Whether you make your own homemade ravioli like me, or buy the from a store, its useful to have a few easy sauces in your tool kit to serve them with. Because many people have asked me for different sauces to go with ravioli, I put together a short list of some of the best ones I’ve made over the years. While there wont be an explicit recipe card for each sauce, Im going to do my best to describe the recipes in the text and s for you.
Are you staring at a package of chicken ravioli in your fridge and wondering what sauce would make it truly sing? I’ve been there! Chicken ravioli is one of those versatile pasta dishes that can go from ordinary to extraordinary with just the right sauce. Today, I’m gonna share my favorite sauce pairings that’ll transform your chicken ravioli dinner into something special.
Why Sauce Selection Matters for Chicken Ravioli
Let’s talk about why the right sauce is so important before we get into any specifics. Chicken ravioli has a delicate flavor that needs a sauce that goes well with it and doesn’t take over. Since the filling already has some protein in it, the sauce should add moisture, variety of flavor, and good looks.
Top Sauces for Chicken Ravioli
1. Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce and chicken ravioli go together like peanut butter and jelly. The rich, creamy texture of the Alfredo sauce goes well with the chicken filling.
Quick Alfredo Recipe
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: minced garlic and a pinch of nutmeg
In a pan, melt the butter, add the cream, and bring it to a simmer. Then, slowly stir in the cheese until the mixture is smooth. Season to taste!.
2. Creamy Spinach Sauce
This is my favorite! A creamy spinach sauce makes your chicken ravioli taste good and is good for you. While both the pasta and the cream base are very rich, the spinach’s slight bitterness cuts through them.
Quick Recipe Based on Giovanni Rana’s Version
- Heat olive oil in a skillet
- Sauté 2 cups of fresh baby spinach with salt until just wilted (30 seconds to 1 minute)
- Set spinach aside and wipe pan
- Warm Alfredo sauce in the same pan
- Toss cooked ravioli with the sauce
- Top with sautéed spinach and grated Parmigiano Reggiano
3. Brown Butter Sage Sauce
For a more sophisticated flavor that’s still super simple to make:
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8-10 fresh sage leaves
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Optional: toasted pine nuts
Brown the butter in a pan until it turns golden and smells nutty, add sage leaves until crisp, then finish with lemon juice and seasonings. The nuttiness of browned butter enhances the roasted notes in chicken ravioli beautifully.
4. Light Tomato Sauce
When you want something lighter than cream but still flavorful:
Quick Recipe:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1 can (14 oz) crushed tomatoes
- Fresh basil leaves
- Salt and pepper
- Pinch of sugar to balance acidity
Sauté garlic in oil, add tomatoes and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Finish with torn basil leaves.
5. Pesto Cream Sauce
Can’t decide between pesto and cream sauce? Have both!
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup prepared pesto (homemade or store-bought)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan
- Fresh lemon zest
Warm cream and butter in a pan, stir in pesto and cheese until smooth. The herbaceous pesto brightens the richness of cream and complements chicken perfectly.
6. Garlic White Wine Sauce
For a lighter but still flavorful option:
Ingredients:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Juice of half a lemon
- Fresh parsley
- Red pepper flakes (optional)
Sauté garlic in oil, add wine and reduce by half, add remaining ingredients and simmer until slightly thickened.
7. Mushroom Sauce
The earthy flavors of mushrooms complement chicken ravioli wonderfully:
Quick Recipe:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced
- 2 minced shallots
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken broth
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- Fresh thyme leaves
- Salt and pepper
Sauté mushrooms until golden, add shallots and garlic, deglaze with wine, add broth and reduce, finish with cream and thyme.
Tips for Pairing Sauces with Chicken Ravioli
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Consider the filling flavor – If your ravioli has roasted garlic like Giovanni Rana’s version, you might want a sauce that complements rather than competes with that flavor.
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Texture matters – Delicate ravioli deserve sauces that won’t make them fall apart. Lighter sauces generally work better than very chunky ones.
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Reserve pasta water – Always save some pasta cooking water before draining. As Giovanni Rana’s recipe suggests, this starchy water helps loosen sauces and helps them cling to pasta better.
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Temperature timing – Have your sauce ready before your ravioli is done cooking. Ravioli waits for no one and can stick together if left sitting too long!
Making It a Complete Meal
Want to make your chicken ravioli dinner even more special? Consider these additions:
- Proteins: Grilled chicken, crispy prosciutto, or pancetta
- Vegetables: Sautéed spinach (like in Rana’s recipe), roasted cherry tomatoes, or grilled asparagus
- Toppings: Fresh herbs, toasted nuts, breadcrumbs, or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano
Easy Weeknight Chicken Ravioli & Sauce Dinner
For those busy nights when you need dinner on the table fast:
- Boil water for ravioli
- While waiting for water to boil, start your chosen sauce
- Cook ravioli according to package directions (usually just 2-4 minutes!)
- Reserve some pasta water before draining
- Toss ravioli with sauce, adding pasta water as needed
- Garnish and serve
My Go-To Recipe: Chicken Ravioli with Creamy Spinach Sauce
I find myself making this version from Giovanni Rana over and over:
Ingredients:
- One 10-ounce package chicken & roasted garlic ravioli
- One 10-ounce container Alfredo sauce
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 packed cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for garnish
Steps:
- Heat oil in large skillet, sauté spinach with salt until just wilted (takes under a minute)
- Set spinach aside, wipe pan clean
- Add Alfredo sauce to pan and warm over medium-low heat
- Cook ravioli according to package (saving 1/2 cup cooking water)
- Add ravioli to sauce, gently toss, adding pasta water if needed
- Season with salt and pepper
- Plate ravioli, top with sautéed spinach and Parmigiano Reggiano
This takes just 10-15 minutes and serves 2-3 people. Super easy for weeknights!
Common Mistakes to Avoid
We’ve all been there – pasta disasters happen! Here’s how to avoid them:
- Don’t oversauce – Ravioli should be coated, not swimming in sauce
- Don’t overcook – Ravioli cooks very quickly, usually 2-4 minutes
- Don’t rinse – The starch on the pasta helps sauce adhere
- Don’t skip the salt – Pasta water should taste like seawater
With these sauce options in your cooking arsenal, you’ll never be stuck wondering what to pair with chicken ravioli again! From creamy Alfredo to light white wine sauces, there’s something for every taste preference and occasion.
My personal favorite remains the creamy spinach sauce – it’s quick, balanced, and feels like comfort food with a touch of sophistication. But I encourage you to experiment with different options to find your own perfect match!
What’s your favorite sauce for chicken ravioli? I’d love to hear about your own creations in the comments. Happy cooking!
Classic, Smooth Marinara Sauce
When I would make pasta for my college roommates or my little brother and sister this is what I make. Its the perfect thing for picky eaters, or if you just want a mild, slightly sweet, basic tomato sauce. Its one of the best sauces for ricotta and spinach ravioli.
It is technically marinara as it contains vegetables where tomato sauces called sugos or ragus may not include anything more than garlic or onion, if that. Its a workhorse sauce you can use with just about any pasta you want.
To make the sauce to serve 4 people, take a 32 oz can of whole peeled tomatoes, squeeze the seeds out and puree the tomatoes in their juice, passing them through a food mill for the smoothest, seedless product.
Put 1 ounce of carrot, 1 ounce of shallot, and 1 chopped garlic clove in 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook them until they are soft. Add the tomato puree and simmer for 5-10 minutes, then puree until smooth in a blender.
Adjust the seasoning for salt and serve. You can toss the ravioli in the sauce or spoon it underneath them.
Emulsified Brown Butter Sauce
Perfectly rich but not overpowering, this is one of the best sauces for mushroom ravioli. In restaurants brown butter sauce is often served emulsified with a knob of fresh butter to make it creamy. The process starts out the same as the regular brown butter sauce.
To make the emulsified brown butter sauce for two people, cook two tablespoons of butter until nut brown and aromatic, add a ¼ cup dry white wine, ¼ cup chicken stock, and two tablespoons cold, diced butter.
Simmer gently, whisking the sauce constantly until it barely coats the back of a spoon. Add the ravioli, simmer for a minute to enrich the sauce with starch, and serve. Spinach and mushrooms are a great addition as pictured.
One of my all time favorite ravioli sauces from the years I was sous chef at an Italian restaurant in St. Paul, this is a simple tomato butter sauce flavored with a splash of slightly bitter Italian Peroni beer. Dark beers should not be used here.
To make the sauce for two people, sweat 1 oz of diced or minced shallot in unsalted butter until translucent, then deglaze with a good ¼ of Peroni beer. Add ¼ cup chicken stock and ¼ cup tomato paste.
Put in two to three tablespoons of unsalted butter and cook until the mixture is thick enough to stick to a spoon.
Add the ravioli and toss to coat, diluting the sauce with a splash of pasta water if it becomes too thick. I like to add fresh sliced mint or basil leaves.
While the light tomato sauce is good with just about anything, I really like it with shrimp or lobster ravioli, and you can substitute champagne or vodka for the beer. Make sure to add a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes too. Tarragon or mint are also very good.
A simple, elegant sauce I like to make when I want a ravioli sauce without cream. Its nothing more than spinach pureed into baby food with olive oil in a high speed blender. Its the perfect compliment to ravioli with rich cheese fillings.
To make the spinach puree for two people, trim the stems from 1. 5 lbs of spinach so you have about 1 pound. Blanch the spinach for 30 seconds in salted boiling water, or until it just starts to wilt. Then put it in an ice bath to cool it down.
Remove the spinach without completely draining it, and put it in a blender like a Vitamix. Drizzle in extra virgin olive oil as you puree the spinach to help it get smooth and velvety.
You may need about ¼ cup of olive oil. Adjust the seasoning for salt to taste and refrigerate until needed. You can gently reheat the puree, spooning a pool of it onto an entree plate, nestling the ravioli on top.
Easy Ravioli Sauce
FAQ
What is the best sauce for ravioli?
Classic, Smooth Marinara Sauce It’s one of the best sauces for ricotta and spinach ravioli. Ravioli on a bed of fresh marinara sauce garnished with parmesan cheese. It is technically marinara as it contains vegetables where tomato sauces called sugos or ragus may not include anything more than garlic or onion, if that.
What sauce for chicken and mozzarella ravioli?
For chicken and mozzarella ravioli, a creamy tomato sauce, Alfredo sauce, or simple garlic and olive oil sauce are excellent choices.
What kind of sauce goes with buffalo chicken ravioli?
Everyone knows that nothing pairs better with Buffalo than Ranch. The creamy ranch sauce and freshly diced tomatoes on top of these ravioli make them taste great. The ravioli are filled with delicious buffalo chicken.
What sauce can I serve with ravioli?
One of my favourites are basil pesto, Tuscan kale pesto or fiery red chilli pesto. Dried basil can be used in place of fresh basil. For a light ravioli sauce I use light/single cream. You can also successfully add heavy cream, creme fraiche or even Greek yogurt.