Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce

There's just so much to love about summer.

Warm, sunny days.  

No school.  All my kids are here, home for the summer, everybody under one roof.

Which means there are more people around for Gus to play frisbee with.

More people around for Clyde to turn his puppy charms on.

Those eyes....are like two puddles of...okay, I'll give you whatever you want.  *sigh*

And now that it's summer, our local Farmers Market is open.  Today's recipe was inspired by the ravioli I bought from the pasta vendor there!

Today's Playlist

• "Creepin Up The Backstairs"...The Fratellis
• "How Far We've Come"...Matchbox Twenty
• "Don't Let Go"...Weezer
• "Joker & The Thief"...Wolfmother
• "On My Way"...Billy Boy On Poison

Ravioli with Tomato and Basil Cream Sauce (4 to 6 servings)

Printable Recipe

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/2 cup light cream
• 2 teaspoons corn starch
• a pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup fresh shredded basil
• 2 plum tomatoes, diced
• 24 ravioli, any flavor you like
• shredded parmesan cheese, for topping

plus salt for the pasta water

Gather your ingredients.

Put a large (6 to 8 quart) pot of water on your stove to boil.  While you're waiting for the water to boil, prep your ingredients and make your sauce.

Mince the shallot.  Stack the basil leaves and slice them into ribbons.

You may notice there are no tomatoes in my ingredient picture.  After I prepped the shallot and basil, I decided there needed to be some tomatoes in there.

Red, white & green.  Italian flag,  you know?

Dice the tomatoes.

Heat the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Add the shallots.  Crush the garlic directly into the pan.

Stir it around for a few minutes until they start to soften.

Add the wine.

And the chicken broth.

Turn up the heat and bring to a boil.

Mix the cornstarch into the light cream.

Add to the skillet.  Add a pinch of salt.

Reduce heat and slowly simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens.

In the meantime, your pasta water has probably started to boil.  Add some salt to the water and stir.

Add the ravioli to the boiling water and stir.

The ravioli will cook quickly, probably 4 to 5 minutes.  When they float to the top of the water, you will know they are done.

When your sauce has thickened, turn the heat down to low.  

Right before you remove the ravioli from their pot, add the basil and tomato to the sauce.

Stir to combine.  You just want to bring the tomato and basil up to temperature; you don't want to cook it and turn it to mush, which is why you wait until the last minute before adding.

If you feel that the sauce is too thick, add a spoonful or two of the pasta water.

When the ravioli float to the top of the water, they are done.

Remove the ravioli with a slotted spoon.

Pour the sauce over the ravioli and gently stir.

I can't describe how yummy this is.

Sprinkle some parmesan cheese on top if you must.

I opted for "as is."

Enjoy!