Meatless Monday Ravioli with Sweet Potato in Lemon-Sage Browned Butter Sauce

We enjoyed this lovely and delicate-tasting dish a few weeks a go for Meatless Monday. It's a creation of my own, although loosely based on this recipe. The combination of the sweet potatoes with sage and cheesey ravioli was unique, and surely a combination I will be toying with more in the future.

Ravioli and Sweet Potato in Lemon-Sage Browned Butter Sauce

Ingredients:

1 15 oz package cheese ravioli (see suggested)

1 large sweet potato, skinned and cubed

1/4 cup butter

1 tbsp lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon

1 tbsp chopped sage + extra for garnish

1 tsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp nutmeg

Boil the ravioli according to package instructions. While you're doing that, lightly cook the sweet potato by boiling or steaming for 5 minutes. The key is to not overcook it and make it mushy. Drain each and then set aside. Melt butter in pan over medium-low heat until it starts to bubble, then add lemon juice, sage, salt, pepper, brown sugar, and nutmeg, and stir. Cook for about 1-2 minutes more or until it has a nutty aroma and turns a soft brown color. Add the sweet potatoes and saute in the butter sauce for about 2-3 minutes or until well-coated. Remove from heat and add in the raviolis until they are well-coated as well. Serve with some sage sprinkled on top and extra lemon and/or grated cheese of your choice if desired.

This is one of the few raviolis Lily likes (I know, shocking! What kid doesn't like ravioli?) and Paul and I have grown quite found of it as well. Paul actually picked it up one night when he took on the task of grocery shopping and I was glad that it caught his eye. You can use whichever kind of ravioli you like or have on hand, but if you can find the brand pictured below, I highly recommend it. It boiled right to perfection and the cheese taste was spot on and not dry like it sometime can be with frozen or dried ravioli. If you have access to fresh ravioli, that would work well too.

Baby can enjoy some of the boiled or steamed sweet potato with a little butter and sage. Yum, yum! Older babies over 9 months can have some of the raviolis chopped up with the sweet potato.

The sharp, yet light, green flavor of sage gives this dish something extra. Pairing it with sweet potato is always nice. Sage has a high content of vitamin K in it and is linked to better brain function and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits. Sage was a highly valued herb during Greek and Roman times and also a favorite tea of China in the 17th century. Besides being an aromatic seasoning to add to squash, vegetable and poultry dishes, sage can be burned as an incense to purify your home and also make it smell nice :)

The Meatless Monday link party will return next week - I promise this time! Until then, work on getting your favorite healthy recipe to me for the contest I'm holding. Winner gets their recipe featured on my blog and a 1 year subscription to Eating Well magazine. Deadline is March 18th, read more about it here. Have a good week, and stop by later to enjoy some pictures from Lily's birthday bash!!