Ravioli Lazy Lasagna Recipe

This Easy Ravioli Lasagna Recipe gives you all the flavors of classic lasagna in just a fraction of the time. Refrigerated, ricotta-filled ravioli take the place of putzing around with boiling pasta, arranging the hot lasagna noodles, and mixing up ricotta filling! This is family dinner, made easy!

 

You Will Love This

• It’s so quick and easy! This baked ravioli lasagna is the perfect super simple weeknight dinner when you’re short on time but want to get a family dinner on the table. Pasta is one of the few foods that my daughter will always eat and she loves the “mini meatballs” of ground sausage that are in this recipe so it’s one that I make pretty frequently. If your family loves pasta, be sure to check out my No Boil Lasagna, No Boil Baked Rotini Pasta, or No Boil Baked Manicotti.
• It’s the perfect cozy, Sunday night dinner recipe! This recipe is simple enough for a busy weeknight but also comforting enough for Sunday night dinner. We don’t always gather around the family dinner table, but one thing that always brings everyone around is the tasty aroma of this sausage ravioli lasagna recipe.
• You can use any kind of refrigerated ravioli for this lazy lasagna recipe! I love mushroom ravioli, sausage ravioli, and of course ricotta ravioli, but any of your favorites will work here. One of my readers (who got early access to this recipe a couple weeks ago because she’s on my email list) suggested using spinach ravioli to bump up the veggie flavor, and I agree – that would be a great addition!

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Olive Oil – I prefer to use a cold-pressed organic olive oil. This is our family’s favorite brand of olive oil. 
• Yellow Onion – You could also use white onion in place of the yellow onion in this recipe. 
• Garlic – I highly recommend using freshly sliced garlic for this recipe. However, ½-1 teaspoon of garlic powder could work in place of the fresh garlic if you’re in a pinch. 
• Dried Oregano & Thyme – You could also use Italian seasoning in place of the dried oregano and dried thyme in this ravioli lasagna recipe.
• Italian Sausage – If you don’t have any Italian sausage on hand,  you could also use ground beef or even just leave it vegetarian. 
• Spaghetti Sauce – Use your family’s favorite brand of spaghetti sauce or check out my Veggie Loaded Bolognese. 
• Refrigerated Ravioli – Make sure you use refrigerated fresh ravioli so that it bakes through in the oven. See my notes in the “Tips” section below regarding ravioli count per 20 oz. package.
• Cottage Cheese/Ricotta Cheese – I typically prefer to use a mix of both, but either one works great!
• Shredded Mozzarella – I love to use a thick-cut whole milk shredded mozzarella cheese if I can find it at the grocery store, but any shredded mozzarella will work.
• Shredded Parmesan – The shredded Parmesan in this lasagna is going to give a delicious salty, nuttiness. You could also use Romano or Asiago in its place. 
• Fresh Spinach – You could use fresh spinach or your favorite dark leafy green in this recipe. The spinach will wilt down and add just the right amount of moisture and earthy flavor to this lasagna. 
• Fresh Mozzarella – I am pretty much obsessed with fresh mozzarella so I like to top all our pasta dishes with it (like my Pesto Pasta Bake and No-Boil Pasta Bake). But regular shredded mozzarella would work just fine too!

Instructions

Saute onion for a few minutes. Add garlic, oregano, thyme, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook for another minute, stirring frequently.

Add sausage and cook, crumbling with a spatula until it is browned and cooked through.

Add spaghetti sauce and stir to combine.

Spread one heaping cup of meat sauce (about 1/3 of sauce) across the bottom of a 9×13 inch pan. Add 12 ravioli on top of the sauce.

Add cottage cheese/ricotta, mozzarella, and half the Parmesan cheese.

Then add spinach leaves and another heaping cup of sauce.

Add the remaining 12 ravioli.

Then spread remaining sauce over the ravioli.

Top with remaining Parmesan and fresh mozzarella.

Cover tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes or until the sauce is hot and bubbly. Broil for 1-2 minutes or until the cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh herbs and enjoy!

Tips

• I prefer to use refrigerated ravioli for this recipe. It cooks very quickly in the oven and seems to have more flavor than frozen ravioli. If you do end up using frozen ravioli, just plan to add some extra bake time to account for the frozen pasta.
• The number of ravioli in a 20 oz. package varies significantly by brand. Some brands have 24 ravioli, while others have closer to 40 or even 60 ravioli per 20 oz. package. In this recipe, I used ravioli that were quite large and came with 24 per 20 oz. package, so I only had enough for 2 layers. If the brand of ravioli you’re using comes with 40-60 ravioli, just do 3 layers instead. You’ll end up with a very similar finished product, just more layers. Don’t worry if you need to overlap the ravioli slightly to create a layer – that’s totally fine!
• Spray the tin foil before baking so that the cheese doesn’t stick to it. A quick spray of olive oil will ensure that the melty cheese doesn’t stick to the tin foil when you peel it off before broiling.
• I would recommend checking the pasta after 30 minutes in the oven to see if it’s cooked through before broiling. You can poke it with a fork to feel for doneness or you can cut off a corner of the ravioli and give it a taste to see. You want the ravioli to be cooked through but still al dente so it’s got a toothsome bite.
• This is the perfect make-ahead dish! Feel free to assemble this lasagna and refrigerate it for up to 3 days before baking. Because the ravioli is already refrigerated, this lasagna makes for an ideal dish to be prepared ahead of time. I love a delicious Mediterranean Lasagna, Spinach Lasagna Roll-Ups, or Cottage Cheese Lasagna but this is our family’s go-to recipe for a quick and easy lasagna dinner!

FAQ

Try these pastas next!

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