20 Minute Baked Ravioli Casserole
This easy baked ravioli casserole takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and requires just 5 minutes of prep time because you don’t need to boil the ravioli first! Store-bought refrigerated cheese ravioli makes this simple weeknight dinner a reality even on the busiest of nights! It can also be made ahead of time and refrigerated or frozen!
You Will Love This
- It’s quick and easy! No fancy kitchen gadgets, tedious ingredient prep, or cooking skills required! This is a dump, stir, and bake dish – which is why it’s one of my favorite weeknight dinners! It’s got all the flavors of baked lasagna, but takes just a fraction of the time! If you’re looking for other delicious easy pasta dishes be sure to check out my Creamy Tuscan Pasta, 15 Minute Greek Pasta, and Easy Garlic Tomato Penne.
- Did you see that ingredient list?!?! It’s short, sweet, and loaded with real foods! This baked ravioli comes together with a handful of common ingredients that you might have in your kitchen right now! I like to keep a package of cheese ravioli in the freezer for nights when the craving strikes.
- Only 5 minutes of prep time!? Yep, you read that right! Get the oven preheated while you’re adding the ingredients to your baking dish and stirring them together. Top with cheese and then bake – you can have this dinner cooking in just 5 minutes.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Fresh Spinach – I love to use fresh spinach in this ravioli bake because it’s a great way to sneak in some veggies. You could omit the spinach or even use another dark leafy green like chopped kale.
- Spaghetti Sauce – You can use your favorite spaghetti sauce for this recipe! Marinara sauce will work as well.
- Dried Herbs– I like to add dried oregano and dried thyme to this ravioli dish for a little extra flavor but you could also add Italian seasoning or some dried rosemary or dried sage in their place.
- Garlic Powder – To save prep time for this recipe, I chose to use garlic powder instead of fresh cloves of garlic. Feel free to omit if you don’t have any on hand or add a clove of freshly minced garlic. The bold garlic flavor will mellow as the pasta bakes in the oven.
- Shredded Parmesan Cheese – You could also use Asiago or Romano in place of the Parmesan in this recipe. You could even just add some shredded mozzarella in its place. I like the salty, nutty flavor that Parmesan adds though.
- Heavy Cream – A little splash of heavy cream takes this dish to the next level and gives it a creamier texture but you can omit it if you don’t have any on hand. Or use whole milk or half and half instead.
- Refrigerated Cheese Ravioli – This is one of our family’s favorite brands of refrigerated cheese ravioli. Any type of refrigerated ravioli will work for this recipe.
- Fresh Mozzarella – You could also just add more shredded mozzarella if that’s all you’ve got on hand, but I am OBSESSED with fresh mozzarella and especially love to eat it with pasta every chance I get.
- Shredded Mozzarella – I prefer to use a whole milk shredded mozzarella as it has more flavor than a part-skim mozzarella, but feel free to use whatever you have on hand.
Instructions
Add spinach, pasta sauce, water, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, Parmesan, heavy cream, ravioli, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a large skillet casserole dish.
Stir until everything is well combined.
Sprinkle the ravioli mixture with shredded mozzarella and fresh mozzarella cheeses.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, then broil for a couple minutes. Garnish with parsley and Parmesan and enjoy!
Tips
- Make sure the ravioli is completely covered by the sauce. This will ensure that the pasta cooks evenly and all the way through. The moisture from the water that you add is going to help thin out the sauce so it can easily coat every ravioli.
- You don’t necessarily have to use uncooked pasta for this recipe. If you have leftover spaghetti, tortellini, penne, or any other noodle, you can still use it in this dish! Just decrease the baking time by about half so that the pasta doesn’t overcook. Repurposing leftover pasta into a baked pasta dish is one of my favorites ways to transform leftovers!
- Feel free to add cooked ground beef to this baked ravioli if you want to add some protein. Just mix it right in with the spaghetti sauce. You could also add Italian sausage or ground turkey.
Types of Ravioli
- The bake time will be different based on the brand of ravioli you use. The ravioli we like to use boils in 4 minutes so it cooks very quickly in the oven. Other brands that have longer cook time will take longer to make as well. Take this into account as you will need to increase your bake time a bit if your ravioli takes longer to cook.
- You can use any type of stuffed pasta for this dish! Mushroom ravioli, lobster ravioli, and sausage ravioli are some of our family’s favorites. Use whatever your family enjoys!
- You can also use frozen ravioli for this casserole! If you’re using frozen ravioli, plan to add some additional bake time so that the frozen ravioli can cook all the way through.
- You’ll know the ravioli is done when it is tender and al dente. The best way to know if the ravioli is done is to give one a taste – but be careful, they will be hot straight from the oven!
Make Ahead Instructions
- This ravioli casserole can be made up to 3 days in advance. Feel free to throw it together, cover it tightly and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days before baking.
- Alternately, you could also freeze it for up to 3 months! Just be sure to cover it tightly and ideally store it in a freezer-safe bag.
- If you’re cooking the ravioli bake straight from the fridge or freezer, you can follow the same recipe instructions but plan to add some additional cooking time. If the ravioli bake has been refrigerated, plan to add at least 10-20 minutes additional cooking time. If you’re cooking it right from frozen, you’ll probably need to add an additional 30 minutes or more.
FAQ
Yes! This baked ravioli recipe shares with you exactly how you can bake ravioli instead of boiling it! Because refrigerated ravioli takes just minutes to cook, it’s an excellent candidate for baking because it cooks through easily. The moisture from the sauce, water, and spinach cooks the ravioli perfectly al dente with no boiling required!
Every brand of ravioli has a slightly different cooking time, but most ravioli need between 3-5 minutes of boiling. Once the ravioli is cooked, it typically floats to the top of the boiling water so you know it’s done. In the case of this ravioli casserole, you’ll know the ravioli is done when it’s al dente – cooked through, but still has a toothsome bite!
Nope! You can cook it right from frozen – just add a bit of extra cooking time to ensure that it’s cooked all the way through. In this no boil ravioli bake, you can also use frozen ravioli – just plan to bake it for a bit longer so that the ravioli has a chance to cook all the way through.
Serve Baked Ravioli With
- Quick and Easy Weeknight Garlic Bread
- Simple Green Salad with Beets and Feta
- Caprese Garlic Cheese Bread
- Easy Cheesy Olive Bread
- Garlic and Herb Olive Oil Dip
Family Favorite Pastas
Did you love this recipe?
Please leave a 5-star rating and review below!
Baked Ravioli
This easy baked ravioli casserole takes about 20 minutes from start to finish and requires just 5 minutes of prep time because you don’t need to boil the ravioli first!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 8–10 servings 1x
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Stove top & oven
- Cuisine: Italian/American
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach leaves
- 24 oz. jar your favorite spaghetti sauce
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 20 oz. package refrigerated cheese ravioli, uncooked
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella cheese
- 4 oz. shredded whole milk mozzarella cheese
- Kosher salt
- fresh cracked pepper
- fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
- grated Parmesan, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat oven to 375 degrees.
- Add spinach, spaghetti sauce, water, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, Parmesan, heavy cream, ravioli, and a couple pinches of salt and pepper to a large baking dish.
- Stir until everything is well combined.
- Top with fresh mozzarella and shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Cover with a lid or a tight-fitting piece of tin foil.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes or until ravioli is cooked al dente and the sauce is bubbly.
- Remove lid/foil and broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese on top starts to turn dark golden brown.
- Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and enjoy!
Notes
Make sure the ravioli is completely covered by the sauce. This will ensure that the pasta cooks evenly and all the way through. The moisture from the water that you add is going to help thin out the sauce so it can easily coat every ravioli.
You don’t necessarily have to use uncooked pasta for this recipe. If you have leftover spaghetti, tortellini, penne, or any other noodle, you can still use it in this dish! Just decrease the baking time by about half so that the pasta doesn’t overcook. Repurposing leftover pasta into a baked pasta dish is one of my favorites ways to transform leftovers!
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 320
- Sugar: 6.8 g
- Sodium: 708.3 mg
- Fat: 12.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.9 g
- Carbohydrates: 37.1 g
- Fiber: 3.4 g
- Protein: 14.7 g
- Cholesterol: 45.7 mg
This baked ravioli was originally published in January of 2019. It was updated in March of 2021 to include process shots, step-by-step instructions, and tips for making the perfect ravioli casserole every single time!
i followed advise not to precook ravioli which was a mistake as it took 50 minutes to cook in a Dutch oven at 375 then 385. I don’t; think i will make again as I’ve tried other recipes with penni pasta and cheese which cost less and was tastier.
I’m so sorry that this recipe didn’t work out for you, Kathi! It’s one of our family’s favorites and something that I make at least once a month. The brand of ravioli you use may affect the baking time. Look for a ravioli that has a cooking time of about 3 minutes when boiled the traditional way. 50 minutes of baking is a LOT of cooking time – enough to cook a lasagna! So it’s more than enough to cook ravioli. I’d use a thermometer to check and see if you’re oven temperature is off as well. That’s all I can think of for troubleshooting. Hope that helps!
I think you definitely need to cook the ravioli per the package directions and then add to the baking fish with all the other stuff.
What makes you think that, Shelia? The refrigerated ravioli I use boils in 3 minutes so baking it in the oven for much longer works really well to give the pasta that al dente texture. If you were to boil it until al dente and then bake it, it will end up overcooked and mushy. I’d love to hear what you think if you give this recipe a try!
Possible Shiela was working with frozen?
Ahhhh that’s a great point, Kim! Yes! Frozen would be a totally different story!! You’d for sure need to cook that ahead of time. Thank you for sharing another perspective – I hadn’t thought of that!
Delicious! My husband said this was the tastiest pasta dish that I’ve ever served him (we’ve been married
40 years!). I did use 1/2 red wine, 1/2 water for the liquid. I also added some chopped up leftover sausage. Will definitely check out your other recipes!
WOW! WHAT A COMPLIMENT!! I’m so glad that you both enjoyed this easy baked ravioli. Thank you for leaving a review – I really appreciate it!
I made this and when I pulled it out of the oven after 20 minutes of cooking the cheese wasn’t even melted and it was still cold 🙁
I would check the temp of your oven with an oven thermometer! Hang the thermometer in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 and see what the thermometer reads. After 20 minutes of baking, the cheese would definitely be melted if your oven is running at 375 degrees!
Love this dish, so tasty and customizable too. I add crumbled ground beef to the sauce sometimes. Thanks for the yummy, easy recipe!
Ground beef sounds like a delicious addition! Thanks for leaving a review, Sarah – I really appreciate it 🙂
This was great! I loved the additions of spinach and fresh Mozzarella. My whole family loved it, thanks for sharing!
I’ve made this recipe twice using Costco’s lobster ravioli and it was delicious ! Thanks for the fast, tasty and very easy recipe !
I am so glad to hear that you’ve enjoyed this recipe! It is one of our family’s favorite recipes and that Costco lobster ravioli sounds perfect for this!
This is exactly what I’m using to make it tonight. Looking forward to it!
Thank you so much I never knew that you could bake the ravioli from a frozen or fresh pasta, I thought you always had to boil it I’m doing it tonight the way you do thank you so much for this recipe keep them coming love Karen
I haven’t made this recipe yet, but I know it will be delicious. I’ve made other recipes often. Please define “large baking dish”? Do you mean 9×13, 5 quart Dutch oven? I’m not sure.
I’d recommend using a 9×13 baking dish or something similar in size and capacity. The pan that I used is linked in the recipe card if you want to check that out as well. Thanks!
Can I use frozen spinach? This sounds wonderful, my stomach is growling… Can hardly wait to make it!
I would recommend using fresh spinach as frozen spinach may release too much water and cause the ravioli to be watery.
A quick question, do you cook the sauce, spinach etc before you add the pasta and bake it in the oven? Per the recipe it does not appear that you do but just confirming.
Thank you!
You are right – no need to cook the sauce or spinach. It will all cook together and heat up in the oven!
I made this a few days ago and it was so easy and very tasty! Thanks Kylie. I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes.
This recipe is so good! My boyfriend and I have made it a couple times over the past few months and we love it. We went to make it tonight and noticed that the meat was no longer included in the recipe!! We couldn’t remember what it called for but we decided to add 1/2 lb of ground lamb and it looks like it will be right. I can’t tell if other parts of the recipe changed with the update a few days ago. Is there any way you can remind me of the other things that are different from the original version of this recipe? Thank you so much!
The original called for 19.5oz Italian sausage, which is just over a pound.
Looks and sounds like such a tasty dish! Love that it’s kinda fancy but also easy and rather quick to make! Addition of the red wine to the sauce must give it a lovely rich texture and beautiful flavour!
The recipe that I’m looking at doesn’t have wine in it, like another person said the original recipe they had has meat in it, what does you recipe say and how much wine do you use.
This recipe doesn’t use any wine but you are welcome to add a splash if you prefer!
Wow this looks absolutely delicious! I love the ingredients you have chosen, that I can have dinner on the table in 30 minutes and your tips and tricks are super helpful! Thanks for sharing:)
Thanks Aleta!
Love a dinner that’s loaded with so much flavor. You’ve combined two pasta staples into one amazing dinner ready in 30 minutes. I’m in love.
Thanks Jacquelyn!
Nice your pics are drool worthy! Absolutely love them and definitely wanna make this recipe :)!!!
Thanks Daniela!