Easy Ravioli Casserole
Getting dinner on the table can be a struggle; even for the most organized Meal Prepper and Menu planner. We all need some super quick, freezer friendly meals that can be added to a weekly or monthly meal plan. Of course it helps if it’s quick to prepare, uses basic ingredients, is kid friendly and tastes good. This Easy Ravioli Casserole is one of those recipes. It uses ingredients that I always have on hand, is super fast to assemble, holds well in the fridge and can be frozen as well.
Ravioli Casserole Ingredients:
- Cheese Ravioli
- Ground Beef
- Marinara Sauce
- Shredded Cheese
- Italian Seasoning
Five easy ingredients and 30 minutes of prep time; which includes some batch cooking, that’s all you need. Assemble these Easy Ravioli Casseroles, have one for dinner, and fill your freezer with the rest. The recipe is set to serve 4 to 6 with leftovers depending on the appetites of the people you are feeding. At my house this served 5, but that includes 3 teenage boys. We occasionally have leftovers, but not often.
Easy Ravioli Casserole variations
I like the ease of this recipe so much, that it occurred to me that I could switch things up and have totally different tasting casseroles without a lot of extra work. Here are some combinations that we enjoy, that don’t add much time to the prep, and are still freezer friendly
Meat Options:
- Hot Italian Sausage, browned
- Sweet Italian Sausage, browned
- Ground Chicken
- Meatballs, cut in half
- Pepperoni slices
Veggie add ins:
- Frozen spinach, defrosted
- Green peppers, thinly sliced
- Mushrooms, sliced
- Zucchini, diced
Cheese options:
- Pepper Jack, shredded
- White Cheddar, shredded
- Ricotta, smooth
- Parmesan or Asiago, added to Mozarella
Because this Easy Ravioli Casserole is smothered in melted cheese and yummy marinara sauce, it’s a great way to get some added veggies into those picky eaters. Finely chop or shred the vegetables, put them only on the center layer and hopefully no one notices.
Easy Ravioli Casserole
Ingredients
- 24 oz package cheese ravioli fresh or frozen*
- 1 ½ pound ground beef browned and drained
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 3 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a 9x13 inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook ravioli according to package directions. Drain well.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet, combine the cooked ground beef and marinara sauce. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
- Ladle about 1 cup sauce into the bottom of the baking dish to create an even layer.
- Add a layer of ravioli, sauce, and mozzarella, topping with sauce and reserving a small amount of mozzarella.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil, sprinkle with remaining cheese, and return to oven. Bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until cooked through and the cheese has melted.
FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS
- Cook the Ravioli until just al dente as it will cook more when you reheat it
- Prepare the casserole in a disposable aluminum pan, wrap in tin foil and then plastic wrap to avoid freezer burn.
- Take the casserole out of the freezer the night before you plan to cook it. Follow cooking instructions above.
You can serve this with steamed green vegetables sprinkled with Parmesan cheese, a green salad, or at my house we love to serve it with my Best Ever Caesar Salad and Cheesy Ciabata Bread.
