We love the ease and versatility of packaged cheese ravioli and tortellini, but sometimes we get a hankering for something a little jazzier.
Raviolis with richer fillings are available at supermarkets and specialty grocers, but the sauce you choose has to have the good sense not to upstage the star of the show. That rules out Alfredo sauce. As for marinara, we get plenty of that already.
One possibility is a sauce made by thinning Boursin herbed cheese with white wine, milk and chicken broth, and then boosting the flavor with shallots, fresh basil and lemon zest. While the Boursin cheese gives the sauce richness, the additions balance things and let the flavors of the ravioli filling shine.
We tested it with a basil, asiago and pine nut pesto ravioli, and we were swooning.
It's a lovely midwinter meal, along with a glass of that white wine you opened to make the sauce, and a crisp green salad scantily dressed in a little olive oil and Champagne vinegar.
