June 10, 2024
Review RecipeEasy Lasagna with Ravioli
Table of Contents
- Why we love Ravioli Lasagna
- Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients
- How to make Ravioli Casserole with Meat
- Baked Ravioli Lasagna substitutions and additions
- How to serve Frozen Ravioli Lasagna
- Storing Ravioli Lasagna Casserole
- Easy Lasagna with Ravioli FAQs
- More Recipes You’ll Love
- JUMP TO RECIPE
- Even More Recipes You’ll Love
Using ravioli instead of traditional lasagna noodles, this cheesy ravioli lasagna is baked to ooey gooey perfection. Ground beef is perfectly seasoned before being layered with spaghetti sauce, frozen ravioli, and plenty of cheese.
Why we love Ravioli Lasagna
EFFORTLESS ELEGANCE: This recipe gives you all the flavors and comfort of traditional lasagna with a fraction of the effort.
QUICK PREP: With frozen ravioli as the star ingredient, you can skip the time-consuming step of making pasta from scratch. It’s a time-saving hack that doesn’t compromise on taste.
FAMILY-FRIENDLY: Ravioli’s creamy and cheesy filling is a hit with kids and adults alike. It’s a crowd-pleaser that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
This easy ravioli lasagna (sometimes called million-dollar lasagna) is the perfect quick meal for weeknight dinners. There is almost no prep, and the result is an amazing, cheesy, homemade meal that is full of flavor with only a handful of staple ingredients.
Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients
Ground beef and minced garlic infuse this lasagna dish with savory richness, while Italian seasoning adds Mediterranean-inspired herbs and spices.
The tomato sauce forms a flavorful base, and the star of the show, ravioli, offers creamy surprises in every bite, all crowned with gooey melted mozzarella cheese.
You’ll need:
- 1 pound of ground beef
- 1 teaspoon of minced garlic cloves
- 1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning
- 24-ounce jar of pasta sauce (or make your own tomato sauce)
- 25-ounce bag of square frozen ravioli
- 2 cups of mozzarella cheese
How to make Ravioli Casserole with Meat
Once you cook the beef, we will show you how to layer the ingredients to make this tasty dish.
OUR RECIPE DEVELOPER SAYS
You can assemble this ahead of time and leave it in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. It would also make a great meal to give to a friend or neighbor.
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
PRO TIP:
You do not need to boil the ravioli before making this dish.
STEP TWO: In a medium skillet, brown the ground beef with garlic and Italian seasoning. Drain excess fat.
STEP THREE: Reserve one cup of the spaghetti sauce and set it aside. Add the remaining sauce to the browned ground beef. Stir and heat through.
STEP FOUR: In the bottom of the pan, spread a half cup of the reserved spaghetti sauce.
PRO TIP:
If some of your frozen ravioli are stuck together, you can microwave them for 10 to 15 seconds, enough to pull them apart.
STEP FIVE: Using one-third of the ravioli, make a single layer over the sauce.
PRO TIP:
Count out your ravioli into three piles so you know exactly what you have to work with for each layer.
STEP SIX: Next, top with half of the ground beef sauce mixture.
STEP SEVEN: Sprinkle with a half cup of mozzarella cheese.
STEP EIGHT: Next, make a single layer of the ravioli over the cheese.
STEP NINE: Add the rest of the ground beef on top of the ravioli.
STEP TEN: Sprinkle a half cup of mozzarella cheese.
STEP ELEVEN: Place the remaining ravioli on top.
STEP TWELVE: Top with the remaining half cup of reserved spaghetti sauce.
STEP THIRTEEN: Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of mozzarella cheese on top of the sauce.
STEP FOURTEEN: Bake the casserole at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and the casserole is bubbling around the edges.
PRO TIP:
You can also bake this covered in foil if you’d like — just make sure to remove it at the end so the cheese has a chance to get browned a little on top!
STEP FIFTEEN: Garnish and serve.
Baked Ravioli Lasagna substitutions and additions
MEAT: Add Italian sausage or pork to the ground beef, or you can even substitute the ground beef for ground pork or ground turkey.
CHEESE: Add ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, or cream cheese between the layers.
Or substitute smoked provolone, fontina cheese, or an Italian cheese blend for additional flavors.
SAUCE: Add a little Alfredo sauce to the mix to make it even creamier. Fresh/canned mushrooms or fresh/frozen spinach also make great additions to the marinara sauce.
For a zesty kick, add crushed red pepper flakes.
FRESH VS FROZEN: Substitute the frozen ravioli for fresh ravioli.
How to serve Frozen Ravioli Lasagna
Top this delicious ravioli with parmesan cheese for an extra cheesy top.
Serve it with our Caesar salad and cheesy pull-apart bread, and you will have the ultimate comfort food meal.
Roasted vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini, or asparagus, make a yummy side.
On a warm day, serve this dish with a glass of freshly squeezed lemonade or a cold, crisp iced tea.
Lasagna lovers, make sure you also check out our easy lasagna casserole as well as our classic lasagna recipe. They’re both reader favorites.
MORE PASTA RECIPES
Storing Ravioli Lasagna Casserole
Whether you’re planning to make it ahead of time or have some tasty leftovers, here’s the lowdown on storing and reheating your delicious creation.
IN THE FRIDGE: Store leftovers of this easy dinner recipe in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
IN THE FREEZER: Freeze individual slices of leftovers for quick and simple meals later. You can warm them up in the microwave later.
MAKE-AHEAD: You can assemble this ravioli lasagna bake ahead of time and freeze it until you are ready to serve it.
Prep it and store it in a throw-away foil container (perfect for freezer cooking or giving away), or use a freezer-safe casserole dish with a lid or wrap tightly with foil.
If you’re reheating an entire pan of lasagna, you’ll want to bake for about 20 minutes (or until heated through) at 350°F.
REHEATING: To reheat your ravioli lasagna and restore its deliciousness, here are a few methods:
- OVEN: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Place the lasagna on an oven-safe dish, cover with aluminum foil, and bake for about 20-30 minutes, or until heated through. This method will give you that fresh-out-of-the-oven taste.
- MICROWAVE: For a quick individual serving, you can microwave a slice for two to three minutes, checking periodically to ensure it’s heated evenly. Covering it with a microwave-safe lid or a damp paper towel can help retain moisture.
Easy Lasagna with Ravioli FAQs
This easy lasagna recipe would be delicious with either type of ravioli.
Instead of the ravioli, you could use meat or cheese tortellini.
You can make this dish ahead of time. Either assemble it and store it in the fridge the day before you plan to bake it, or assemble it, cover and freeze it for baking later.
No, fresh ravioli does not need to be boiled before baking, especially if you are making a dish like ravioli lasagna. The ravioli will cook in the sauce while baking, becoming tender and absorbing the flavors. This makes the preparation process quicker and easier, allowing you to assemble the dish and let the oven do the work. Just ensure you have enough sauce to cover the ravioli adequately, so it cooks evenly and doesn’t dry out.
When baking lasagna, it is typically covered for the majority of the baking time and then uncovered for the last part.
1. Covered: Cover the lasagna with aluminum foil during the initial baking period. This helps to keep the moisture in, ensuring that the lasagna noodles cook properly and the dish doesn’t dry out.
2. Uncovered: Remove the foil for the last 15-20 minutes of baking. This allows the cheese on top to brown and become bubbly, giving the lasagna a nice, golden finish.
This method ensures that your lasagna is cooked through and has a delicious, appealing crust on top.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Ground Beef Stroganoff
- Lemon Lasagna
- Air Fryer Quesadilla
- Grilled Salmon
- Stuffed Pepper Casserole
- Mexican Casserole
- Cream Cheese Pasta Sauce
Ravioli Lasagna Casserole
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 24 ounces spaghetti sauce
- 25 ounces square frozen ravioli
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese
- chopped parsley, optional garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium skillet brown the ground beef with the garlic and Italian seasoning. Drain excess fat.
- Reserve 1 cup of the spaghetti sauce and set it aside. Add the remaining sauce to the browned ground beef. Stir and heat through.
- In the bottom of a 9×13-inch pan spread ½ cup of the reserved spaghetti sauce.
- Now begin the layering. First using one-third of the ravioli make a single layer over the sauce.
- Top with half of the ground beef.
- Sprinkle with ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Make a single layer of the ravioli over the cheese.
- Top with the rest of the ground beef.
- Sprinkle ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Place the final one-third of the ravioli on top.
- Top with remaining ½ cup of reserved spaghetti sauce.
- Sprinkle with the remaining one cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Bake the casserole at 350°F for 30 to 40 minutes or until cheese is completely melted and the casserole is bubbling around the edges.
- Garnish and serve.
Video
Notes
- You can assemble this ahead of time and leave in the fridge until you’re ready to bake. It would also make a great meal to give to a friend or neighbor.
- You do not need to boil the ravioli before making this dish.
- If some of your frozen ravioli are stuck together you can microwave them for 10 to 15 seconds, enough to pull them apart.
- Count out your ravioli into three piles so you know exactly what you have to work with for each layer.
- You can also bake this covered in foil if you’d like — just make sure to remove it at the end so the cheese has a chance to get browned a little on top!
Comments
Toni Thomason says
A great alternative to a classic dish.
Rosemarie says
Itโs in the oven. Iโm alone but I make leftovers into TV dinners for the freezer. Mmmmm canโt wait
Layne Kangas says
You are going to love it! ๐
Luann says
What seems to work best….plain cheese ravioli or the ones stuffed with meat? If you have a meat sauce, probably the plain cheese would be better?
Layne Kangas says
Either would be great. Our family has liked doing cheese ravioli with the meat sauce. Enjoy! ๐
Gloria says
Easy and hearty – our family loves this meal!
Anne says
Does the ravioli have to be frozen or can I use the Rana brand from the fridge
Layne Kangas says
Hi, Anne – if you use ravioli that isn’t frozen, you might need to adjust your cooking time to be a little less. Enjoy!
Janna Roberts says
This is a family favorite. I double the sauce and use a bigger pan so only did two layers.
Julie says
Quick and easy dinner. Just as good as any lasagna, but much simpler.