Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas
Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas is the ultimate leisurely dinner that’s rich, comforting, and effortlessly elegant. Store-bought spinach and cheese ravioli are tossed in a luscious cream sauce loaded with crispy pancetta, sweet onions, tender peas, freshly grated Parmesan, and fragrant basil. The combination of textures and flavors is downright irresistible, and the best part? This restaurant-worthy meal comes together in under 30 minutes. YUM!
Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas
Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas is a wonderful dish for a romantic evening. It’s simple, not overly complicated, and easy enough to make in just one skillet.
Best of all, it’s impressive enough to serve to that special person in your life, and without spending hours in the kitchen. (We love that!)
This is the kind of dish you’ll find in popular Italian-American restaurants and pay big bucks for. Only this time, we’ll show you how to make it in your own kitchen for a fraction of the cost.
It’s also an great dish to make when entertaining guests. The flavor in this creamy sauce is so delicious, everyone will love it.
Tell Us About This Creamy Ravioli with Peas
Creamy Ravioli with Peas is basically a tomato-based sauce with cream added, similar to that of a “classic vodka sauce” (only there’s no vodka in this one).
It’s loaded with crispy pancetta, peas, light cream, crushed red pepper flakes, and a little marinara sauce to give its pink color and additional flavor.
The sauce for these ravioli is exquisite tasting, and mixed with grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil adds more even flavor. It’s so good, everyone will rave after their first mouthful!
Plus, to make this recipe even easier – we used “store-bought” spinach and cheese filled ravioli. Boiled them, drained and topped with our cream sauce – making it DIVINE!
Quick Recipe Tips
- For this recipe, we used a refrigerator brand of ravioli we purchased at Costco.
- This recipe makes enough cream sauce for you to freeze some, or use it again for another recipe within 4 days.
- Plus, this recipe will give you about 4 to 6 servings if you boil one pound of the ravioli. But, you can cut the recipe in half for 2 servings.
Overview: Ingredients Needed for Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas:
For this recipe, you will need the following ingredients:
- Onion – one large onion chopped, about 2 cups.
- Garlic cloves – two cloves are sufficient.
- Extra virgin olive oil – is needed to sautee the vegetables.
- Pancetta – Italian bacon, you can find it already chopped in packages.
- Frozen baby or petite peas – I used one cup, but you can use less if you prefer.
- Crushed red pepper flakes – give some heat to the sauce.
- Half and half, or light cream – one pint is sufficient unless you plan to double the ingredients.
- Already prepared marinara sauce – I used some of our mom’s quick marinara sauce. But you can certainly use your favorite brand of jarred marinara sauce.
- Spinach and cheese ravioli – I found these in the refrigerator section of Costco and they boil in less than 3 minutes.
- Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese – is stirred into the sauce at the very end to give it a rich flavor and help thicken the sauce.
- Fresh basil – you will need lots of fresh basil for this sauce, at least 8 large leaves.
- Seasonings – only the salt is preferred, but you can also add in some fresh cracked black pepper to taste if you wish.
How to Make Date-Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas? (Step-by-Step)
So if this your first time making this creamy ravioli with peas, no worries, this recipe is straight forward. Plus, our recipe card is located at the bottom for your convenience.
1. First, Prep the Veggies and Start Cooking: Use a large deep skillet and sauté the garlic and chopped onions for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent, stirring occasionally.
2. Add the pancetta, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer until the pancetta is fully cooked and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Next, pour in some prepared marinara sauce, along with the baby peas and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and blend, cover with a lid and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Pour and stir in the light cream. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes until it blends and thickens the sauce. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
5. Finally, toss in 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese along with freshly chopped basil. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat. If the sauce gets too thick, you can stir in a little water.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt to the boiling water and gently drop the spinach ravioli. Cook the ravioli for about 1 to 3 minutes only. They cook quickly. Drain in a colander.
7. Spoon a few ravioli into each dish and spoon some creamy pink sauce over them and serve. And serve with extra grated parmesan cheese at the table.
*Quick Note and Tip! If you feel the need to increase the creamy pink sauce with peas, just pour in additional light cream and prepared marinara sauce.
FAQ’s
1. Where can I find refrigerated ravioli? You can find fresh ravioli in the refrigerator section of most supermarkets. They are usually in the cheese section or in where they keep prepared foods. Costco, Trader Joe’s, and Whole Foods also sell a variety of stuffed ravioli for you to choose from. Keep in mind, most chain supermarkets sell frozen ravioli. These also can be used with this recipe as well.
2. What kind of ravioli works best with this recipe? Basically, any ravioli will work with this recipe. Choose from any of these options: four cheese, spinach and ricotta, butternut squash ravioli, seafood or lobster ravioli, and of course, any meat ravioli.
3. How to store leftovers? Leftovers need to be stored in a sealed container, and kept in the refrigerator, and for up to 3 days. After that, toss it and make a new batch.
4. Can we freeze leftovers? You can freeze any leftovers, but the texture of the cream sauce will slightly change when it is thawed.
5. How to serve our creamy ravioli with peas? To make dinner very easy, we prefer to serve a charcuterie board as “the appetizer” along with marinated olives, homemade refrigerator pickles, some wine, drinks, and beer. Then serve this creamy ravioli with peas as “the main dish.” And end the meal with a healthy greens salad, and maybe an Italian dessert like our best tiramisu to finish off the meal!
Perfect! 😉
A Delicious Starter
Date-Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas happens to be one of our favorite pasta dishes. And, this recipe is not limited to a romantic dinner either. Go ahead, and make it for your family and friends, everyone will enjoy just as much!
Try this recipe, and… Enjoy!
More Easy Pasta Recipes You’ll Love!
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Gorgonzola Sauce
- Farfalle with Chicken Capers Sundried Tomatoes & Spinach
- Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce
- Ravioli Bake Casserole
- Orecchiette with Sausages and Spinach
- Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil ( Ready in 15 minutes!)
- Spinach Ravioli with White Cream Asparagus Sauce
- Spaghetti Tossed with Peas Onions and Pancetta
If you try our Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas, let us know and leave a comment with a star rating. We’d love to hear from you! It not only helps our readers who read them, but it helps us too.
Date Night Creamy Ravioli with Peas
Ingredients
- 1 large onion - chopped (about 2 cups)
- 2 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 4-ounces chopped pancetta
- 1 cup frozen baby or petite peas
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 + 1/2 cups marinara sauce
- 1/2 to 3/4 cup of half and half, or light cream
- 16 ounces ( 1 pound) Spinach and Cheese Ravioli
- 4 Tbsp. grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 5 to 8 large leaves of fresh basil - chopped
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large deep skillet, on high heat, add the extra virgin olive oil, minced garlic, and chopped onion, and saute for about 5 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent, stirring occasionally.
- Add the pancetta, reduce the heat and cover with a lid. Simmer until the pancetta is fully cooked and crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in the already prepared marinara sauce, along with the baby peas and crushed red pepper flakes. Stir to combine and blend, cover with a lid and simmer for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour and stir in the light cream. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes until it blends and thickens the sauce. Taste the sauce, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
- Finally, toss in 4 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese and fresh chopped basil. Stir to combine. Turn off the heat. If the sauce gets too thick, you can stir in a little water.
- Meantime, bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Add 1 tsp. to the boiling water and gently drop into the water the ravioli. Cook the ravioli for about 2 to 3 minutes only. They cook quickly. Drain in a colander.
- Spoon a few ravioli into each dish and spoon some creamy pink sauce over them and serve. Serve with extra grated parmesan cheese at the table.
- yields: 4 to 6 servings
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 to 6 servings Serving Size: 4 ravioli per servingAmount Per Serving: Calories: 280Total Fat: 23.1gCholesterol: 65mgCarbohydrates: 8.8gFiber: 1.9gSugar: 3.4gProtein: 9.5g
Happy Cooking! 🙂
Thanks for stopping by!
xo Anna and Liz
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Weeknight Dinners Made Easy
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