Ravioli in brown butter sauce topped with toasted hazelnuts and herbs, served in a rustic metal bowl with a glass of red wine and a fork on a textured concrete surface.
medium

Mushroom and Hazelnut Ravioli

Earthy mushroom ravioli with toasted hazelnut crunch in garlicky brown butter. Piedmont's forest flavors, ready in under an hour.

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45m prep + 20m cook
4 servings
Italy, Piedmont

What You'll Need

  • 20ml olive oil
  • 115g butter
  • 4 garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley
  • 100ml warm water
  • 1 tbsp parmesan
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 5 tbsp mascarpone
  • 4 shallot
  • 200g wheat flour
  • 150g mixed mushroom
  • 100g flat mushroom
  • 100g hazelnut
  • 1 pinch black pepper

Let's Get Cooking

  1. 1

    Mix flour and salt on a clean surface. Make a well, add water and oil. Knead for 10 minutes until smooth and elastic. Wrap and rest for 30 minutes.

    ~10m

    If the dough cracks, add one teaspoon of water.

  2. 2

    Heat butter and oil in a large pan over medium heat. Cook chopped shallots for 3 minutes until soft. Add all mushrooms and cook for 10 minutes until they release their liquid and turn glossy and dark.

    ~13m

    The mushrooms should smell earthy and fill the kitchen.

  3. 3

    Stir in ground hazelnuts and garlic. Cook for 2 minutes until toasted, then remove from heat. Mix in mascarpone and parmesan until creamy. Season with salt and pepper and let the mixture cool.

    ~15m

    The filling should be thick enough to hold its shape.

  4. 4

    Roll the dough thin to about 1mm. Spoon teaspoons of filling 5cm apart. Brush edges with water, top with a second dough sheet, and press firmly to seal. Cut with a pastry cutter.

    ~15m

    Ensure there are no air bubbles trapped in the pillows before sealing.

  5. 5

    Melt butter in a pan until it foams and turns nut-brown. Add garlic, parsley, and chopped hazelnuts. Cook for 2 minutes until fragrant and keep warm.

    ~5m

    Watch the butter closely so it toasts but does not burn.

  6. 6

    Boil a pot of salted water. Cook ravioli in batches for 3 to 4 minutes until they float. Drain gently and toss in the hot brown butter sauce. Serve immediately.

    ~7m

    The sauce should cling glossily to the pasta.

Goes Great With

Ravioli

perfect

Pockets seal the filling tight, while the brown butter pools in the crimped edges for maximum flavor soak.

Pappardelle

good

Wide ribbons catch the butter bits and hazelnuts, echoing a rustic handmade feel.

Agnolotti

great

These smaller pouches reflect the Piedmont style, where the hazelnut crunch contrasts the soft filling.

The Story Behind the Sauce

Piedmont ravioli pair chopped wild mushrooms with ground hazelnuts in a creamy mascarpone base. The filling is cooked down until glossy and dense, capturing flavors of damp earth and toasted nuts. This traditional recipe ensures the pasta pouches hold their shape without becoming soggy. The dish is finished with a brown butter sauce that foams into a nutty gold, balanced by sharp garlic and fresh parsley. This specialty comes from the Langhe hills in Italy, where hazelnuts have been harvested since Roman times. Historically, cooks in Piedmontese inns used local nuts and foraged mushrooms to create hearty, meatless fillings during lean winters. The combination of volcanic soil mushrooms and oil-rich hillside nuts creates a unique umami profile characteristic of the region's rural food traditions.