Ravioli Lasagna
Cheesy, layered, delicious Ravioli Lasagna. This ravioli lasagna recipe is a delicious twist on classic lasagna that’s quick and easy to prepare. With just 9 simple ingredients and 15 minutes of hands-on prep time, you can have this comforting dish ready for the oven in no time. It’s the perfect meal for busy weeknights or when you’re craving a hearty, satisfying meal without all the fuss. Plus you can make it ahead and freeze it for an even faster dinner!
Pair this lazy lasagna recipe with some garlic bread, a Caesar salad, or a simple green salad and you’re good to go for a quick dinner.
If you love lasagna, whether it is a Keto Lasagna, Crockpot Lasagna, or even an Instant Pot Lasagna, you are going to love this simple recipe for “lazy lasagna”. It is super easy to make with only 15 minutes of hands on time, and is extremely customizable to your preferences. And it tastes just as good as your favorite lasagna recipe.
What You Need for Ravioli Lasagna
When selecting ingredients for your ravioli lasagna, consider the following tips and tricks for the best ingredients:
- Frozen Ravioli: Opt your preferred frozen ravioli. If you don’t like it as a basic cheese ravioli, you won’t like it in this recipe. You can use cheese, or spinach, both options work awesome. Do not thaw beforehand.
- Marinara sauce: Again, the best way to get end results you love is to choose a marinara sauce you already enjoy. I love Rao’s or if I can’t find it, I usually opt for a tomato-basil is a classic option. However, you can try different flavors for a fun twist, or to use up what you have.
- Sausage: I suggest Italian sausage, but you can use spicy, mild, or sweet Italian sausage, depending on your preference. A 1 pound package of ground sausage is your best bet, but if you can’t find it, you can leave it out, or use sausage links sliced into coins.
- Aromatics: This is optional, if you are in a rush, skip it, but I love adding some lightly softened or sauteed onion and garlic to this dish to just take it up a notch. I add it in with the sausage while it is browning, which means no extra dishes and hardly any extra work. But again, your jarred marinara has a lot of flavor already, so you CAN skip it.
- Ricotta: Ricotta cheese has a delightful creamy texture and mild sweetness, (hence why I like it in this Ricotta Cake, Italian Cheesecake), it is going to help balance some of the more acidic and savory flavors in your lasagna, so you want to use it. If you can’t find it, a nice high protein swap is cottage cheese.
- Italian Seasoning: I like to add a little to the ricotta for extra flavor, but you can skip it, add dried basil, oregano, or parsley instead.
- Mozzarella: You can shred it yourself of use pre-shredded mozzarella for convenience. If you want to take it up a notch, take fresh mozzarella slices or balls, and sprinkle those over the ravioli lasagna instead.
- Parmesan: A little on top and a little for garnish goes a long way. I like freshly grated best.
- Fresh basil: Garnish is not just for a pop of color, but a pop of fresh flavor, finish the dish with chopped or julienned fresh basil.
How to Make Lazy Lasagna or Ravioli Lasagna
Prep Oven and Baking Dish.
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
Brown the Sausage and Soften Onion.
Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until almost browned, crumbling the meat as it cooks. When almost browned, add in the onion and garlic, and saute for 3-4 minutes, to soften the onion and finish cooking the sausage.
Add Marinara.
Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
Prep Ricotta.
In a small bowl, combine ricotta and Italian seasoning, set aside.
Layer the Lasagna.
- Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish until it is evenly covered.
- Layer on 1/2 of your cheese ravioli
- Layer on all of your ricotta mixture.
- Layer half of the mozzarella cheese
- Layer other half of the ravioli.
- Layer other half of the meat sauce.
- Layer 1/2 of the parmesan, reserve other half for garnsih
- Layer remaining mozzarella.
Bake.
Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil, trying not to touch the cheese.
Bake for 35 minutes.
Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes.
Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden and bubbly.
Serve.
Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with Parmesan cheese and basil and serve warm
Variations and Substitutions
Here are some ways you can customize this Ravioli Lasagna recipe to suit your taste:
- Different Pasta: You can use tortellini instead, it still gives you the same vibe, but a different flavor and texture.
- Skip the Sausage: You can always make this without the sausage, which would make it easier and faster, as well as vegetarian. You can also swap the sausage out for chicken, or ground beef.
- Add Vegetables: I love how easy it is to customize this recipe. In the summers, when my garden is overflowing with zucchini, I love to saute zucchini up with the onions and ground pork, and add those in. You can also use other veggies like artichoke hearts, eggplant, mushrooms, roasted red peppers, sun-dried tomatoes, or yellow squash. Just be sure to cook them before adding them to the lasagna layers.
- Add Greens: Use spinach ravioli or, consider adding in chopped spinach, kale or collards for more nutrition. I like to stir it into the ricotta mixture.
- Pesto or Alfredo: Swap up the sauce some by adding an extra layer or basil pesto or alfredo between the ravioli layers. Or you can drizzle some on top when it is done cooking. This is a really fun addition.
- Spice It Up: Add crushed red pepper flakes or use a spicy marinara sauce to bring some heat, and spicy Italian sausage.
Why You Will LOVE This Recipe:
Time Saver: This recipe offers the same comforting flavors as classic lasagna but in a fraction of the time. The use of frozen ravioli is a hack that streamlines the process, and there is very little hands on time required beyond browning the ground sausage—simply layer with sauce and mozzarella, then bake. It’s the perfect solution for busy nights when you want a hearty meal without the lengthy prep.
Slow Cooker Friendly: This recipe is easy to convert into a slow cooker meal, you simply follow the same instructions, only instead of layering in a baking sheet, you layer in a slow cooker, and then slow cook on low for 4 hours. This is an even more hands-off approach for a meal ready to serve when you are.
Customizable: While this recipe is awesome as it is, and has been tested thoroughly, featuring cheese ravioli and a sausage meat sauce, you can easily customize it to suit your preferences with a cheese and spinach variety, vegetarian, added vegetables, and more.
Delicious: The end result is a flavorful dish that rivals traditional lasagna with a fraction of the work. No cooking or messing with noodles, and you still get all the flavor. Messier presentation to be sure, but just as delicious and totally captures the flavors and fun of a Traditional Lasagna Recipe.
Make Ahead or Freeze: Even with how easy it is, sometimes you have no time at all for prep, and this ravioli lasagna is perfect for preparing in advance and freezes beautifully. It’s a convenient option for stocking your freezer with delicious, ready-to-heat meals for those days you have no extra minutes to spare.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) About Ravioli Lasagna
Q: Can I use fresh ravioli instead of frozen?
A: Yes, you can use fresh ravioli in this recipe. However, since fresh ravioli cooks faster than frozen, you may need to adjust the baking time accordingly. Keep an eye on the dish to prevent overcooking.
Q: Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
A: Yes, you can assemble the ravioli lasagna ahead of time and refrigerate or freeze it until you’re ready to bake. This is a great time-saving option for busy weeknights or when entertaining guests. Just remember to thaw it out and add a little extra time for cooking if you freeze it. Watch for it to get bubbly and for the cheese to melt (my suggestion is to cook for an hour if it was previously frozen and then defrosted).
Q: How long does it take to bake the ravioli lasagna?
A: The baking time for the ravioli lasagna is typically around 35 minutes covered in a preheated oven at 350°F (175°C), with an additional 1o minutes uncovered. The lasagna is ready when the cheese is bubbly and golden brown on top.
Q: Can I freeze the ravioli lasagna?
A: Yes, this dish freezes well. Once assembled, cover the lasagna tightly with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 3 months. To reheat, bake the frozen lasagna (covered with foil) at 350°F (175°C) for about 1 hour 10 minutes, or until heated through.
Q: Can I add additional ingredients to the ravioli lasagna?
A: Absolutely! This recipe is very versatile. Feel free to add cooked vegetables, such as spinach, mushrooms, or bell peppers, or experiment with different types of cheese or sauces to suit your taste.
Q: How many servings does this recipe make?
A: This recipe typically serves 4 people, depending on portion size. If you’re serving a larger group or want leftovers, consider doubling the recipe and using a larger baking dish.
More Great Recipes
- Spaghetti Squash Lasagna
- How to Make a Traditional Lasagna Recipe
- Spicy Italian Lasagna Roll Ups
- Lasagna Soup
- Instant Pot Lasagna Soup (Slow Cooker)
- Lasagna Stuffed Portobello
Ravioli Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1 small white onion diced
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic minced
- 28 ounces marinara sauce
- 25 ounces frozen ravioli 1 package, cheese or cheese spinach
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese freshly-grated
- 1/2 tbs Italian seasoning
- fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Prep Oven and Baking Dish. Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
- Brown the Sausage and Soften Onion. Heat a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until almost browned, crumbling the meat as it cooks. When almost browned, add in the onion and garlic, and saute for 3-4 minutes, to soften the onion and finish cooking the sausage.
- Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Turn off the heat.
- In a small bowl, combine ricotta and Italian seasoning, set aside.
- Layer the lasagna. Spread 1/2 of the meat sauce on the bottom of the baking dish until it is evenly covered.
- Layer on 1/2 of your cheese ravioli
- Layer on all of your ricotta mixture.
- Layer half of the mozzarella cheese
- Layer other half of the ravioli.
- Layer other half of the meat sauce.
- Layer 1/2 of the parmesan, reserve other half for garnsih
- Layer remaining mozzarella.
- Bake. Loosely cover the pan with aluminum foil, trying not to touch the cheese.
- Bake for 35 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for 10 additional minutes.
- Turn on the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is lightly golden and bubbly.
- Serve. Sprinkle the top of the lasagna with Parmesan cheese and basil and serve warm
Nutrition
Our recipe card software calculates these nutrition facts based on averages for the above ingredients, different brands, and quality of produce/meats may have different nutritional information, always calculate your own based on the specific products you use in order to achieve accurate macros for this recipe.
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