Description
Baked Ravioli is a comforting, family-friendly casserole that layers cheesy ravioli with a rich ground beef and marinara sauce, then bakes everything to golden, bubbly perfection. This easy dinner recipe is perfect for busy weeknights and can be prepared in under an hour, delivering big, classic Italian flavors with minimal effort.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Meat Sauce
- 3/4 lb. ground beef
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon hot sauce (doesn’t make it spicy)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 24 oz. marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup half and half
Casserole Assembly
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, divided
- 20 oz. refrigerated ravioli, uncooked
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) to ensure it’s hot and ready for baking the casserole evenly.
- Prepare Beef Mixture: In a large skillet over medium-high heat, season the ground beef with salt and pepper, then cook and crumble it for about 3 minutes. Add onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, mustard powder, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and diced onion. Continue cooking for 5 minutes, until the onions are soft. Stir in minced garlic and cook for another minute. Tilt the skillet and spoon out excess grease. Reduce heat to low.
- Combine Sauce: Spread 3/4 cup of marinara sauce onto the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish. Add the remaining marinara sauce and half and half to the skillet with the meat mixture and stir well to combine. Remove from heat.
- Assemble Ravioli Layers: Arrange half of the uncooked ravioli in a single layer on top of the marinara in the casserole dish. Top with half of the meat sauce mixture and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat and Finish Layering: Add the remaining ravioli in a layer, followed by the rest of the meat sauce. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese evenly on top.
- Bake the Casserole: Cover the casserole dish (spray one side of the foil with non-stick spray if using) and bake for 35 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld and the ravioli to cook through.
- Broil to Finish: Remove the cover and broil at 450°F for 1–2 minutes until the cheese on top is golden and bubbly. Watch closely to avoid burning.
- Serve: Remove from heat and let the casserole cool briefly before serving. Enjoy your baked ravioli warm.
Notes
- Be sure to use refrigerated ravioli for best results. Frozen ravioli may require longer cooking time.
- Spraying one side of the foil with non-stick cooking spray prevents cheese from sticking when baking covered.
- Feel free to substitute ground turkey or Italian sausage for beef if preferred.
- You can use your favorite marinara or pasta sauce, or make your own from scratch.
- Add extra mozzarella or a sprinkle of Parmesan on top for even more cheesy goodness.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of casserole
- Calories: 420
- Sugar: 7g
- Sodium: 1050mg
- Fat: 21g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 35g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 24g
- Cholesterol: 65mg
