Baked Ravioli is the most simple weeknight dinner that anyone can put together for a delicious meal. Prepared sauce and pasta make this the easiest meal you’ll ever make. Adding just few extra ingredients will make this a hit on those busy nights when you don’t have time to cook.
With new cooks in our family, I’ve been trying to find simple but delicious dinners for them to try. My study-abroad daughter is challenged because they don’t have a casserole dish and the stove is so old that it takes 30 minutes to boil water. It took so long to cook pasta that they ended up heating the water in the electric tea pot and then pouring the boiling water in the pot, pretty inventive.
This is a dish you can make with minimal space or utensils. The ravioli only takes a couple of minutes to boil and you can use a disposable pan to bake in if you don’t have a baking dish handy. It only requires a couple of ingredients and can be assembled in 5 minutes.
I always shred my own cheese, but if you’re in a hurry, or don’t have a grater, buy the packaged variety. I used Rao’s marinara sauce and added a little thyme and parsley. Heat the sauce and cream cheese in the microwave just to get the cream cheese mixed. You can skip this step if your cream cheese is at room temperature. Thyme can be a overpowering so don’t add too much or substitute oregano.
Tortellini works just as well as ravioli and you could use spinach or meat filled instead of, or, in combination with the cheese. Since I was experimenting, I made half the dish with butternut squash ravioli and the other half using cheese stuffed tortellini. Both were great.
Just place the cooked pasta in the bottom of the dish and layer the sauce and cheese and bake until the cheese is melted. Super easy and quick, and a great dish for even a beginning cook.
Baked Ravioli
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta
- 2 cups marinara sauce
- ⅓ cup cream cheese
- 1 teaspoons fresh thyme/oregano up to 2 tsp, chopped
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- ½ cup mozzarella shredded
- ¼ cup parmesan grated
- ¼ cup fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º. Pour a small amount of oil in an 8×8 inch baking dish and swirl so the bottom is covered.
- Boil a large pot of water and place ravioli/tortellini carefully in the water, letting them cook for about 2-3 minutes or just until tender. Carefully drain.
- Meanwhile, mix the marinara sauce and cream cheese in a microwave safe bowl and microwave until the cream cheese has melted. Add in the parsley and thyme.
- Cover the bottom of the baking dish with pasta. Spoon some sauce over the top and a light sprinkle of cheese. Repeat layers until all the ravioli and sauce is used. Cover the top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the cheese on top melts, about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and chopped basil.
Nutrition
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