Baked Ravioli

Take everything you loves about lasagna, make it fast and easy for a weeknight dinner, and you've got this baked ravioli casserole! Instead of slow-simmering a sauce, boiling noodles, and layering again and again, this casserole recipe takes every clever shortcut. The best hack of all? Frozen ravioli. They're already filled with spinach and ricotta (two lasagna layers in one) and bake beautifully when tossed in meat sauce and topped with shredded mozzarella. This dish just might become one of your favorite cozy winter dinner ideas—it'll rank right up there with pot roast, macaroni and cheese, and yes, even lasagna! 

Which ground beef is best for meat sauce?

Ground beef comes in a range of ratios, or the amount of fat to meat. Skip extra-lean variety (7% fat or less) for this ground beef recipe as it can taste dry. Since the fat will mostly be drained away before making the sauce, you can also skip a higher fat ground beef (20% fat). A ground beef with between 10% and 15% fat will work well here—remember to drain off all but just a bit of fat to add moisture to the sauce. 

Can marinara be used instead of crushed tomatoes?

Using canned tomatoes instead of ready-made sauce in a jar may seem like an extra step here, but that's by design. It lets you control the flavor a bit more (jarred sauces can sometimes be too sweet, tangy, or herby) and it's more budget-friendly. The sauce will reduce as it simmers for a wonderful flavor that won't overwhelm the ravioli.

Do you boil ravioli before adding it to the sauce?

Yes, you should boil the ravioli before adding it to any sauce to make sure it is fully cooked. This recipe calls for boiling the ravioli, tossing it with the sauce, then arranging it in the baking dish. If you're using frozen ravioli it will take a little longer to boil than if you're using fresh ravioli.

Can you use ground turkey or ground sausage in place of ground beef?

Yes! You can substitute ground turkey or chicken in this baked ravioli recipe if you prefer it. You could also use ground sausage or a combination of 1/2 Italian sausage and 1/2 ground beef or turkey.