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Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun-dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

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Had this for my birthday dinner. Absolutely fantastic, spectacular sauce. Leftovers reheated very well! Will make this again!
Bob
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why you’ll love this sun-dried tomato cream sauce

  • Creamy saucy goodness. Firstly, this is just one of those heavenly sun-dried tomato cream sauces you’ll want mopped up completely with all the ravioli and crusty bread, not letting a single drop go to waste. It’s just that good.
  • Weeknight hero yet fancy enough for weekend company. Also, we’re talking about a 30 minute dinner here, start to finish, making it both weeknight and company worthy.
  • Flexible recipe. This ravioli dinner is incredibly flexible and forgiving, using up what you have on hand, whether it’s swapping out the ravioli for a different pasta, or adding in leftover rotisserie chicken, or any lingering veggies such as baby spinach or kale for those picky eaters.

what is a sun-dried tomato cream sauce?

A sun-dried tomato cream sauce is an Italian-inspired sauce made from garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, various seasonings, heavy cream and Parmesan, yielding a rich, flavorful sauce that can be combined with pasta, chicken, seafood, or even vegetables.

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

how to make ravioli with sun-dried tomato cream sauce

  1. Cook the ravioli. Cook the ravioli first in boiling salted water, keeping a close eye as fresh ravioli cook very quickly.
  2. Sauté the aromatics. Melt the butter and add the garlic, shallot, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes until fragrant.
  3. Thicken the sauce. Whisk in the flour until lightly browned. This will eliminate the raw flour taste while also thickening the sauce.
  4. Deglaze the skillet. Add a little bit of wine (or chicken stock), scraping up all the caramelized brown bits for maximum flavor.
  5. Simmer. Stir in the chicken stock, heavy cream, and sun-dried tomatoes, simmering until reduced and the flavors have blended.
  6. Add everything together. Stir in the Parmesan until creamy goodness has been achieved, adding in the cooked ravioli just until heated through.
  7. Serve. Garnish with parsley, and serve with all the crusty bread for sopping and dipping!
Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

the secret ingredient

Tomato paste adds so much flavor.

Tomato paste is a key ingredient in this sun-dried tomato cream sauce, adding body, richness and bigger, brighter tomato flavor in small amounts without adding too much liquid to the sauce. Opt for tomato paste in a tube, using up only what you need at a time without having to open up a whole can.

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

what to serve with ravioli

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

Tools For This Recipe

Large skillet

Ravioli with Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce: Frequently Asked Questions

What kind of ravioli should I use?

Fresh, refrigerated cheese or spinach ravioli (neutral base) is perfect for convenience and quick cooking.

Can I add meat to this?

Absolutely! Sweet or spicy Italian sausage are both excellent options. Ground beef, chicken, or turkey also works beautifully here.

Do I have to use white wine?

Additional chicken stock can be used for white wine as a non-alcoholic substitute.

What is heavy cream?

Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.

How can I store leftovers?

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days.

Is this freezer-friendly?

Unfortunately, the sun-dried tomato cream sauce is not freezer-friendly as cream sauces tend to separate when frozen and thawed.

Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!

Ravioli with Sun Dried Tomato Cream Sauce

Yield: 4 servings
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Pillow-y ravioli with the dreamiest, most velvety sun dried tomato cream sauce! A 30-minute weeknight dinner yet fancy enough for company!
4.9 stars (14 ratings)
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Ingredients

  • 2 (9-ounce) packages refrigerated ravioli
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 small shallot, diced
  • 3 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • ⅓ cup dry white wine
  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup julienned sundried tomatoes, chopped
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Instructions

  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook ravioli according to package instructions; drain well.
  • Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and shallot, and cook, stirring frequently, until tender, about 2 minutes.
  • Stir in tomato paste, Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes until fragrant, about 1 minute.
  • Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
  • Stir in wine, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.
  • Stir in chicken stock, heavy cream and sun dried tomatoes; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced and flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in Parmesan.
  • Stir in ravioli until heated through, about 1-2 minutes.
  • Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.

Equipment

Large Skillet
Large Skillet

Notes

  • Use fresh ravioli. Fresh, refrigerated ravioli is the ultimate quick-dinner hack, cooking in just 2-4 minutes. And while any ravioli filling can be used, a simple cheese or spinach ravioli is ideal for a blank canvas, allowing the sun dried tomato cream sauce to be the true star of the dish.
  • Add desired protein. Crumbled Italian sausage (sweet or spicy) or ground beef, chicken or turkey will all work very well here.
  • Make it spicy (or not). For more of a spicy kick, increase the amount of crushed red pepper flakes. For milder flavors, especially for the little ones, skip the red pepper flakes altogether.
  • Choose a wine you will drink. A dry white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc) is great here – it does not have to be anything fancy or overpriced. Just something you don’t mind sipping on since you will have an open bottle.
  • Deglaze with wine. Lift up the caramelized brown bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan to bring more flavor to the dish, substituting the wine with chicken stock if needed.
  • Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your cream sauce. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
  • Heavy cream will add ultra-richness. Due to its heavy fat content, heavy cream will add the ultimate richness and silkiness to the sauce. Half-and-half can certainly be substituted to lower calorie and fat intake but it can curdle easily and result in a thinner cream sauce.
  • Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
  • Mix it up. Swap out the ravioli for mini ravioli, agnolotti or tortellini.
  • Serve with crusty bread. Serve with all the homemade crusty bread for dipping, sopping and dunking!
Course: Main Course

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