This easy ravioli lasagna bake is a hearty no-brainer dinner to make on busy back-to-school nights. You don’t even have to cook the ravioli, just throw it in frozen. It’s a total crowd-pleaser! And a great make-ahead meal too. Originally published August 13, 2015.
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Today I went to Charlotte’s preschool registration. The teacher had emailed us requesting that we bring 2 photos of Charlotte, I assume to put up on the wall in their classroom.
So last night I carefully went through all of the lovely family photos we had taken last year, and picked the two where Charlotte looked the most adorable. I sent them off to Eric, and he was in charge of ordering the pictures at Walgreens. But when I went to pick them up this morning, this is what I found:
MEATBALLS. Raw meatballs. Eric apparently thought that this picture had a lot more character than the professional ones. Well it certainly does, along with a blurry face and a hairdo that makes Charlotte looks like a street urchin. Oh, and don’t worry that half the photo is RAW MEATBALLS. Handing this picture to the teacher is like handing them a guarantee that this one will be The Problem Child, because their parents are freaky weird.
Also, her first nickname will be Meatball Girl. Every preschooler’s dream.
Well even if Charlotte’s earliest school years are now haunted with meatball memories, at least she will get this for dinner. It’s not so bad having freaky weird parents when you get Ravioli Lasagna. Kind of rounds things out.
This Ravioli Lasagna Bake is a Family Staple
This recipe is a classic in Eric’s family, his mom made it all the time growing up. It has 4 parts: sauce, frozen ravioli, ricotta, and cheese. It’s super easy to put together. I decided to skip boiling the ravioli, just to see what would happen. Here’s the text I sent my mother- and sisters-law:
And for the record, Jessie wasn’t being sarcastic. It really is that life-changing. Boiling ravioli adds at least 10 minutes to your dinner prep, and that is 10 minutes that you could be vacuuming, or filing your nails, or Pinteresting. (I’ll take option 3 please.)
How to Make Lasagna With Ravioli
Start by making your sauce. The sausage makes this soooo good. I know we’re about to grab a bag fo frozen lasagna, but making homemade sauce is the secret to love at first bite.
Spread some sauce in the pan, then start layering up the lasagna. No need to boil!!
Then ricotta, more sauce, mozzarella. Repeat.
It’s hard to go back to frozen lasagna…when you could just grab the frozen ravioli and make this instead.
Tips For Making Easy Ravioli Lasagna
- I said it before and I’ll say it again: don’t. boil. the. ravioli. You’re welcome
- Don’t feel like you have to stick with sausage! You could do ground beef instead, vegetarian crumbles, or just skip the meat altogether.
- Start keeping a bag of frozen ravioli in your freezer at all times for those “noooo how is it 5PM” kinda nights (this happens a lot at my house).
Ravioli Lasagna Recipe variations
You can make this lasagna as easy or extensive as you want it to be. You can add sausage to the sauce, or leave it out. You can layer sliced zucchini or other squash, if you have it around. You can jazz up the ricotta with an egg or spices. Pretty much any way you make it, it’s going to be amazing! I love no-fail recipes like this.
This recipe has just enough cooking prep-work to impress family or guests! I always get compliments with it. You start by doctoring up some marinara sauce which is the part that really makes it feel homemade. From there you just layer the sauce, frozen ravioli, and cheeses until you’ve got an amazing ravioli lasagna bake ready to put in the oven! If you want to prepare it ahead of time, just assemble it in an aluminum baking pan and stick it in the freezer for an even faster school-night meal or to deliver to a friend.
Doesn’t that just look beautiful! Easy to make and easy to please. This is a great meal to make a big group happy. If you make it please share how it goes!
Storing Lasagna Made With Ravioli
You can keep this lasagna in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days no problem. Reheat individual servings in the microwave or cover the top with foil and reheat the whole thing (or a large portion) at 350 degrees until warmed through.
After a few days it’s a good idea to freeze any leftovers. Wrap it tightly in tinfoil or plastic wrap and save it for another day. The lasagna will stay fresh for 2-3 months. Thaw it overnight in the fridge, at least 12 hours, and then reheat it at 350 for about 30 minutes.
What to Serve With Ravioli Lasagna
If it’s a busy night just go grab that frozen garlic bread and a bagged salad and call it done. If you have a little more time try some of my favorite homemade breads and salads! This can be a serious special occasion dinner when you add the good stuff alongside.
Garlic Knots << these are NO. JOKE. The best garlic knots I’ve ever had
Quick and Easy French Bread << you will be shocked how fast this is!
The Best Garlic Butter Bread << heaven is a place where I’m with garlic bread
My Favorite Green Goddess Salad << creamy herby dressing and perfect greens, yes please
Strawberry Spinach Salad << a legendary recipe for a reason!
Apple Gorgonzola Salad (Buca di Beppo Copycat) << fruit, nuts, and cheese: perfect combo
More great school-night dinners!
Easy Cheesy Asparagus Tortellini Bake << this one’s quick
Baked Ziti << one of my favorite casseroles of all time!
Chicken Parmesan Pot Pie << just one skillet!
Chicken and Dumpling Casserole from Chef in Training
Italian Sausage Casserole from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
Cheesy Ravioli and Italian Sausage Skillet from The Comfort of Cooking
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Easy Ravioli Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 jar marinara sauce
- 1 14-oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 20-25 ounces ravioli, fresh or frozen
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella
- basil, fresh, to garnish, optional
Instructions
- In a large skillet, cook and crumble the sausage over medium heat. Drain well.
- Add the marinara sauce and crushed tomatoes. Add Italian seasoning.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the edges of a 9×13 inch casserole dish.
- Spoon about a half cup of the sauce into the pan and spread it all around the bottom.
- Layer half of the ravioli on top in a single layer.
- Spread half of the ricotta over the top of the ravioli (do your best, it doesn’t need to be perfect).
- Top with half of the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle with about 1 cup of mozzarella.
- Repeat the layers: all the remaining ravioli, ricotta, sauce, and another cup or more of mozzarella.
- Bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, or until bubbly and golden brown. You can broil it for the last minute if you love crispy cheese on top.
- Garnish with fresh basil and dig in!
Do I need to cover this with foil before baking?
Hi Marsha, I never do! But you totally can. Using foil helps lock in moisture. Take the foil off for the last 10 minutes so the cheese has a chance to crisp up. Enjoy!!
Hi! This is a wonderful recipe!
You might want to proofread your actual directions though. The instructions concerning amounts to use each layer are a bit tricky. It may mess up a beginner.
If I were to make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it does it need to thaw before cooking? Do I still cook it at the same temperature and for the same amount of time?
Hi Meghan! If you’ve frozen the fully prepared lasagna, you’ll want to thaw it overnight in the fridge, for at least 12 hours, and then reheat it at 350 for about 30 minutes. Enjoy!
OMG! This was so damn delicious that you could definitely overeat if you’re not careful! We had cheesy garlic bread with it. Have two containers of leftovers..should have invited the neighbors over..maybe next time. Thank you for a great recipe and the hard work you do to bring us free recipes, I really appreciate it.
Hello there!
Going to make this! Just wondering what size jar of pasta sauce you use. I bought a 32 Oz jar; can’t go too far wrong but for future reference it would be nice to have that detail!
Hi Allyson! A 32 ounce jar will work great! really you can use anything between a 24-32 ounce jar. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe! enjoy!
Hi! It doesn’t say but after your brown the sausage and combine the crushed tomatoes and sauce, how long do you cook the sauce before using it in the lasagna.
Hi Jenn, thanks you asking, 5-15 minutes will do, whatever you have time for! I updated the recipe. Thanks! Enjoy!