Pumpkin Squash Ravioli

It's September, which for many people signals the start of fall. School's back in session, pumpkin products begin to invade the grocery store aisles, and the cooler breezes of autumn are in the air. Of course, this year, the temperatures have been weird. August felt like September and the temperatures these days keep hovering around 85-90 degrees, but it hasn't stopped me from eagerly awaiting pumpkin bars and pumpkin spice waffles and everything else fall. One way I chose to welcome my favorite season was with lunch the other day - the pumpkin squash ravioli from the Healthy Choice Cafe Steamers line.

I've had a bunch of the Cafe Steamers before (and have always meant to write about them here). They're an interesting concept which I first learned about through Top Chef, putting a healthy twist on microwave meals by actually steaming the main ingredients. This one has ravioli stuffed primarily with pumpkin and ricotta, with butternut squash, apples, and green beans, in a buttery sauce. While it's a savory dish, there is definitely a sweet undertone to it from the pumpkin, apples, and the sauce. It has really comforting flavors and just feels like a fall dish.

All the Cafe Steamers are made the same way. You take off the outer wrapper (not the plastic wrap covering) and then pop the whole thing in the microwave for about 4-5 minutes. After you pull off the film wrapper, you lift a steam basket and then empty the contents into the bowl that contains the sauce. You just mix it up and it's done.

Steaming food is a pretty healthy way to eat, but the one thing I really like about these Cafe Steamers, as opposed to some other frozen meals, is that it preserves the integrity of the main ingredients a little bit more than it would if you were to microwave them all in one dish in the sauce. The ravioli here stayed in one piece and the texture was good. They weren't mushy and the pasta actually kept a bit of an al dente feel (as much as you can when reheating something). The vegetables also weren't mushy or overly cooked, but really tasted as if you had just steamed them on the stovetop and added them to the bowl. All that leads to a better quality product, in my opinion.

The Cafe Steamers line is pretty low in calories (this one was only 260), so if you're really hungry and looking for something to fill you up, these aren't going to do it. But if you have a small appetite or are eating multiple smaller meals or are just having a low activity day, this would be just fine for lunch. I like this ravioli one and would definitely get it again at the right price.