Sunday Supper, Ravioli Lasagna with Spinach & Sausage

the Painted Apron

3 years ago

My son, “the chef,” made this easy and amazing casserole the other night

It was so good I couldn’t wait to have again later in the week

It is perfect for this busy time of year,

and a great change from turkey for your tastebuds

This casserole is also referred to as Lazy Lasagna

because it’s layered like lasagna with ricotta cheese,

marinara sauce and Italian cheeses,

but instead of lasagna noodles,

the pasta is cheese ravioli

AND,

it calls for refrigerated ravioli that doesn’t have to be cooked

before putting it in the casserole

He used Rao’s Marinara Sauce,

which is more expensive than other brands,

but is so good it’s worth it

He also used frozen spinach in a bag

which is steamed in the microwave

and is not full of excess water like frozen boxed spinach is,

so there is no messing squeezing and draining

First brown the sausage and drain on paper towels

and microwave the spinach according to package directions

Then mix the sausage and spinach with the ricotta cheese

and 1/3 cup Parmesan

Put 1 cup of sauce in the bottom of a prepared casserole

Put 1/2 the ravioli on top of the sauce and top with 1/2 of the ricotta mix

Add another cup of sauce of top and sprinkle with 1/2 the mozzarella

Repeat layers and sprinkle the remaining Parmesan on top

Bake at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes until hot and bubbling

Ravioli Lasagna with Spinach & Sausage

Cheese Ravioli is layered with ricotta cheese, spinach and sausage like a lasagna and topped with Mozzarella and Parmesan for an easy and delicious meal

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword Baked Ravioli, BBQ chicken, pasta, do ahead, easy meal, one dish, easy dinner, Italian Ravioli Casserole, lazy lasagna, pasta casserole, Ravioli Marinara, sausage and spinach ravioli

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 40

Servings 6

Equipment

1 3 quart casserole dish

Ingredients

20 oz. refrigerated cheese ravioli
16 oz. breakfast sausage
4 cups marinara sauce {Rao's} 32 ounces
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 bag 15 oz. frozen steam in bag chopped spinach
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese divided

Instructions

Gather the ingredients. Lightly oil a 3-quart baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 F.
Cook spinach according to package directions
Brown sausage in a skillet, stirring to crumble and drain on paper towels
In a medium bowl, combine the cooked sausage, spinach, ricotta cheese and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese.
Spread about 1 cup of marinara sauce in the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Top with half of the ravioli and half the ricotta mixture, then cover the ricotta with another 1 cup of marinara sauce.
Top sauce with about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
Repeat layers and then top with remaining Parmesan
Casserole can be covered and refrigerated at this point for baking later if desired. Bake 10-15 minutes longer if dish is refrigerated
Bake the casserole for 30 to 40 minutes, or until browned and bubbling around the edges.
Let casserole sit for 5 minutes before serving. Serves 4-6