Baked Ravioli: a cozy home-cooked favorite with big flavor, practical prep, and servings worth fighting over—in a friendly way.
Morning-Ready Baked Ravioli Casserole
A cozy, crowd-pleasing bake that turns store-bought cheese ravioli into a make-ahead breakfast or hearty lunch with gooey cheese and crisped edges.
This is the kind of dish that fills the kitchen with comfort: browned Italian sausage, sweet onion and garlic, a bright marinara simmering with dried basil and oregano, and pillows of cheese ravioli tucked under a blanket of ricotta, mozzarella and grated Parmesan. As it bakes at 375°F the ravioli edges brown and crisp while the center stays pillowy and saucy—every forkful gives you a little textural surprise.
Priya Lane’s approach is deliberately practical: sauté the aromatics and sausage, wilt in fresh spinach, stir in sauce, then layer with a creamy ricotta mix (eggs help bind everything so it slices neatly). Shredded mozzarella melts into creamy, stringy goodness and Parmesan brings that toasty, savory finish. It takes about 20 minutes to prep and roughly 40 minutes in the oven, and yields four generous servings.
One of the best things about this bake is how well it travels. Assemble the casserole the night before, refrigerate, then pop it in the oven the next morning for a warm breakfast or bake and portion it for lunchboxes. Cut into squares for easy packing; leftovers reheat beautifully in a microwave or a hot oven for a quick midday meal.
The recipe thrives because the ingredients balance one another: rich sausage and molten cheeses anchor the dish, marinara adds acidity and lift, and spinach brightens each bite. It’s an easy make-ahead winner for busy mornings or a relaxed weekend lunch—simple to scale and forgiving enough to use a favorite jarred sauce or your go-to sausage.
Ingredients
How to Make Baked Ravioli
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly oil a 9x13-inch (or similar) baking dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 4–5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the Italian sausage to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon; cook until no longer pink and lightly browned, 6–8 minutes, then drain any excess fat if it looks excessive.
- Stir the fresh spinach into the skillet and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes, then add the marinara sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; simmer 2–3 minutes and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl whisk the ricotta with the two eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper until smooth — this will make a creamy binder for the layers.
- Spread about 1 cup of the meat-and-sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish, arrange half the ravioli in a single layer over the sauce, dollop half the ricotta mixture over the ravioli and gently spread, then spoon half the remaining sauce over that layer.
- Repeat with the remaining ravioli, ricotta mixture and sauce, then sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until the cheese is bubbly and golden; let rest 8–10 minutes before serving to set.
- Cool any leftovers to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months; reheat single portions in the microwave or reheat the whole dish covered at 350°F until warmed through.
Recipe Card
Baked Ravioli
Baked Ravioli: a cozy home-cooked favorite with big flavor, practical prep, and servings worth fighting over—in a friendly way.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and lightly oil a 9x13-inch (or similar) baking dish.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat; add the diced onion and cook until translucent, about 4–5 minutes, then add the minced garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add the Italian sausage to the skillet, breaking it up with a spoon; cook until no longer pink and lightly browned, 6–8 minutes, then drain any excess fat if it looks excessive.
- Stir the fresh spinach into the skillet and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes, then add the marinara sauce, dried basil, dried oregano, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; simmer 2–3 minutes and remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl whisk the ricotta with the two eggs, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a pinch of black pepper until smooth — this will make a creamy binder for the layers.
- Spread about 1 cup of the meat-and-sauce mixture in the bottom of the prepared dish, arrange half the ravioli in a single layer over the sauce, dollop half the ricotta mixture over the ravioli and gently spread, then spoon half the remaining sauce over that layer.
- Repeat with the remaining ravioli, ricotta mixture and sauce, then sprinkle the top evenly with the mozzarella and the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
- Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until the cheese is bubbly and golden; let rest 8–10 minutes before serving to set.
- Cool any leftovers to room temperature, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months; reheat single portions in the microwave or reheat the whole dish covered at 350°F until warmed through.
Nutrition
- Carbohydrates
- 44
- Saturated Fat
- 18
- Sodium
- 1200
- Fiber
- 4
- Unsaturated Fat
- 26
- Protein
- 42
- Fat
- 45
- Cholesterol
- 193
- Trans Fat
- 0
- Calories
- 740
- Sugar
- 7