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    Home » Recipes » Dinner » Easy Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce and Capers

    Published: Dec 16, 2021 · Updated: Dec 9, 2021 by Sharon Garofalow | This post may contain affiliate links. See the privacy policy linked in my footer.

    Easy Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce and Capers

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Bowl of ravioli topped with lemon butter sauce and capers.

    This Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce is a perfect busy weeknight recipe. It’s quick and easy and full of flavor.

    This piccata-style lemon cream sauce with capers takes store-bought ravioli and makes them extra special. It’s a pasta dinner idea that your whole family will love.

    Close up of bowl with a weeknight dinner idea with ravioli.

    I’m not a spaghetti kind of gal. But I am a get dinner on the table fast kinda gal.

    Pasta is a great weeknight dinner idea but I want something a little more than just noodles and sauce. And I definitely don’t want to get stuck in the kitchen. If that’s you, you are going to love this Ravioli Piccata recipe.

    This was inspired by my other ravioli recipe on this site. Jazzing up store-bought ingredients is one of my favorite hacks for getting dinner on the table quickly!

    Jump to:
    • Why This Recipe Works
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Variations
    • Top Tips
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Related Recipes
    • Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce and Capers

    Why This Recipe Works

    Chicken piccata is a classic recipe that is tasty thanks to the lemon and capers. This pasta twist uses the same delicious flavors but makes it even easier to make!

    Store-bought ravioli are paired with a simple lemon cream sauce to make a meal that can be on the table in about 20 minutes.

    Your family will love it. You will love making it.

    Add chicken (baked, shredded or rotisserie chicken), or don’t. It’s a filling meal, that you will make again and again. Because lemon butter sauce. YUM.

    Serve it on its own or with a simple vegetable side dish or salad.

    Looking for even more easy dinner ideas? Tuna and Noodles is another easy pasta meal. A quick Rosa Sauce can be served over pasta or farro. Or browse this list of dishes that barely count as cooking.

    • 20 Easy Chicken Skillet Recipes
    • 15 Simple and Healthy Family Meal Ideas
    • Easy Sheet Pan Dinners
    Printable pages on top of an image of kitchen gadgets with text next to it.

    Ingredients

    Labeled ingredients on a counter for ravioli with lemon cream sauce.
    • Store-bought ravioli
    • Lemon juice
    • Capers
    • Chicken stock
    • Heavy cream
    • Butter
    • Garlic

    See recipe card for quantities.

    You can make your own ravioli if you want. But man, that sure would be a lot of extra work.

    Store-bought ravioli are filled with all kinds of things and flavors. Since this sauce is lemon, garlic and butter, you’ll want to choose a filling that would play well with these flavors.

    You can’t go wrong with simple ricotta-filled ravioli. Although I used some that also had spinach inside.

    Ravioli also come in a variety of sizes. I used small, about 1″ square ravioli. Any size will work.

    You can find fresh ravioli in the refrigerator section, near the pesto and other refrigerated pasta sauces at your local grocery store.

    A dried or shelf-stable ravioli may take a little bit longer to cook. I have not tried this with frozen ravioli but I’m sure those would work too.

    Instructions

    Bowl with melted butter and garlic and capers.

    Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute until fragrant, around 1 ½ to 2 minutes. 

    Woman adding ravioli to a bowl with melted butter, capers and garlic.

    Add the ravioli and fry for 2 more minutes, this gives the ravioli a garlicky and buttery taste. 

    Bowl of ravioli with chicken stock being added.

    Add the chicken stock and toss to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or according to package directions.

    Your ravioli should be al dente (they should still have a little bit of a bite to them when chewing and not mushy).

    A bowl with ravioli and a woman adding heavy cream.

    Stir in the heavy cream, lemon zest and salt and pepper and stir once more to combine everything together before removing from heat.

    Close up of capers and lemon slices mixed with ravioli.

    To serve, place in serving bowls and top with grated parmesan cheese.

    Hint: Don’t have time to make the lemon butter sauce for ravioli? Add a little bit of pre-made lemon butter sauce. It makes this recipe even faster!

    Variations

    With this basic recipe, you can make small changes to create even more tasty twists.

    • Add protein – To make it even more filling add cooked chicken chunks or shredded chicken before adding the heavy cream.
    • Spicy – add red chili flakes to bring a little heat to the dish.
    • Kid friendly – swap the capers with green peas if your kids are not adventurous eaters. It will also sneak in a bit of a veggie. SCORE!

    Top Tips

    • When adding the cream, make sure you pour it in slowly. If cream gets heated too quickly it can sometimes curdle.
    • For a more pronounced lemon flavor, add the juice from 1/2 of lemon along with the zest. Although this may cause the cream to curdle. Whisk in a little at a time to see if that helps.
    • The lemon slices in the photos include the rind so if you are offended by the bitterness a citrus ring can bring, skip it.
    • Try the same recipe with tortellini or other filled pasta. Or keep it extra simple with spaghetti.
    • The 20 ounce package of ravioli says it will make 5 servings. I feel like my family needs a side to make this a filling meal for everyone.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How do you store leftovers?

    To store leftovers, let them cool completely then store them in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

    Why did my lemon butter sauce curdle?

    The acid from the lemon may have caused the cream to create. Next time, you can try adding a smaller amount or add the zest in at the time of sauteing the capers. You may have also added the cream too fast to the dish, or you may have the heat too high.

    What is piccata?

    Picatta traditionally means cooked in a sauce with lemon, butter and parsley. And usually includes capers and a pan-fried protein. Here, I’ve taken the main flavors, minus the parsley, and skipped the protein in favor of using ravioli as the main component.

    Overhead shot of a bowl of raviolis with pieces of lemon and capers.

    Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce and capers is a crowd-pleasing meal that is ready in under half an hour! Add this to your meal plan immediately!

    Related Recipes

    • Hot Salami Sandwich Recipe with Peperoncini
    • Walking Tacos with Shredded Chicken
    • Bruschetta Baked Chicken
    • Manwich Style Chicken Enchilada Casserole
    A photo of an apple spice dump cake with text around it to get the free recipe.
    Bowl of ravioli in lemon butter sauce.

    Ravioli with Lemon Butter Sauce and Capers

    This piccata-style lemon butter sauce for ravioli is a great weeknight dinner idea! In about 20 minutes, you'll have a tasty semi-homemade meal ready for your family to enjoy.
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    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 5 minutes
    Cook Time: 13 minutes
    Total Time: 18 minutes
    Servings: 5 servings
    Calories: 230kcal
    Author: Sharon Garofalow

    Ingredients

    • 20 ounch fresh ravioli
    • 3 tablespoons butter
    • 3 cloves garlic, minced
    • 4 tablespoons capers, drained
    • 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
    • 3/4 cup heavy cream
    • 1/2 lemon, zest and juice
    • salt and pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and capers and saute until fragrant, around 1 ½ to 2 minutes.
    • Add the ravioli and fry for 2 more minutes, this gives the ravioli a garlicky and buttery taste.
    • Add the chicken stock and toss to combine. Cover with a lid and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or according to package directions. Your ravioli should be al dente.
    • Stir in the heavy cream, lemon zest and salt and pepper and stir once more to combine everything together before removing from heat.

    Notes

    • For a more pronounced lemon flavor, add the juice from 1/2 of lemon along with the zest.
    • The lemon slices in the photos include the rind so if you are offended by the bitterness a citrus ring can bring, skip it.
    • Try the same recipe with tortellini or other filled pasta. Or keep it extra simple with spaghetti.
    • The 20-ounce package of ravioli says it has about 5 servings. I feel like my family needs a side to make this a filling meal for everyone.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 230kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 379mg | Potassium: 129mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 748IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 1mg
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    About Sharon Garofalow

    Sharon lives in Southern California with her adorable family. She loves to share ideas to make mom life easier and encourage busy gals to make time for themselves too! Sharon's "me" time often includes watching Hallmark Channel movies, sipping sauvignon blanc, trying not to eat Salt and Pepper potato chips, and planning girlfriend getaways.

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    Based in Southern California, I am the mom to two amazing boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. Cupcakes and Cutlery is your resource for simple solutions to help you be an awesome wife and mother and not lose yourself in the process. Email me at cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com

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