5 Minute Ravioli Sauce (2024)

June 2, 2023

Published June 2, 2023 | Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

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This 5 minute and 4 ingredient ravioli sauce will make you believe you are eating out in the best of restaurants. Creamy sauce flavoured with sun-dried tomato pesto, garlic and basil comes together in a flash!

If you are looking for an even easier recipe, check out my basiccreamy pasta sauce.

If you are anything like me, you rely on quick and filling pasta dishes on busy weeknights. They are delicious, always popular with kids and adults alike. They are also economical.

Filled pasta like ravioli and tortellini is even better since they are packed with flavour. Still it’s nice to have a sauce to smother over, especially when it snowing or raining outside.

What kind of sauce goes with ravioli?

It really depends on your personal preference as well as the stuffing inside your ravioli.

For cheese stuffed ravioli like spinach and ricotta, which happens to be my son’s favourite, I go for a simple cream sauce. 3 ingredients and everyone is thrilled with the result.

For meat stuffed ravioli, like bolognese ravioli, I usually make a quick tomato and basil sauce. Even cheaper and healthier.

I’ve also made a Butternut Squash Ravioli Sauce with an incredibly punchy flavour!

But what about those times when you can’t decide and you want both. You want it creamy but not bland. You want a nice tomato, basil and garlic sauce but you still want it to be smooth and luxurious!

For those times I developed my favourite ravioli sauce. It combines the best of two worlds.

How to make quick ravioli sauce

As you might’ve guessed this sauce combines two classic sauces. Cream sauce and tomato sauce.

But to intensify the flavour even more, instead of using regular diced tomatoes I opted for a few tablespoons of sun-dried tomato pesto.

The beauty of this sauce is in its creamy yet slightly tangy flavour, perked up by a touch of garlic and fresh basil.

What is even more enticing about this sauce is how quick it is to make! No longer than 5 minutes. Just as long as you need to cook your fresh ravioli. Winner.

It is, of course suitable for any kind of filled pasta like tortellini, tortelloni, mezzelune, etc.

And if I am completely honest, you can use this sauce with chicken. With an addition of spinach or your favourite vegetable this simple recipe becomes a quick and protein-packed dinner in hurry.

Variations and substitutions

You can use plain tomato paste or sun-dried tomato paste instead of sun-dried tomato pesto. Needless to say you are welcome to experiment with various pesto flavours, which will create endless variations. One of my favourites are basil pesto, Tuscan kale pesto or fiery red chilli pesto.
Dried basil can be used in place of fresh basil.
For a light ravioli sauce I use light/single cream. You can also successfully add heavy cream, creme fraiche or even Greek yogurt. If using creme fraiche or Greek yogurt, make sure to add them over very low heat to prevent the dairy from splitting.

Serving Suggestions

Italians eat their pasta as a first course, which is followed by a meat and vegetable course. This means their portions are much smaller to accommodate for a multi course dinner.

Ravioli is a hearty dish, especially with a creamy sauce, and filling all on its own. There’s no need to add chicken or other meat on the side, especially if the ravioli have a meaty filling.

All this dish really needs is a fresh green salad on the side. Or make a complete Italian meal by serving with a lovely Caprese Salad!

Serving restaurant style!

You can always dress up your plate a little not only to increase the visual appeal but also to intensify the taste and flavour.

You can do something very simple like grating fresh Parmesan cheese and adding fresh basil to each bowl of ravioli with some black pepper.

Or you can add a sprinkling of herb and garlic breadcrumbs or as Italians call them pangrattato, which elevates this dish to another level. Who doesn’t love breadcrumbs in general but in this case, they add more flavour and texture!

More quick pasta recipes

Pasta with smoked salmon
Creamy pasta with pancetta and peas
Creamy tagliatelle with bacon, mushrooms and truffle oil
Tagliatelle with pancetta, basil and mozzarella

5 Minute Ravioli Sauce

Julia Frey of Vikalinka

This 5 minute and 4 ingredient ravioli sauce will make you believe you are eating out in the best Italian restaurant.

5 from 27 votes

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Prep Time 1 minute min

Cook Time 4 minutes mins

Total Time 5 minutes mins

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Servings 4

Calories 111 kcal

Ingredients

3 tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto I used Scala brand or Delallo in the US
1 clove garlic minced
3-4 fresh basil leaves sliced
125ml/1/2 cup light/single cream 20% fat content for US readers
125ml/1/2cup reserved pasta water
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese to serve

Instructions

Cook the ravioli according to package directions.
Start the sauce immediately after you add the ravioli to the boiling water. Add sun-dried tomato pesto and garlic to a frying pan over low heat, stir, then add sliced basil leaves and cream, let it simmer for 1-2 minutes.
When the ravioli is cooked, drain but reserve ½ cup of water. Add the ravioli with half of the water directly to the pan with the sauce. Toss to combine and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the rest of the water only if the sauce is too dry. Serve with freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

Video

Notes

You may sprinkle herb and garlic breadcrumbs over ravioli to add more flavour and texture.

Nutrition

Calories: 111kcalCarbohydrates: 3gProtein: 1gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 116mgPotassium: 30mgFiber: 1gSugar: 1gVitamin A: 405IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 32mgIron: 1mg

Keyword ravioli sauce

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

More Quick and easy (30 minutes or less!)

Tuscan Salmon with Parmesan Cream Sauce
Prawn Pasta in Sun-Dried Tomato Cream Sauce
Saucy Sausage Casserole
Quick and Easy Crab Pasta

About Julia Frey (Vikalinka)

Julia Frey is a London based recipe developer and photographer. Julia founded Vikalinka in 2012 with the main mission to provide her readers with delicious and accessible everyday recipes, which could be enjoyed by everyone.
read more..

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Reader Interactions

Comments

Sarah says
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This was absolutely fantastic!!!! I think I added a slight bit more cream but otherwise I copied it exactly! My bf loved it so much he wants me to make it again in the one week. So much flavour!
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  I am so glad you both loved it, Sarah!
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Tara says
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Delicious! We love fresh ravioli but it is hard to find a sauce that doesn’t overwhelm. I Have never used sun dried tomato pesto in a cream sauce- loved it!
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Shawn says
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Easy and so delicious! Used over sweet sausage w/4 cheese raviolli from TJs. Such a great dinner. Thanks
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Thanks so much for your review, Shawn!
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Danielle says
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Hello,
What ravioli are you using for this? It looks like mushroom or meat.
Thank you
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  I can’t remember if I am honest but I did write about what type of sauces go well with various fillings in the post.
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Peg says
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This tastes like restaurant quality! Yum…… I used white wine instead of the pasta water. So easy and delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  My pleasure, Peg!
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  See Also
  Crispy Skillet Ravioli with Garlic-Butter Mushrooms Is as Good as It Sounds Meat Ravioli Filling What to Serve with Ravioli (Sides and Sauces)How to Turn Frozen Ravioli into Healthy 20-Minute Weeknight Dinners
Andrea P says
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Going to make this! I have a 10 ounce bag of ravioli. Is this sauce enough for the whole bag? Thanks!
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Yes! At least I think so but I don’t like my pasta swimming in sauce.
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gudny says
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Looking forward to trying this.
Do you think it would taste as great if the sauce is made earlier?
2 days before and kept in the fridge until used?
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  I am not sure it will taste as great if I am honest. It will take you nearly as much time warming it up as making it from scratch. It does take only 5 minutes to make. It’s not an exaggeration.
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Maria says
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Loved it !! Very easy to make and I followed the exact recipe.
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Excellent!! 🙂
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Kelly says
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This is perfect for a single momma quick to table no meat dinner! Yay x a million!!! So good!!!
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  What a great review, Kelly! Thank you!
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Bev says
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Hello, I haven’t made this dish yet but def pinning it for my grocery list.. Do you have a special brand of pasta rav u like. I have sun-dried and few of the items.. this dish looks amazing simple but burst with flavor..
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Hi Bev, I am located in the UK, so our brands might be different but it looks like Rana is sold in the US and the UK, which I do like quite a bit. I usually buy whatever is the best price for quality ingredients. I prefer my ravioli fresh over frozen.
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Christine says
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So tasty while being simple and fast! I used half and half. I think I might add toasted pine nuts as a garnish next time
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Toasted pine nuts are such a great addition, Christine! I am going to try that as well!
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Sandy says
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This is amazing! Quick and delicious. Its new favorite! Thank you, thank you
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  My pleasure, Sandy!!
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Nemia says
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Thank you for sharing! It’s very delicious and easy to make.
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Meghan G. says
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my husband insists on having meat with all meals. What meat would you suggest pairing with this? I would like to avoid ravioli stuffed with meat.
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  The easiest one would be Italian sausages. If you are in the mood to make something else, you can try or my Chicken Marsala or Chicken Paillard.
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Angela says
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Fantastic, easy, and super fast to make!! Highly recommend🥰
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Amazing!! Thank you for sharing that with me!
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Christa Zeek says
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It’s a keeper! Turned out most delicious for us!
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  Yes!! That’s what I like to hear. Thank you for a great review, Christa.
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Michelle says
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Loved this recipe. I didn’t have any cream or yoghurt but I had an almond milk yoghurt that was “greek sytle” can’t believe how great it turned out! Used less pasta water. I found I couldnt’ really toss it all together if the ravioli and pasta water went in together. Next time i’ll do the water first and the ravioli last. Will definitely make again.
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- Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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  So great to hear, Michelle!!
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Mary Campbell says
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See Also
Elevating Canned Ravioli – Is it Possible?

This was absolutely wonderful – couldn’t believe something so tasty could be made so quickly! I shall make this often! Many thanks 🙂
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John Friedman says
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regarding your 5 min. Ravioli Sauce, what is ‘light cream’? The same as 1/2 and 1/2? a half-fat free cream [shudder if this is possible] Is this an English or European thing? My results using .5+.5 were tasty. I eventually tweaked it adding some pine nuts, some drops of Meyer lemon on serving with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan to guild this lily.
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- vikalinka says
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  Hi John, we have single and double cream in the UK. Single cream that the recipe calls for is 18% fat content, which I believe is higher than half and half. I hope this helps! So glad you enjoyed this recipe!
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Debbie M says
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OMG this is so easy and delicious. I added some julienned sun dried tomatoes for fun but my son kept raving about how yummy it was!
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- vikalinka says
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  I sometimes add extra sun-dried tomatoes as well! So pleased you and your son loved it, Debbie!
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Connie says
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Recipe appears easy and quick,however I am lactose can I substitute cream with any other ingredient
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- vikalinka says
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  Hi Connie, you can use soy single cream. I am not sure where you are located by in the UK soy and oat single creams are available.
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Colleen says
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I could not find the tomato Pesto could I use basil pesto l and add Sun dried tomatoes to it would that work?
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- vikalinka says
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  Ho Colleen, you can use basil pesto but the taste will be quite different.
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- Terri says
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  I got my sun-dried tomato pesto from Amazon.
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charlotte says
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Best pasta I made!!! I skipped the reserved water and used half and half tho. I will make this next time with linguine and shrimp!!
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Christine Byrne says
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Julia this sauce is devine, thank you for sharing it.
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- vikalinka says
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  My pleasure! I am so glad to hear it, Christine!
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Bret b says
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I made this for my 1 year old grandson and he loved it. Over cheese ravioli
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Lainey Hoepner says
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I made your recipe exactly how it was written. It had amazing flavor, but was extremely runny. It was more of soup than a sauce. Did I miss something? I really loved dipping my garlic bread in it, the flavor just explodes!!!
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- vikalinka says
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  Hi Lainey, the consistency of the sauce depends on the fat content in the cream you used. Single cream in the UK contains 19g of fat. If you used cream with lower fat than that, it will result in a thinner sauce. That being said the sun-dried pesto should help to thicken it out. You can also reduce it a bit. I also want to mention that authentic Italian sauces are lighter than American ones as they add no thickeners like flour or corn starch.
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- TYANN JACKSON says
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  Probably not enough parmesan cheese to pasta water ratio. I would use less water and more cheese or vice versa <3.
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- Christine Hazlett says
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  OMG, I love pasta a la vodka, but this seemed easy and fast, so I tried it. I am not a huge fan of basil, so I cut it back. I am a huge fan of garlic, but I wanted to stay truer to the original; I am very glad that I followed the directions on that. Meanwhile, I read what some folks said about the consistency and opted to omit the pasta water. What I did do was add a half cup of Chardonnay while cooking the pesto and garlic… OMG! This is fabulous! So easy and extraordinarily delicious!, Thank you, V!
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Steffanie says
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I have been disappointed in some cream sauce recipes, but WOW, this was delicious! I am definitely planning on making this for my family when they come to visit!
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- vikalinka says
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  Thrilled to hear that, Steffanie. This sauce is one of my go to as well for a variety of pasta dishes.
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Crissy says
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This was delicious and so easy! I have an artichoke pesto that would work great here too! Such a fast dinner, definitely will make again! Thanks for the recipe!
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- vikalinka says
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  Thank you for trying our this recipe, Crissy and an artichoke pesto sounds like it could be an amazing option as well!
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Deb says
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An this be frozen successfully after adding cooked ravioli to the sauce
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- vikalinka says
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  Theoretically yes but not without sacrifice to the taste, Deb. I am very fussy about my pasta. It has to be al dente for me and I find it impossible to maintain after freezing and defrosting it. If you do decide to freeze it, I would put it in individual portions and also be prepared to add some water to the sauce when you are bring it back to life, otherwise it will be too stodgy.
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  - TODD says
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    Can you pre-make and freeze the sauce to add to fresh pasta at a later date?
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    - vikalinka says
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      Hi Todd, since it literally takes 5 minutes to make this sauce and I mean this without an exaggeration, it seems a bit counterproductive. It will take you longer to defrost it and make it the right consistency again than making it from scratch. No sauces freeze brilliantly as they need to be slowly reheated in a pan, not microwave to preserve the texture. In my opinion, it makes sense to freeze a labour intensive sauce but not this one. You can easily half the recipe if this one makes too much.
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      - TODD says
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        Thanks, I’m just preparing for a relatively big party and was keen to do as much prior as possible. I’ll probably make this earlier in the day and then gently reheat. Thanks again.
      - vikalinka says
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        Sounds like a great idea, Todd. I love being able to relax when people arrive instead of running around!
  - Sandy says
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    Anxious to try your sauces!
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    - Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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      Let me know how you like it, Sandy!
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PJ says
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This looks devine, can’t wait to try it!
I love adding a dollop of cream sauce ( such as Alfredo) on top of pasta w/red sauce…the combo is wonderful! This sounds like a great combo!
I already call it a winner!
I need to look for the tomato pesto, never noticed it in my store!
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- vikalinka says
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  Let me know how you like it!
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Maria says
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What size package of ravioli did you use?
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- vikalinka says
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  Hi Maria, this recipe is for the sauce that serves 4 and usually covers about a pound of any pasta.
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- Patricia says
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  Thank you for asking, I w curious about this as well. I can’t wait to try this.
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Susan Diebold says
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Would it work with mushroom ravioli? It sounds so good but I’m used to Marsala cream sauce.
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- vikalinka says
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  I would say this ravioli sauce is pretty versatile and goes with almost any filling, Susan. Try it and see if you like it, the only way to find out.
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Christine says
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This was so good and so easy! Will definitely be on rotation now 🙂
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- vikalinka says
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  So happy to hear that, Christine! It’s on a regular rotation at our house! A quick dinner that tastes amazing.
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Kat says
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I always try to have ravioli on hand whether in the fridge or freezer for quick meals, mostly for my kids. But I never thought of adding a sauce. I so need to try this next time. I mean 5 minutes and all those flavors?! Yum!
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Dee says
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I love the use of sundried tomato pesto in this ravioli sauce. Such an easy and delicious recipe!
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NT says
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Darling, you bring me back to Italy with your food. I love the creamy ravioli sauce, my mouth is watering right now! I am so excited to pair this sauce with our favorite local lobster ravioli we get at the store.
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Ashlee Glanville says
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Julia,
I have no words! Not only was this dish super easy to make it is the absolute best pasta dish I’ve ever made! That sauce is to die for! And then adding cheese ravioli, I’m truly in awe! Thank you for such an amazing recipe that I’ll more than likely be making every week xx
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- vikalinka says
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  So glad you thought so, Ashlee!
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  - Laura Cornell says
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    This is a 5 star! I browned 1/2 pound of sweet and a 1/2 pound of hot Italian sausage before completing the sauce. I used dried basil too. It was a big hit at my house!
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    - Julia Frey (Vikalinka) says
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      Sounds delicious, Laura!! 🙂
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Michelle says
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Delicious! I bought the ravioli at Venda Ravioli. Very easy to make and oh so good! Thanks for sharing!
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- vikalinka says
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  I am so happy to hear that, Michelle! Thank you for your lovely feedback.
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