I love lasagna. But the time it takes to boil the noodles, brown the meat, and then layer, layer, layer is more than I usually have (or want) to spare. Luckily, there’s one excellent shortcut. Enter ravioli lasagna, which uses ravioli in place of lasagna noodles.
This ravioli lasagna recipe has a similar level of decadence as other lasagna recipes, but it takes far less time to put together. Here’s how to make an easy four-ingredient ravioli lasagna, perfect for any night of the week.
Ravioli Lasagna Ingredients
- Ground beef: One pound of 80/20 beef will provide a little bit of fat (read: flavor) for your lasagna. If you choose a leaner beef, that’s OK, but know that you’ll be missing out on a little flavor. If you’re vegetarian or simply won’t miss the meat, skip the ground beef altogether to save an additional 5 to 7 minutes of prep time.
- Spaghetti sauce: Use your favorite brand of spaghetti sauce, your own homemade canned spaghetti sauce, or the best jarred pasta sauce as tested and determined by the Taste of Home Test Kitchen.
- Frozen ravioli: No need to thaw the frozen ravioli before layering them in the lasagna. The cook time includes the time it takes for the noodles to thaw and fully cook through.
- Mozzarella cheese: Keep it easy with pre-shredded mozzarella cheese, although you could shred mozzarella at home as well.
Directions
Step 1: Cook the beef
In a large skillet, cook and crumble ground beef over medium heat until no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain.
Editor’s Tip: Read our guide to how to brown ground beef if you want a refresher on the best way to do it—including how much grease to drain, and how to drain it.
Step 2: Create the first layer
Spread one-third of the spaghetti sauce in the bottom of a greased 2-1/2-quart baking dish. Make sure the sauce fully covers the bottom of the dish.
Take half of the frozen ravioli, and sprinkle them evenly over the sauce. (No need to lay them out flat.) Sprinkle half of the cooked beef on top of the ravioli. Sprinkle 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese on top.
Step 3: Make the second layer
Repeat the first layer: Add another one-third of the spaghetti sauce, the remaining half of the frozen ravioli, the rest of the cooked beef, and another 1/2 cup of cheese.
Step 4: Top the lasagna with remaining sauce and cheese
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce
- 1 package (25 ounces) frozen sausage or cheese ravioli
- 1-1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
- Fresh basil, optional
Directions
- In a large skillet, cook and crumble the beef over medium heat until no longer pink, 5-7 minutes; drain. In a greased 2-1/2-qt. baking dish, layer a third of the spaghetti sauce, half of the ravioli, half the beef and 1/2 cup cheese; repeat layers. Top with remaining sauce and cheese.
- Cover and bake at 400° for 40-45 minutes or until heated through. If desired, sprinkle with chopped fresh basil.
Nutrition Facts
1 cup: 401 calories, 15g fat (6g saturated fat), 56mg cholesterol, 698mg sodium, 41g carbohydrate (9g sugars, 4g fiber), 23g protein.
