Ravioli with Corn and Zucchini in a Garlic Butter Sauce is the easiest pasta dish you'll ever make and it takes only 30 minutes! You can use homemade or store-bought cheese ravioli. The ravioli is coated with the delicious vegetable mixture seasoned with smoked paprika, chili powder, lime juice, and cilantro!
30-Minute Ravioli
This recipe has become my family favorite very quickly. It is so simple and easy to assemble and takes about 30 minutes of prep time (if you use store-bought ravioli).
- It tastes (and looks!) like a restaurant-quality pasta dish, and is perfect for meal prep and busy family weeknights!
- This is how simple this recipe is. The first step is to buy the pre-made ravioli in your local grocery store. The next step is to make the easy garlic butter sauce together with zucchini and fresh corn. The final step is combining cooked ravioli with the veggies, and you're done! It's a truly comforting pasta dish.
- If you want more dinner inspiration with store-bought ravioli, don't miss my Italian ravioli with spinach, artichokes, capers, sun-dried tomatoes, or this delicious mushroom and spinach ravioli.
Easy weeknight dinner
There are only 5 basic ingredients (excluding olive oil, butter, and seasonings): zucchini, corn, garlic, lime juice, and fresh cilantro. This easy and delicious meal can be prepared any night of the week. As simple as this recipe is, it tastes like a restaurant-quality dish and looks sophisticated enough to serve company or entertain guests.
The Directions
- First, I boiled the ravioli in a pot of boiling water. You can also make this the last step, if you like, to keep ravioli fresh and al dente!
- At the same time, I boiled 3 ears of corn in a pot of water for about 5 or 10 minutes. You can also use canned corn kernels.
- Then, I quickly seared the sliced zucchini in a cast-iron skillet on the stovetop until nicely browned and slightly charred.
- Next, I added cooked corn kernels to the cooked zucchini in the cast iron skillet together with spices (smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and pepper).
- Then, I added butter, freshly squeezed lime juice, and chopped cilantro and mixed it all with the veggies.
- Finally, I spooned the veggie mixture over the cooked ravioli. Super easy and quick!
What kind of ravioli to use and substitutions
This is a perfect recipe to use with pre-made, store-bought ravioli. Here are some ideas:
- I used cheese and spinach stuffed ravioli to make this a meatless meal.
- You can use mushroom stuffed ravioli or ravioli with cheese filling.
- For a more comforting version of this recipe, use beef-stuffed ravioli.
- You can even use agnolotti - which is very similar to ravioli. Agnolotti is a stuffed pasta made from a single piece that is folded over. It is usually filled with roasted meat or vegetables.
- This is also a great recipe to use with tortellini.
How to make ravioli from scratch
You can also make ravioli from scratch if you like. I have quite a few recipes for homemade ravioli on this site that you can choose from:
- Homemade Ravioli with Goat Cheese and Spinach Filling
- Ravioli with Spinach and Ricotta Cheese Filling, in Tomato Cream Sauce
- Pumpkin Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Pecans
- Butternut Squash Ravioli with Brown Butter Sauce and Pecans
Can you make this recipe gluten-free?
Yes, you can! I made this recipe with the store-bought gluten-free ravioli made with almond flour - Cappello's brand - spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli. They held up really well! Of course, there are plenty of other types of gluten-free ravioli options available in the grocery stores these days.
Other ravioli recipes you might like
- Chicken Ravioli with Pesto and Veggies (Asparagus, Cherry Tomatoes, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes)
- Basil Pesto Ravioli with Vegetables (Cherry Tomatoes, Avocado), and Mozzarella Cheese
- Italian Ravioli with Spinach, Artichokes, Capers, Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach
30-Minute Ravioli with Corn, Zucchini, and Garlic Butter Sauce
Ingredients
Ravioli
- 8 oz cheese ravioli
Veggies
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 zucchini medium, sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1.5 cups corn kernels cooked (about 3 corn ears - corn on the cob)
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or more
- ½ teaspoon chili powder or more
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to taste
- black pepper freshly ground, to taste
- 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice or more
- 2 tablespoons butter divided
- fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
Cook ravioli
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cook ravioli according to package instructions (usually 7 or 10 minutes). Drain.
Prepare the veggies
- While the ravioli is being cooked, proceed with the rest of the recipe.
- Heat an empty large, high-sided cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil, sliced zucchini, and minced garlic. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for about 3 minutes on medium or medium-high heat to get the zucchini a bit charred. Flip the veggies once.
- Add cooked corn kernels to cooked sliced zucchini in the same skillet.
- Season with smoked paprika, chili powder, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Add freshly squeezed lime juice and 2 tablespoons of butter and melt it on low heat, stirring it together with the veggies. Do it rather quickly, for a couple of minutes, just until the butter melts and the garlic butter sauce coats the zucchini and corn evenly. Remove from heat. Stir in the chopped fresh cilantro.
- Season with more salt, smoked paprika, and chili powder, if desired. Add more freshly squeezed lime juice, if desired.
Assembly
- Spoon the corn and zucchini mixture on top of the cooked and drained ravioli on each serving plate.
- When serving, sprinkle a small amount of chili powder over ravioli and veggies, for presentation purposes, if desired.
Notes
- Corn. You can use canned corn and boil corn on the cob. In this recipe, I actually boiled 3 ears of corn in a pot of water for about 5 or 10 minutes.
- What kind of ravioli to use? Scroll up above the recipe card for lots of ideas on what kind of ravioli to use, including links to the homemade ravioli recipes I've made through the years.
- How to cook ravioli. You can boil the ravioli as the first step or make it the last step, if you like, to keep ravioli fresh and al dente!
- Make it gluten-free. I made this recipe with the store-bought gluten-free ravioli made with almond flour - Cappello's brand, spinach and cheese stuffed ravioli. They held up really well! There are plenty of other types of gluten-free ravioli available in the grocery stores these days.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
This was really good! I used plain pasta because that’s what I had and wanted some extra for kids lunches. Easy, pretty quick and delish! This is now added to my “routine dinners” list to make often!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe, Kate! It does work great with plain pasta, too!
This recipe is a definite keeper. Delicious!!!! The first time I made it the 2 things I did different. I chopped and cooked some onions first and I added the fresh corn to the pan with the zucchini. The second time I made it I cooked chopped onion and I used 1 zucchini and one yellow squash. This time instead of the cilantro I add a large handful of lightly chopped fresh spinach. I really love this recipe.
Thank you, Diane, for your review and sharing your changes. Love the addition of onions, yellow squash, and fresh spinach!
This was great! I happened to use almost all Trader Joe's ingredients (cheese and cauliflower ravioli plus frozen roasted corn) so it was super easy.
Thanks for the inspiration!
Thank you, Carrie, for returning to my site and sharing your review!!
Yummy! I added mushrooms because I didn’t have enough zucchini (how is that even possible?) and some cherry tomatoes.
I love your additions. The more veggies, the better!
Do you have a non squash substitution for the zucchini? I would like to try this but can't eat squash. It is a texture issue. Thank you
Jo, you can try using roasted bell peppers, asparagus, or mushrooms instead of zucchini.
I have made this twice now. It has such clean fresh flavor. Definitely in the summer rotation.
Susan, thank you for your great review and the 5-star rating! ❤️
This turned out perfect! Every ingredient was able to be tasted, due to no heavy creams or sauces. Yummm! Also, you have me using fresh corn for everything now! Goodbye canned and frozen!
Jennifer, I just love your comment! 🙂 Glad you tried this recipe and enjoyed it! 🙂 Fresh corn is the best (if and when you can find it! 🙂 )
I remembered I had a bag of frozen corn in the freezer, put it to good use. So good, family loved it. We sprinkled some grated Parmesan cheese on top! I recommend this recipe.
Love that you sprinkled this dish with grated Parmesan - sounds delish!
I tried this recipe and really liked it! I added some chopped green onions and extra butter to suit my tastes. I like that it was a meatless meal, but I can add meat if I want to and use it a side. Thanks for the wonderful recipe! Definitely a keeper!
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for stopping by and commenting! 🙂 Love the addition of green onions - I used them in a lot of my recipes.