This is an easy ravioli dish with sautéed asparagus and walnuts tossed in a light and flavorful butter lemon sauce. A quick and delicious dinner that only takes 15 minutes to make.
I love a simple and fast pasta dish and this ravioli with sautéed asparagus and walnuts is exactly that – full of flavor, quick to make and you can have dinner on the table in 15 minutes.
Fresh store bought ravioli is cooked and then tossed with asparagus that has been sautéed in a simple butter and lemon sauce. A little bit of grated parmesan cheese, minced parsley and crunchy walnuts are added at the end – just give it a toss and you’re ready to eat.
Step by step instructions on how to make this recipe:
- Prep all your ingredients before you begin. This is an easy and fast recipe to make – it comes together quickly so you want to have all the ingredients ready to add as you make the dish.
- Cook your ravioli as per the package instructions. Drain and add to a large bowl when done.
- Melt butter in a large sauté pan and add the asparagus. Cover with a lid and cook for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove the lid from the pan and add the lemon juice to the asparagus in the pan. Sauté over high heat for 30 seconds, stirring the whole time.
- Add the asparagus and lemon butter sauce to the bowl with the cooked ravioli. Next, add the walnuts, parmesan cheese and parsley.
- Gently toss to combine and you’re ready to serve.
Asparagus comes in many sizes – everything from pencil thin to plump spears. Thinner asparagus is going to work better for this dish. If you use thick asparagus, you will need to test for doneness. Thicker asparagus will take longer to cook.
The sauce is really simple to make – it’s light and lemony and you make it in the pan while you sauté the asparagus. It’s not a heavy, greasy sauce – it just lightly coats the ravioli and asparagus.
Tips for making this recipe:
- The asparagus should be slightly damp when you sauté it. This will help make the sauce. So rinse your asparagus right before you chop it and add it to the pan.
- You need to use a sauté pan with a lid to cook the asparagus. Using the lid will prevent the asparagus from drying out.
- You can use whatever fresh ravioli you like for this dish – cheese, mushroom, spinach are all good choices. I used cheese ravioli.
- This is a super fast dish to put together so have everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking. It takes no time to do the prep work so chop the asparagus and parsley and measure out your ingredients while you’re waiting for the water to boil.
- Some people who have make the recipe have commented below that they added a bit more butter to the sauce. You don’t want to add too much butter though – it will overwhelm the lemon flavor.
Looking for more easy recipes? Then try one of these:
- Tomato, cucumber, avocado salad – quick and easy to make and full of flavor.
- Israeli couscous with summer vegetables – a great filling salad with mediterranean flair!
- Greek pasta salad – a crowd pleasing pasta salad packed with colorful and healthy veggies.
Thanks for stopping by – hope you enjoy the recipe. You can find me on instagram and pinterest too!
If you make this recipe and enjoy it, come back and let me know by leaving a comment below and rating the recipe!
PrintRavioli With Sauteed Asparagus and Walnuts
This is an easy ravioli dish with sautéed asparagus and walnuts tossed in a light and flavorful butter lemon sauce. A quick and delicious dinner that only takes 15 minutes to make.
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 5 mins
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 1 – 8 oz package of fresh ravioli – I used cheese ravioli
- ½ pound of asparagus – snap off the tough ends – chop asparagus into thirds or smaller.
- 1 half lemon – about 2 tablespoons
- 2 tbs butter
- ¼ cup walnut pieces
- 2 tbs minced parsley
- 6 twists of pepper
- 2 tbs grated parmesan plus some to serve at the table.
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- While waiting for the water to boil, chop your asparagus into thirds (snap off tough white ends and discard). Mince parsley, squeeze lemon and measure out walnuts and butter.
- In a large saute pan with a lid, melt 2 tbs of butter over medium heat until frothy. Add chopped asparagus to the pan, stir slightly to coat the asparagus with butter and cover the pan with a lid. The asparagus should be slightly damp when adding it to the pan. The pan should only be on medium heat so you don’t burn the butter or the asparagus. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes – depending on thickness of asparagus.
- While asparagus is cooking, add ravioli to boiling water and cook as per the package instructions – my package said 4 minutes. Drain when done and add to a bowl.
- Add the lemon juice and black pepper to the asparagus in the pan and turn the heat to high. Cook and stir the asparagus and butter with the lemon juice for 30 seconds to create a light butter lemon sauce. Remove from heat.
- Add the asparagus and butter lemon sauce to the cooked ravioli in the bowl. There will not be a lot of sauce – you just want enough to lightly coat the ravioli. Make sure to scrape out the saute pan.
- Add walnuts, parsley and 2 tbs parmesan cheese – toss gently to combine.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1
- Calories: 623
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Carbohydrates: 70g
- Fiber: 10g
- Protein: 24g
Tammy Carr
OMG!!!!! Soooooo good.
Geraldine
Thanks, Tammy!
Wendy
This recipe was quick and easy and DELICIOUS! I will DEFINITELY make this a regular at my house!
Geraldine
That’s so great, Wendy – so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know and leaving a rating!
Phyllis
I made this last night with very thin asparagus. I followed the 2 serving quantity. I felt using only butter to sauté the asparagus was not enough to dress the raviolis. I added a bit of olive oil. I also felt it would need something else besides butter & lemon juice, I added diced garlic & sautéed the asparagus with the walnuts. It was easy & very good. Thank you.
Geraldine
So glad it worked out for you, Phyllis – thanks for leaving a detailed comment and star rating!
Carrie
delicious! just made this recipe for dinner and have added it in to my rotation! I love the light tasting sauce! I didn’t have parmesan cheese so I put in a little bit of cheddar, but I’m sure it would have also been fine without.
I also appreciate the recipe for a smaller serving size! as a single person, have more than a portion of leftovers gets too repetitive for me. thanks!
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Carrie! I agree about the leftovers – one extra serving is enough!
Sarah
I’ve made this 3 times. 1st time, I followed the recipe exactly as instructed. Delicious result, but would’ve preferred more sauce. 2nd time I added a little pasta water to have more sauce and thicker sauce. I enjoyed both versions, but I prefer it with the pasta water added. However, adding pasta water to a double batch did not yield the same results (overcrowded pan led to steaming), so adding pasta water is probably best for single batch only.
Geraldine
Hi Sarah – that’s great – thanks so much for the detailed comment! Glad it worked out for you by adding a little pasta water – and good to know about the double batch. Thanks for the star rating as well!
Linda
I made this last night and it was very delicious. I have made several recipes lately I found on line but they did not come out ok. I was hesitant to try another one but I am happy I tried this one. It is a keeper.
Thank you very much for helping me feel like a real cook.
I served it in my new pasta dish. Looked magazine worthy. I’d send a picture but I don’t know how to do that.
Geraldine
Hi Linda – so glad this worked for you and thank you for letting me know! This recipe is one of my favorite recipes on my site since it so easy to make and tastes great – glad it’s a keeper for you too! If you’re on instagram – you can post the picture and then tag me – I’d love to see the photo!
Barbara
Looks great & want to make this. Question? Is there an alternative to lemon? Hate lemon taste🤷.
Geraldine
Hi Barbara – I don’t recommend making this dish without using lemon – it’s a pretty important flavor factor. Maybe take a look around the recipe archives and see if something else catches your attention? I have lots of pasta recipes listed on my site. Let me know if you try something else. Thanks.
Becky Johnson Perry
I made this tonight for the first time. I also sautéed sliced mushrooms and slivered vidali onion with the asparagus and it was amazing! We topped it with Asiago. We also make a lemon chicken and this will be a perfect side dish. Thank you!
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Becky!
Terri
Ravioli is something I always keep in my freezer, but usually would just serve it with sauce from a jar. I have made this a few times now and really like it. It’s different, easy to put together and very flavorful.
Geraldine
So glad you enjoyed it, Terri. Keeping ravioli in the freezer to have on hand is a great idea!
Rachel
I’ve made this twice and am making again tonight! It’s simple, delicious and looks beautifully gourmet. I don’t always add the walnuts and it’s just as good.
Geraldine
That’s great, Rachel! I love how simple it is to make too – a perfect quick dinner! Thanks so much for letting me know you enjoyed it – and thanks for leaving a rating!
Cathy
I thought it was bland. I added lemon zest and some basil to perk it up. It was easy but I don’t think I would make it again.
Geraldine
Sorry this didn’t work out for you, Cathy.
Lisa Viola
This recipe was easy to make delicious! The sauce was the perfect combination of butter and lemon.
Geraldine
Thanks for letting me know, Lisa – really glad you enjoyed it!
Dean
Made this last night..really good.
Geraldine
Really glad you enjoyed it, Dean – thanks for leaving a rating!
Kim
This was so easy to make and really delicious- thanks for the great recipe!
Geraldine
Thanks so much, Kim – really glad you enjoyed it and thanks for leaving a rating and comment!