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This quick and easy Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes is best for nights when you’re craving Italian, but also wanting to keep things light and summery. Summer zucchini is sliced into ribbons and rolled up with a basil pesto and ricotta cheese mixture. Then baked in a simple wine and burst cherry tomato sauce with fresh thyme and garlic. This ravioli is creamy and cheesy with a sauce that bursts in your mouth with flavor. Totally delicious. And surprise? It’s also so quick and easy!
It’s a ravioli kind of Tuesday! Welcome back guys! Hope you all had a fun long weekend and July 4th! I will hopefully have made it to Mexico by the time you all read this. Though I’m currently sitting on the studio floor typing this up on Sunday night in prep for a day of travel tomorrow….
But, I’m envisioning today, when I’ll be hanging with Asher by the pool in the Mexican sun.
Anyway, I’m really excited to tell you about this zucchini “ravioli”. It’s extra cheesy, saucy, delicious, and you know, even pretty healthy too. But most importantly, it’s just delicious, and a great way to use up that farmers market zucchini.
Here’s the truth…
I’ve never loved, loved zucchini. Sure, I do enjoy it roasted, but it needs to be roasted, not underdone and watery. I’ve found that most zucchini dishes can tend to be watery thanks to the huge amount of water zucchini contains.
Whenever I work with zucchini, I always try to think up a fun way to, one, reinvent it, and two, make sure it’s extra delicious and perfectly cooked.
This means I’m either grilling it up, like I did with this vegetable sandwich. Or I’m cutting it into ribbons and giving it a whole new look, like with this ravioli. Zucchini is not the most flavorful vegetable, so I figure we ought to really dress it up.
The details
This dish is simple and so fun to make. I love to start with the cherry tomato sauce. It’s simply a toss up of cherry tomatoes, olive oil, wine, garlic and thyme. We’re roasting the sauce in the oven until the tomatoes just begin to burst.
The tomatoes will caramelize and be just a touch sweet. But the balsamic vinegar and wine add just the right amount of acidity to balance out the tomatoes.
While the tomatoes are roasting, make the ravioli.
Start out by slicing the zucchini into thin ribbons. I find this easiest to do with a mandoline, but you can use a knife as well. You’ll want to lay the zucchini flat, sprinkle it with salt, and let it sit a few minutes. Doing this will draw out any excess water and make the zucchini ribbons pliable for rolling.
Then just mix fresh ricotta cheese with some basil pesto and provolone. Wrap the cheese up in the zucchini. It looks all fancy, but it’s actually the easiest to do.
At this point, place the zucchini “ravioli” seam side down into the tomatoes. Then just roast the entire dish in the oven until the zucchini is warmed throughout.
No boiling water, and only one messy baking dish too!
Your kitchen will smell incredible as this bakes away. It’s just like cheesy ravioli, but minus the pasta, so it’s perfectly light and fitting for warm summer nights.
You guys know me, I’m usually all about the pasta. But this cheesy zucchini is surprisingly filling and layered with great flavor and texture! I would add bread on the side though for scooping up the extra tomatoes. YUMM!
Hope you guys enjoy!
Looking for other zucchini recipes? Here are some favorites:
Spicy Zucchini Ricotta Lasagna with Oregano Breadcrumbs
Zucchini Parmesan Chicken Meatballs with Lemon Pasta Carbonara
Cheesy Zucchini Chicken and Rice Bake
Chocolate Chunk Almond Butter Zucchini Bread
Lastly, if you make this Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Pesto Cheese Zucchini Ravioli with Burst Tomatoes
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 298 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 cups cherry tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
- 1/3 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 3-4 medium zucchini or summer squash
- 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded provolone cheese
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- fresh basil and thyme, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425° F. 2. In a baking dish, toss together the tomatoes with the garlic, olive oil, wine, balsamic vinegar, thyme, and a pinch each of crushed red pepper, salt, and pepper. Bake 10-15 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to burst. 3. Meanwhile, make the ravioli. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, peel the zucchini into 1/4 inch ribbons and lay them flat on a kitchen towel. Sprinkle the zucchini with salt. Let sit 5-10 minutes, then blot away the excess water. 4. in a bowl, combine the ricotta, provolone, and pesto. Grab 3-4 zucchini ribbons and layer them to make a star. Start with 1 ribbon, then add another to make an X. Now make another X with the remaining 1-2 noodles that will overlap with the current X (see above photo). Spoon 1 tablespoon of filling onto the center of the zucchini. Bring the ends of the zucchini together, laying them over the cheese. Repeat with remaining zucchini and filling. 5. Remove the tomatoes from the oven and lay the ravioli seam side down in the sauce. Drizzle the ravioli lightly with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes or until the ravioli is warmed through. Serve with fresh basil and thyme. Enjoy!
This recipe was a HUGE hit! My husband said it was one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! It’s definitely a keeper! Thank you!
Thanks so much Trace!! Love to hear that this dish was a hit, thanks for making it! Happy Friday! xT
Have have you ever frozen these “raviolis”? I was thinking it would great to have some on hand with all the zucchini I have right now. Thanks
Hey Ardith,
I’m not sure these would be the best option to freeze!! Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xT
This was amazing! We have many family members who are gluten free. I add cooked shrimp and sausage at the end for entire meal. Thank you for the awesome recipe!
Hey Lisa,
Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have the best weekend! xxT
Invited family for dinner just to have an excuse to make this recipe for 6. There were no leftovers. It was enjoyed by all.
Hi Kim,
Happy Sunday!! Thanks for your comment and making this recipe:) I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! xx
OMG! This is so good! It comes together quickly and you won’t miss the pasta. I sliced the zucchini to 1/8” thickness on my mandoline. The packets were easy to assemble. Loved the sauce, the balsamic added just the right touch of sweetness. Thanks for a winner recipe!
Hi Carol,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! I hope you had a great holiday weekend!?
The flavors in this were great, but I found 1/4″ to be way too thick (used my mandoline set at 1/4″). I tried salting both sides of the strips and leaving for 20 minutes, but even then they would not bend enough and using 4 strips per ravioli was impossible. Even 3 strips had to be held together with a toothpick and after 25 minutes the zucchini was still al dente. I will definitely try this recipe again because the flavor combo is SO good, but next time I’ll slice 1/8″.
Hey Lindsay,
Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback!! Sorry about the thickness:) Let me know how it turns out with 1/8 inch slices! xx
Lindsay,
I’ve made the other zucchini ravioli from this site many, many times and am making the pesto version tonight. I always par bake my zucchini slices at 400 for 6-8 minutes before assembly and it’s turned out perfectly every time! Try it!
This was absolutely delicious!! I made this along with your Shredded Brussels Sprout and Prosciutto Salad (also a hit!). I’ve just discovered your instagram after having your whipped feta at a xmas party and begging my friend for the recipe (and then made it for our xmas eve – s0000 good). I am a big fan and can’t wait to try more recipes! I never leave reviews but just had to. Your recipes are amazing and so flavorful. Thank you!!
Hey Liz,
Happy Sunday! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xTieghan
AH-mazing. Amazing, amazing, AMAZING!
Made this last night. So simple and so delicious. Used a cut proof glove with my mandolin for the zucchini. Did not have provolone so I used 1/4 c. Pecorino Romano cheese I had in hand. I actually forgot the step of removing the roasted tomatoes to allow the stuffed zucchini to cook in the sauce. Still turned out terrific. Once plated, I drizzled store bought balsamic glaze over the roasted tomatoes and zucchini. My husband can be a bit of a food snob and he absolutely loved this dish. THANK YOU for such a tasty, beautiful and simple dish!
Hi Elizabeth,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy New Year!? xTieghan
It turned out exactly as expected! The prefect recipe to use our garden zucchinis and tomatoes. We found ourselves sipping on the sauce afterwards cause it was just that good! Looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Hey Jenna,
Fantastic!! So great to hear that you enjoyed this recipe and thanks a lot for making it. Have a great week!? xTieghan
We LOVED this recipe! I tried it when my meat loving husband was supposed to be out for dinner but he surprised me and stayed home. Oops! Especially as I had exchanged the ricotta for 1 1/3 cups cottage cheese and used Gouda and feta as the cheeses. Plus my zucchini was sliced too thick so I just stacked it on top with the filling between layers of bit sized zucchini. Oh my gosh it was delicious and my meat loving husband went back for thirds while declaring it to be a new favorites. Thank you!
Hey Keni,
Awesome! I am so glad that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! xTieghan