option) mushroom ravioli, or even spinach and ricotta. I can’t decide.
Let’s be honest, around mid-February there are a lot of significant others that get the itch to cook. I’m not talking about those that pitch in and do so regularly. I’m talking about the ones that want to do a little something for their sweetie. This is the sort of thing you can totally pull off with lots of success because 1.) it’s easy 2.) doesn’t have to involve meat, so you spare them from food poisoning (always a plus) 3.) your significant other will totally be impressed with this dish.
Check. Check. And check.
I’m no stranger to making things what they aren’t. Before I came up with this creamy Tuscan ravioli, I did a twist on chicken piccata with ravioli piccata. Briny and zingy lemon butter sauce tossed with capers, garlic, and fresh herbs. So many of you share your pictures on Instagram and loved how easy it was to make.
Consider this the second act.
What is creamy Tuscan ravioli?
Creamy Tuscan ravioli is what you get when you mash together Tuscan chicken with ravioli pasta. Tuscan ravioli is just ravioli (stuffed with just about anything you like) tossed in a creamy Tuscan inspired sun-dried tomato sauce. And instead of serving pasta on the side (which a lot of people do), we’re adding it directly to the sauce – so much better that way!
What do I need to make creamy Tuscan ravioli?
- butter
- minced garlic
- seasonings
- lemon juice
- stock (see below for sub)
- heavy cream
- baby spinach
- ravioli
- sun-dried tomatoes
- parmesan cheese/ basil (for topping)
What kind of ravioli works best for this recipe?
- chicken and mushroom
- sausage and kale
- spinach and mozzarella
- lobster or seafood medley
- porcini mushroom
- spinach and ricotta
- Four cheese
What if I don’t have stock on hand, can I use something else?
Sure! Since we’re using such a small quantity of stock anyway, feel free to save a bit of that salty pasta water and use that in place of the chicken/vegetable stock.
Where do I find fresh ravioli?
Fresh ravioli is easily available in the refrigerated section of your grocery store. Sometimes, they keep it near the shredded cheese and sour cream. But other times, I’ve seen it in the prepared food section as well… even though it’s not 100% prepared – a debate for another time.
How to make creamy Tuscan ravioli:
- PRO TIP: Make sure you season your pasta water liberally with salt. When the ravioli boils, it picks up all of its salty flavor, so you want to be sure the water is seasoned well. Boil the ravioli for one minute less than what the package instructions suggest. This is so we don’t overcook the ravioli when we toss it in the sauce later.
- Make the sauce: Add the butter and sun-dried tomato oil to the skillet and allow for the butter to melt. When melted, cook the minced garlic for 30 seconds before seasoning with onion powder, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes, and heavy cream. Let the sauce heat all the way through and simmer for 1-2 minutes, so it thickens just a little bit.
- Toss in the ravioli until the sauce coats the pasta nicely. Sprinkle with basil and baby spinach. Cover and allow the greens to just wilt slightly before stirring.
- Serve immediately topped with parmesan cheese and a shake of red pepper flakes!
How to serve creamy Tuscan ravioli:
I usually use mushroom ravioli (it’s my favorite) and serve it by itself for me (with protein for hubby) but you could also serve it with:
- additional roasted veggies
- garlic butter chicken
- sauteed shrimp
- homemade spatchcock chicken
- cooked lobster tails (you fancy)
- baked salmon or pan-seared salmon (minus the sauce)
- garlic butter roasted brussels sprouts
- steamed broccoli
- side salad
- cheesy pull-apart garlic bread
Semi-homemade creamy Tuscan ravioli is sure to wow your guests. Whether it’s for a simple but elegant Valentine’s day dinner, something to serve the family on a weeknight, or for company, you’re sure to leave the crowd wanting more!
And if you want someone else to make this for you, send them a link! Ain’t no shame in telling your S/O what you wish to to enjoy for date night!
Date Night Creamy Tuscan Ravioli
The easiest Valentine's Day dinner ever - Creamy Tuscan Ravioli. Store-bought ravioli tossed in a garlicky sun-dried tomato cream sauce topped with baby spinach, basil, and parmesan cheese.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ¼ cup chicken stock (or vegetable, see notes)
- 1 cup EACH: heavy cream AND fresh baby spinach (packed)
- 2 (9-10 ounce) package of ravioli (see notes)
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil (reserve 1 tablespoon oil)
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese + basil, for topping
Instructions
- BOIL: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water liberally, then add the ravioli and cook for 1 minute less than package directions, drain and set aside.
- SAUCE: Start on the sauce while the ravioli is boiling. Add the butter and the 1 tablespoon of sun-dried tomato oil to a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic and allow for it to cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the onion powder, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, chicken stock, heavy cream, and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet and allow for it to become smooth and heat through; about 1-2 minutes.
- FINISH: When the ravioli is done, add it to the prepared sauce, stir to combine. The sauce should thicken significantly once the ravioli sits for a minute. Top with spinach, basil, and cover the pan and allow for it to just wilt. Once wilted, stir to combine and top with freshly grated parmesan before serving!
Notes
- if you don't have stock on hand, you could easily use pasta water to help thin the sauce!
- ravioli flavors that work well with this Tuscan cream sauce: chicken and mushroom, sausage and kale, spinach and mozzarella, lobster or seafood medley, porcini mushroom (a personal fave), spinach and ricotta, and four cheese
For the “see notes” regarding the ravioli, are you referring to your suggested flavors? I don’t see anything else in your notes section about the actual ravioli. Thank you!
Hey there! Yes, I meant to add the suggested ravioli flavors so it’s easy if you print out the recipe, thank you for catching that! 🙂
I took your suggestion & made this for Valentines Day. It was delicious! To celebrate, I used red heart shaped ravioli (4 cheese). It came together in no time but felt super fancy. I’d like to experiment with other fillings (mushroom or sausage sound good). Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Red heart ravioli sounds like the perfect way to celebrate Valentine’s Day! What a cute idea! I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipe and really appreciate you taking the time to come back and comment, Lorrie! 🙂
Would italian sausage work with this instead of chicken or shrimp?
Hi Anita! Yes, that would work too 🙂
Thank you!
Can I use milk if I dont have heavy cream?
Hi Sasha! I’ve only tested this recipe as written, I’m not sure if milk will make the sauce creamy like the heavy cream does. For best results, I suggest trying the recipe as written.
You can make heavy cream with just real butter and whole milk!
Just Google heavy cream recipe, there are a few different ways to do it!
I can’t wait to try this!!! It sounds SO good!
What wonderful flavor! This sauce is wonderful and easy, and it went great with the ricotta and spinach ravioli I bought. My husband loved the dish too! Thanks for a great new years Eve dinner!
So yummy. Just added a touch of sea salt to sauce. Highly recommend trying this dish if you love creamy pasta sauce.
This was so delicious! Perfect as written (we ended up being able to add more spinach – so good in all that sauce!)
I made this and it was very good and quick and easy! I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so I diced up one plum tomato and added 1/2 tbsp of tomato paste and some salt. Will definitely be making again! Thanks so much!
This was great! My son hates tomatoes (or thinks he does) so I used sun dried tomato pesto instead and then threw in some crisped pancetta at the same time as the basil and spinach. It was delightful. Thank you for the recipe!
So easy and absolutely delicious with mushroom ravioli! We’ll be adding this to fave recipe rotation. YUM!
Delicious! Made it for the family and we all had happy bellies at the end.
Excellent recipe that kept me out of the doghouse at least for a night or 2! I didn’t have sundried tomatoes so I substituted with cherry tomatoes quartered. I had three-cheese ravioli so for protein, I had the butcher slice a piece of pancetta 1/2″ thick and cubed it, cooking it until the fat rendered down and it was crispy. I also pan fried some shallots in butter separately with a bit of salt until they were starting to brown and crispy. I sprinkled them on top when plating to give the dish a some crunch with a bit of a nutty flavour.
This was delicious & so easy! I used Pear & Gorgonzola stuffed ravioli! Perfect amount of sauce. Served with toasted/grilled Ciabatta using the sundried tomato oil & fresh ground pepper. Will definitely add this to the go to favorites!
This sauce was so delicious. A big hit in my family … even the picky eaters enjoyed it! I added some fresh cracked black pepper before serving. Delish!
Absolutely delicious! I used mozzarella and ricotta ravioli and substituted white wine for the stock. Otherwise followed the recipe. Served with a side salad.
Easy and fast to make but the best part was the creamy yummy flavor
oh my gosh!!!! this turned out amazing. thank you so much for sharing.
I made this tonight. It was delicious. Only thing I would do next time is add more sundried tomatoes.
I didn’t have sun dried tomatoes so I subbed in pesto, about 3 Tablespoons. It was wonderful! I also used gluten-free sweet potato ravioli.
I made this and it is so delicious! Definitely recommend.
Hello! Anything you would recommend to sub for the sun dried tomatoes? Thanks!
I made this yesterday and it was absolutely incredible. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since we ate it, definitely making enough for leftovers next time.
This recipe was excellent! Made it for my family of three tonight and EVERYONE went back for seconds. I used spinach ricotta ravioli, which paired wonderfully with the sauce and made some garlic parmesan cheese bombs on the side. It was a simple dish to make but very elegant in presentation and flavorful. I have already added this recipe to my personal book and plan on making it again soon! Thank you.
I made this tonight with frozen ravioli. It was super easy and delicious. I’ll make this sauce with penne next time. Thanks!
I made this meal for my boyfriend. Ingredients were easy to get and process was very easy. It turned out amazing! I didn’t use sun dried tomatoes and added pesto. Wonderful meal! We still talk about it. We’ll definitely be making again. Thank you for the amazing recipe ♥️
Delicious. Used butter and EVOO – rather than oil packed tomatoes (Used the packed sundried tomatoes that you get in produce department which are also super). TOTALLY forgot to add the spinach. Thinned sauce a bit further with pasta water. Served over homemade Spinach & Mushroom Ravioli for New Years Eve. Really great.
Might try with Half & Half next time to make a bit less decadent!
I know this says to serve immediately, but thoughts on making ahead and keeping warm in a crock pot? I’m hosting a ravioli night with the girls and want to have my sauces done ahead of time and holding so that once we are done making three different types of ravioli we can mix and match our meals with the different sauces/raviolis. Thoughts?