Sunday, February 10, 2013

Sweetened Red Wine Marinara with Butternut Squash and Cheese Filled Ravioli

Talk about a flavor combination made in heaven when it comes to this delicious dish.  The warm cinnamon sweetness of the butternut squash filled ravioli's work perfectly with the deep roasted sweetness of the peppers.  And the sweetened red wine marinara works as a ribbon, threading both contrasting flavors together.

1 medium yellow onion (roasted according to my recipe: http://tonya-justcooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/roasting-sweet-peppers.html )
1 green sweet pepper (roasted according to my recipe:  http://tonya-justcooking.blogspot.com/2011/02/roasting-sweet-peppers.html )
1-2 T. of extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic (minced)
1/2 cup or so of red wine (you should cook with what you like to drink- so I used a slightly semi-sweet red wine called Country Red by St. James Winery out of Missouri)
1- 14.5oz. can of sliced stewed tomatoes (un-drained)
sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 tsp. of Italian seasoning
1/2 tsp. of dried basil
1 tsp. of sugar
1- 26oz. jar of pasta sauce (I used Prego's Tomato Basil Garlic)
1 bag of cheese filled ravioli (frozen)
1 bag of butternut squash filled ravioli (frozen)
fresh or dried chopped Italian parsley (for garnish)

-Once your roasted veggies have cooled enough to handle, go ahead and chop them into short strips.  Heat up a large sauce pan over medium-high heat with the extra virgin olive oil.  Once you can smell the oil, toss in your roasted veggies and your minced garlic.  Saute until heated through (about 30 seconds or so), then pour in your red wine.  Bring this to a nice simmer and then add in the tomatoes, their juices and the pasta sauce.  Stir in the sea salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, basil and sugar. Again bring this all to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer on low until you are ready to eat (as always the longer the better).  Prepare your ravioli as directed on their packaging in boiling water, drain and plate with a heaping ladle full of your sauce and veggies.  Then sprinkle the top with a bit of fresh chopped parsley.  Serves 4-6.  Enjoy!



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