Baked Ravioli
1 (16 oz) bag frozen beef ravioli
3 (15 oz) cans tomato sauce
1 1/2 tsp dried basil
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
¼ tsp coarse black pepper
3/4 tsp garlic, minced
1 tsp sugar
1 pinch red pepper flakes
1 cup mozzarella cheese
¼ cup parmesan cheese
Boil ravioli according to pkg directions.
Heat tomato sauce and spices in saucepan. Add one ladle full of pasta water. Bring to boil.
Spray small casserole dish. Layer sauce, ravioli, sauce, cheese, ravioli, sauce, and cheese. Cover.
Bake at 350 ° for 20 min. Remove cover. Continue baking until cheese is melted.
TIPS:
You only need a little sauce in the bottom of the dish when you begin layering to prevent the ravioli from sticking. Make sure you reserve enough sauce for the top so that all your ravioli are covered. Any pasta peeking out may burn a little.
To make it even easier, forgo boiling the ravioli and add it to your dish frozen. Increase baking time to 45 min, uncover, and bake an additional 15 min.
You can make the sauce ahead of time and freeze it in a gallon size bag. Thaw prior to assembling the dish.
I typically use a 10" round, deep, covered dish for this recipe.
FYI: We like a lot of flavor in our sauce. If you like a more reserved flavor try adding only partial amounts of the herbs until it tastes the way you like it.
Baked Ravioli
My husband hardly ate any pasta dishes when we first got married. His momma's homemade spaghetti was the sole pasta survivor of his menu. I love ravioli but he confessed how much he disliked it though neither he nor I had eaten anything but the canned version.
After I tried a ravioli dish at Corsinos Italian in Montgomery, Al, my first non-can experience, I knew that I had to make him a homemade version to try. One simple meal later and he was a ravioli lover too. After this easy version I won't be going back to the canned stuff either. I tried once and my tongue laughed at me for being so naive before.
I use the frozen beef ravioli in the recipe. We've tried a couple of brands but honestly WalMart's Great Value brand is the one we like the most. Using the frozen ravioli is great because I can keep a couple of bags in the freezer and all of the other ingredients I usually keep in my pantry or refrigerator anyway. It makes for a great meal to have on hand when you didn't have time to go to the grocery store.
There's no baby sitting this meal. The sauce comes together so fast and easy that you don't even feel like you're cooking. Throw the dish in the oven and let it bake while you do your other weeknight duties and you'll have a lovely meal on the table with very little effort.
Don't forget the garlic bread!
