I personally find frozen cheese ravioli boring. Even when I toss it in marinara, I’m still left wondering, “why can’t the most delicious pasta sauce save this?” It’s because frozen ravioli (not the fresh-made stuff) was made to be turned into more decadent creations.
My new favorite way? A lasagna-like casserole that’s ready in under an hour and layered with meaty sauce and you guessed it, plenty of cheese! It’s like a homemade lasagna without the laborious task of spreading ricotta across layers of slippery noodles and sauce.
What is Baked Ravioli?
Baked ravioli takes cues from lasagna when it comes to construction. However, unlike boiling a bunch of long, cumbersome noodles and laying them in rows like in lasagna, this casserole calls on prepared frozen ravioli to make things much simpler. It’s an easy swap—frozen (that’s right, no need to thaw!) ravioli in place of the noodles and ricotta mixture, that’s it!
How To Make Lasagna With Ravioli
Here’s how it works. Make a sauce using ground beef, canned tomatoes and a jar of your favorite pasta sauce. Add that to the bottom of a casserole dish then top with a layer of frozen ravioli followed by a layer of shredded cheese. Repeat those steps, finishing with sauce. Cover it with foil and bake at 450°F until the sauce is bubbling, the cheese is melted and the ravioli are fully cooked, about 25 to 30 minutes. If you’re a cheese-lover like me, uncover it when it has 10 minutes left to cook, and top with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Then return it to the oven to let that cheese topping get melty and browned.
The key to success for baked ravioli is ensuring you’ve got plenty of flavor. Since the frozen ravioli is pretty bland, you’ll have to “dress up” the rest of the components of the dish. For example, instead of using only ground beef, I’ll throw in some spicy Italian sausage. I’ll also add a few cloves of freshly minced garlic and a glug of red wine to make the sauce more robust. I love mozzarella for its meltability, but it’s not as flavorful as other cheeses. That’s why I’ll also swap in some shredded fontina cheese and go big with the Parmesan. Finish it off with freshly cracked black pepper and crushed red pepper, and now you’ve got big flavor!
Lasagna doesn’t usually make the weeknight dinner list, but this ravioli casserole does! You’ll get the same, delicious flavors, but in half the time.
