Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad
Ravioli salads are the best! Plump raviolis tossed with toasted hazelnuts, lemony chard, and caramelized onions are at the heart of this ravioli salad recipe. The colorful platter is finished off with a dusting of cheese, snipped chives, and lemon zest.
If you're invited to a potluck this winter, consider bringing this. I first published the recipe over a decade ago, and still cook it regularly for a whole host of reasons. We're talking about plump raviolis tossed with toasted hazelnuts, lemony flecks of chard, and deeply caramelized onions. You've got crunch from toasted hazelnuts, and brightness from a bit of zest. It's delicious, flexible, and totally satisfying. Also, appropriately, it makes a great vegetarian main for gatherings like Thanksgiving. I've updated and streamlined the instructions and ingredient list here so it reflects how I make it today. For example, I used to cook the chard on the side, but now I don't bother, and just massage it with lemon juice. Little tricks and improvements, and in this case, one less pan to clean.
You can prepare most of the components ahead of time, and throw it together in less than five minutes when you're ready to serve it up family-style. Whenever I have a window in the days prior, I wash and chop the chard (or kale), caramelize the onions, and toast the hazelnuts.
Keep in mind, this whole idea is super adaptable. You can play around with the type of raviolis you use - vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.
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Hazelnut & Chard Ravioli Salad
Choose a winter flavored ravioli, I used a fresh (but store-bought) sweet onion & red chard ravioli, but I suspect a butternut squash ravioli would be delicious as well. I sometimes precook the raviolis and keep them in a single layer on a parchment-lined baking sheet until I am ready to use them - this helps prevent the raviolis from melding into one another after cooking. I often cook the onions a day or two ahead of time, and keep them in a jar in the refrigerator until I'm ready to assemble everything. To make this vegan, choose a vegan ravioli, and skip the Parmesan, still one of my faves this way.
- 1 lb. raviolis (see headnotes)
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
- fine grain sea salt
- 2 small yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 2 cups of chopped swiss chard or kale, deveined
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, and zest
- 2/3 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated (optional)
- 1/4 cup chives, minced
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Into an extra-large pot of well-salted boiling water add the raviolis. After a few minutes, when the raviolis float and are cooked through, drain them and toss with one tablespoon of the olive oil. This prevents them from sticking together. Set aside.
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To caramelize the onions, heat another tablespoon of the olive oil in a large thick-bottomed skillet with a pinch of salt. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions collapse and turn deep brown in color. You can do this ahead of time (or just before serving) - whatever you prefer. Remove from skillet and set aside.
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Before serving, combine the chard (or kale) and lemon juice with a pinch of salt in a large bowl (or on a large serving platter). Massage for 15 seconds or so. Add the raviolis and to the chard, along with most of the onions, and most of the hazelnuts. Fold gently to combine everything without breaking up the raviolis. Finish with cheese (optional), the chives, any remaining onions and hazelnuts, a finishing thread of olive oil, and the lemon zest. Serve family-style.
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So I tried this recipe with roasted butternut squash instead of the ravioli since that’s what I had on hand (and added some sage, rosemary, and nutmeg to onions) and it was so good! Loved the flavor combos and the zest really made it.
Thanks McKenzie – so happy you liked it!
Indeed a healthy option for kids and family.
I first made this last winter, a few weeks after having a baby. I was completely frazzled and my husband and I wanted something nutritious but fast. Well… since then, we’ve made this a few times a month, and now ALWAYS have Trader Joe’s ravioli in the freezer for this recipe! (FYI, their ravioli is from Italy, is quite tasty, inexpensive, and comes in many flavors!)
Thanks for the tip Katie! It’s been a go-to for us for years as well :)!
To Shauna A M:
I think chard is called παςι in Greek, but if you ask for σπανακι (spinach) in winter, chard is what you are likely to get. I think fresh walnuts will be available in Athens now, rather than hazelnuts, and will work well in this recipe.
Y
Wow, what an original salad, it looks fantastic.
Hi Heidi,
I recently discovered your site and just love it (and your cookbook). This salad looks fantastic–can’t wait to try it. I think the mix of chard, squash and hazelnuts would be heavenly. As someone who can’t eat wheat (just a sensitivity, not celiac), I’m wondering if I could find spelt of kamut-based ravioli?
And I love the pics of the silverware and china!
so beautiful salad
YUM!
Had it last night for dinner. Exquisite! I think this is my favorite of the one-bowl meals.
I made this recipe last night and it was a-maz-ing!
I substituted store-bought sweet sausage ravioli, which got a lovely brown crust while the chard wilted in the pan.
Definitely going to be a winter staple — so many opportunities for different flavor combinations.
Thanks for the inspiration!
This recipe is great! I LOVE a good salad and it’s so hard to come up with something extra to give it that pop!
Shauna, hi! Let me know if you eventually end up doing a GF version, I’ll link back to it.
Heidi A-P, chard is a big, sturdy leafy green. Feel free to substitute whatever you can find in your local market….
Elizabeth, I’m so happy to hear that some of my recipes played a role in your Thanksgiving! Hope you had some help in the kitchen 😉
And Toklas, thanks for jumping in there with the zest explanation!
-h
This looks like a nice variation to eating pasta and salad heidi! the addition of hazelnuts catches my attention:)
Hope you had a great TG!!
-Mansi
This looks like a nice variation to eating pasta and salad heidi! the addition of hazelnuts catches my attention:)
As soon as I read the words “hazelnut” and “chard,” my jaw dropped – those are two of my all-time favorite ingredients!! especially during this season!! yum!!
Heidi, this looks superb. you know how to make every food look scrumptious….
I think I could do this gluten-free….
Thanks, as always.
Still in the Thanksgiving spirit, may I thank you for your incredible, delicious blog? You inspire me daily – both in the kitchen, and as a writer! Thank you!- Astra Libris
Yum! Wish this blog went up before thanksgiving. The dish would have made the perfect addition to my sister’s and my 101 cookbooks thanksgiving. We made the brussel sprouts, autumn millet bake, vanilla sweet potato mash, asparagus bread pudding, cheesy potato spoon bread and the butternut squash tart from your site. Veggies and meat-heads alike enjoyed every last dish. Thanks for making our holiday the best ever (or at least the one with the best food!)
I so enjoy your site! Pasta salads are one of my favorite dishes as they are so versitile. Thanks for the photo of your lovely teapot, they are a favorite of mine.
Now that looks a lot more inviting than some of the sad pasta salads I’ve seen on buffets. Plenty of flavour going on there!
What a creative salad! I love the beautiful Fall colors. My father grew the most wonderful swiss chard. Tender and sweet. I would love to have some for this dish.
Great recipe, Heidi – And beautiful cutlery.
I loved the earlier version…and can’t wait to try the toasty fall version. YUM!
This really looks delicious. You so rarely see ravioli with anything but butter sauce, marinara or some sort of cream sauce. Like the idea of a do-ahead pasta salad too—with something other than the usual tortellini! Thx for the inspiration—I’m definitely making this over the weekend!
Yum! I’m not a fan of pasta salad, but this looks amazing. I’ll give it a go. Thanks, Heidi.
i’m tempted to try this w/ my fresh pumpkin for the croutons. by the way, i just tried your pumpkin soup (coconut thai curry) and it was fabulous!
That looks absolutely delicious. I love the mix of autumnal colours.
Heidi: This looks amazing. I spent the spring, summer and fall addicted to your wheatberry salad, and I have a feeling this ravioli salad might be my winter addiction. Looks gorgeous, and I can’t wait to make it this week. Thanks!
I almost didn’t see the ravioli at first! This looks incredible!
Happy Thanksgiving!
Happy Thanksgiving to you–what beautiful dishes!!
And thank you for the pre-cooking ravioli tip—I hate it when they meld together!
Happy Thanksgiving to you Heidi and to all of you!
As usual the pictures are wonderful and full of life. Your Mom seems to have a pretty large collection of china and silverware. And what makes a nice meal? The food, the people around the table and the presentation!
Bon appetit!
This sound very tasty and easy to prepare. I like pasta salads in general. When caramelizing onions I like to add few drops of Aceto Balsamico.
The photos are great!
Sanja
Wow – what a great and inspiring dish! I peeked at your site just as supper was approaching. I had already decided on butternut squash ravioli, but this recipe definitely changed the direction I was heading. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any chard or hazelnuts in the house. I substituted spinach and pine nuts with excellent results. Since I was using butternut squash ravioli, I opted to make the croutons using red potatoes – again, with excellent results.
Thanks so much for a really incredible recipe that I could adapt to account for the contents of my fridge and pantry. It will definitely make a few repeat appearances this winter!
-Jenni
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