Southwestern Smoked Pork with Cream Sauce And Butternut Squash Ravioli

You all know how much I love Costco. You can find so many delicious food items there. I don’t buy any of their pre-made foods because I can always make my own versions, both better and cheaper. However, I do like a lot of their specialty items that are hard to find anywhere else. One of those items is their butternut squash ravioli. We had some in the freezer and I needed to create a good way to serve them. I decided on making a Southwestern cream sauce with Larry’s smoked pork shoulder. You can make the same sauce with chicken or shrimp too. I served it with my sun-dried tomato and basil focaccia Sun-dried Tomato and Basil Focaccia and a crisp Pinot Grigio on the side to complete the meal.

Southwestern Smoked Pork and Cream Sauce over Butternut Squash Ravioli

1 1/2 lbs smoked pork, cut into thin strips

5-6 mushrooms, sliced

2-3 cups fresh baby spinach, chopped

1 shallot, sliced very thin

1 TBSP garlic

1 cup tomatoes, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 cup dry white wine

1/3-1/2 cup shredded white cheese, like mozzarella

1-2 TBSP butter

1-2 tsp roasted garlic in oil, optional

Get a large skillet very hot and add some olive oil, then add the shallots, spinach, mushrooms and garlic and saute for about 3-5 minutes, stirring constantly, until the shallots are translucent and the vegetables are cooked.

Once the vegetables are cooked, remove them from the heat to make the sauce. Add the wine and cook down for a few minutes until the liquid is reduced by at least half. Then add the cream and the Mozzarella cheese and mix together well. Finish the sauce with a little butter.

Cook the butternut squash ravioli according to the package directions.

Re-add the vegetable, and the tomatoes, as well as the pork and thoroughly mix into the sauce.

We like things with a little kick to them so I added a little or the roasted garlic in chili sauce and mixed it all together as well. But of spicy isn’t your thing, no problem, just leave that out.

Once everything was ready, I topped it over the cooked butternut squash. Larry added a little extra Mozzarella on top of his, and I topped it off with another little dollop of the chili garlic.

It was a perfectly warm and satisfying meal for a cool and chilly night. It just hit the spot. You can enjoy the sauce even more by dipping your bread in it too. 🙂 If pork is not your thing, you can make this same sauce with chicken or shrimp as well, and it will be just as tasty.

Have a great day and make everyday great. Stay safe and stay well. ‘Til next time.