Sometimes a kitchen shortcut is okay, truly. If it helps you get dinner on the table, then taking the easy way out here or there is a totally great option. And trust me, this White Ravioli Casserole is a great option. You can think of it as a “lazy lasagna.” It’s a layered dish that uses frozen ravioli (pasta sheets and cheese filling, just like a lasagna) as well as some sausage, pre-made alfredo, and a touch of spinach for a dish that’s creamy, comforting, and almost too easy to make.
If you think about it, ravioli and lasagna share a lot of similarities. Ravioli is really just two sheets of pasta sandwiching some (usually) cheesy filling and lasagna is also sheets of pasta sandwiching (usually) cheesy pasta, so ravioli is the perfect workaround to keep you from dealing with boiling, separating, and layering. For this shortcut, you just need frozen cheese ravioli, no need to thaw. Line it up in a baking dish, top it with some spinach and browned Italian sausage…
… and then keep layering, with some Alfredo sauce drizzled over each layer too.
There’s also a layer of a ricotta/egg/basil mixture which you can honestly skip if you’re very pressed for time. It’s basically more of the cheese filling that’s already in the raviolis so it’s not completely necessary, but it does make things even cheesier, which is never a bad thing.
You can use hot Italian sausage or mild, you can skip the spinach, you could even use an entirely different type of ravioli if you wish… but no matter how you go about it, this is a super quick and simple dinner that always satisfies. And you don’t have to boil a thing!
White Ravioli Casserole (Lazy Lasagna)
Ingredients
- 2 (25 oz) bags frozen cheese ravioli
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 2 cups baby spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 2 (15 oz each) jars Alfredo sauce
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Preparation
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- While oven preheats, brown the sausage over medium-high heat, breaking up meat as it cooks. Drain, if needed, and set aside.
- In a 9x13-inch baking dish, spread out a few spoonfuls of the Alfredo sauce.
- Layer ravioli in a single layer (no need to thaw), fitting them close together. Top with a layer of half of the spinach, followed by half of the sausage.
- In a small bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, and basil. Spoon over sausage layer, then top with a thin layer of Alfredo sauce. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with a layer of ravioli, followed by remaining spinach and sausage. Top with a final layer of ravioli, then cover with a thin layer of Alfredo. Season with salt and pepper.
- Top with mozzarella and Parmesan and a little more black pepper. Bake until cheese is lightly golden and bubbly, 30-35 minutes. Enjoy!
Recipe adapted from Betty Crocker.