Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake with three cheeses and ground beef is an easy weeknight meal you can prep ahead that tastes like lasagna with half the effort!
Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake
Ravioli Lasagna is a dish I sort of stumbled across on the back of a RAVIOLI BAG. Yes, you know how some people find cookie recipes on bags of flour or chocolate chips? Well I was looking for heating instructions and saw “Ravioli Lasagna Casserole” on a bag.
How had this never occurred to me?!
Ravioli Lasagna is the easiest version of lasagna you’ll probably ever make (other than my slow cooker lasagna coming soon) and the flavors are AMAZING. I changed up the spices and cheese amounts/varieties, but the basic idea on the bag… genius.
Tips for this Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake:
- Do not thaw your ravioli. Thawing it will lead to overcooking in the baking dish.
- If you’re using fresh, refrigerated, ravioli – simply cook the dish for 30 minutes, uncover and cook for the final 15 minutes.
- You can 100% skip the ricotta. The ravioli filling tastes similar, we just really love ricotta.
- Don’t skip the extra time in the oven uncovered, the cheese browning is super important to texture and flavor!
- You can prepare this ahead of time only if you keep the whole dish frozen. Once the ravioli thaws it will absorb the liquid in the sauce.
- Prep these in loaf pans for easier, smaller, meal prep portions.
- I used my own Quick and Easy Marinara Sauce, but you can use the jarred variety as well, I’d recommend 2 jars.
Looking for more great cheesy pasta dishes?
- Bacon Cheeseburger Hamburger Helper
- Cheesecake Factory Louisiana Chicken Pasta (Copycat)
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Hamburger Helper
- Pepperoni Pizza Hamburger Helper
Tools Used in the making of this Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake:
Cast Iron Skillet: This is my most used pan in my kitchen, heavy, keeps heat well and gives the BEST sear ever.
Chef’s Knife: This knife is one of the three most used tools in my kitchen (tongs and my pig tail flipper are the other two). I love it, I’ve had it for almost 10 years and it is as sharp today as the day I got it. (left column, second from the top). Mind you I love it this much even though I have a ridiculously expense knife set as well.
Marinara Sauce: If you aren’t making it from scratch this is my favorite prepared variety.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lean ground beef (80/20)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon fennel seeds , optional
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 cloves garlic , minced
- 4 cups marinara sauce
- 24 ounces frozen cheese ravioli (don't thaw it)
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the ground beef to a large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
- Add in the salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper.
- Break the beef apart and brown well.
- Add garlic and cook another 30 seconds.
- Add in the marinara sauce and stir.
- In a large baking dish (or 9x13 pan) add a layer of one quarter of the sauce, half the ravioli, another quarter of the sauce, a third of the mozzarella cheese and half the ricotta cheese.
- Add a second layer: rest of the ravioli, another quarter of the sauce, a third of the mozzarella cheese and the rest of the ricotta cheese.
- Top with remaining sauce, remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake covered (on a cookie sheet to prevent spillover) for an hour, then uncovered for another 15 minutes.
Nutrition
Hi Sabrina,
This looks amazing! I’d like to try it, but would I be able to add spinach into it? If so, how much, and how would I go about adding it in?
Thanks so much!
Spinach is such an easy addition, it really depends on how much you would like in it!
I make this because it is easy and my picky eater eats it! I swap out the beef for ground turkey and I add some spinach to it that my picky eater thinks is parsley!
Love it!!
OMG! Best ever effortless lasagna. I removed casings then sautéed some spinach with provolone sausage and sweet fennel sausage together (both from our local Italian butcher) and after it was cooked I crumbled it among the other layers. Needless to say it was beyond yummy. Will definitely make again using different sausages/meat and perhaps sautéed mushrooms.
Thanks for the recipe ?
That sounds pretty amazing!
I made this dish and did put it in the freezer to cook at a later date. Quick question though, should I thaw out the dish before putting it in the oven, or put it in the oven frozen and if so is it the same cook time? Cannot WAIT to try it! Thank you!
I suggest thawing it out in the refrigerator overnight but even then you’ll probably need to add an additional 20-30 minutes to the cook time. Enjoy!
Once frozen if made ahead of time, do you thaw the dish some before putting in the oven for an hour? Or, do you put it directly in the oven from the freezer and for how long?
I would thaw it out in the refrigerator overnight before baking the next day. Enjoy!
I made this tonight for the first time & am just waiting to put it in the oven. I used fresh, refrigerated spinach/ricotta ravioli. Will come back with the reactions. ?
I hope you enjoyed it!
Looks perfect for dinner! Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome, Terra!
How many does this serve?
Oh ….just saw at the top. 12 servings!
No problem, Enjoy!!
This looks so good! Kids would devour it!
Thank you, Krista!
I am definitely loving this ravioli lasagna! Looks sooo delicious!
Gah this looks amazing! My whole family would love it!
Thanks, Cathy!
Love the idea to get great lasagna flavors with so much less effort!!
Thanks, Amanda! I’m always up for making things easier in the kitchen, especially during the week!
THIS is the kind of food I never get tired of!
Enjoy!!