There’s no need to boil the pasta or cook the meat for this Dump and Bake Meatball Ravioli Casserole! With only 5 ingredients and a few minutes of prep, you’ll have a family-friendly one dish meal that’s ready for the oven. This easy dinner recipe is a great way to simplify your busy weeknights!
If there’s one cuisine that the four boys in my house can agree on, it would definitely be Italian food. No matter how I fix it or what I stir into the mix, my hungry little guys will always polish off a bowl of pasta with marinara sauce!
But you know what? There are plenty of evenings when I don’t feel like cooking, or I don’t have time to pull together an elaborate dinner (that would be most nights, in fact)!
That’s why I have become quite proficient at creating recipes that require minimal ingredients and minimal prep time, but deliver on maximum taste. This ravioli casserole is definitely one of those gems!
Let me just make this very clear — you literally DUMP the ingredients into your casserole dish in a couple of different layers.
There’s no measuring necessary (eyeballing it is fine!), no mixing bowls to wash, no extra pots to scrub, and no additional prep work. Just pop your frozen ravioli right into the oven and they will cook beautifully in the pan as they soak up all of the flavor from the sauce.
I know that it sounds too good to be true, but I promise — your family is going to love this dinner!
Ingredients – Meatball Ravioli Casserole
- Frozen Ravioli – I used spinach and cheese
- Marinara Sauce – use your favorite
- Meatballs – fully cooked miniature meatballs
- Shredded mozzarella – for topping
- Parmesan – shredded
Serving Suggestions
Now, if you want to get fancy and really impress your guests, just add a little bit of torn fresh parsley or basil to the top of your casserole right before serving. It’s a 20-second trick that gives the meal a pop of color and freshness. Enjoy, friends!
Top Tips and Variations – Meatball Ravioli Casserole
- I used spinach and cheese ravioli but you can use any you like
- Use frozen ravioli and do not freeze first
- Use miniature sized meatballs if possible and use fully cooked meatballs
- I topped with shredded mozzarella but you could also use cheddar or something similar
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days
- Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving
More Easy Casserole Recipes You Might Like:
- Dump and Bake Chicken & Mushroom Casserole
- 4-Ingredient Dump and Bake Pizza Casserole
- Easy Taco Casserole
- Dump and Bake Wagon Wheel Pasta Casserole
- Ravioli Casserole
- Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Dump and Bake Meatball Ravioli Casserole
Ingredients
- 3 (8 ounce) packages frozen ravioli (or 1 (25 ounce) bag) – I use a spinach and cheese ravioli, but any flavor will work
- 36 ounces marinara sauce
- 1 (14 ounce) package fully-cooked miniature (cocktail-size) meatballs (if using frozen meatballs, make sure that they are completely thawed before using)
- 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish (or two 8-inch dishes) with cooking spray.
- Pour about 1/3 of the marinara sauce (12 ounces) in prepared baking dish to cover bottom. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce. Top with half of the meatballs.
- Pour another 1/3 of marinara sauce (12 ounces) over top. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Repeat layers once, starting with ravioli. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 more minutes or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
- I used spinach and cheese ravioli but you can use any you like
- Use frozen ravioli and do not freeze first
- Use miniature sized meatballs if possible and use fully cooked meatballs
- I topped with shredded mozzarella but you could also use cheddar or something similar
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days
- Let the casserole stand for 10 minutes before serving
Thanks for this easy meal idea… I don’t see any actual directions… you did say eye ball it and no measuring.
I can figure that out but what temperature and how long do you bake to be sure your frozen ravioli are hot?
Hi, Traci! This was actually a guest post that I wrote for another website, so I linked to the full recipe and instructions on that site. You can see the link to the recipe just above the last photo, but I’ll include it here as well: https://www.dealsplus.com/blog/dump-bake-meatball-ravioli-casserole/
That should give you all of the info that you need (without forcing you to guess). 🙂
Do you have to use frozen ravioli? I have the refrigerated spinach and cheese ravioli.
But this recipe looks yummy.
Hi Lori,
Frozen ravioli will work best for this recipe. We can’t guarantee the results with refrigerated ravioli, but it might work! We would just decrease the total baking time, removing the dish from the oven when the pasta is tender. We would check the pasta after the first 20 minutes. It might only need 5-10 more minutes uncovered. Hope you enjoy!
I love simple and easy comfort food like this, yum!
So frozen raviolis need to be cooked first then put in or can zI uhe bag straight from the freezer?
Hi, Melanie! No, you don’t cook the ravioli first. Just put them in the dish straight from the freezer. 🙂
Would this work with alfredo sauce too? Any adjustments to cooking time?
Hi, Renee! Absolutely! No need to adjust the cooking time. 🙂
Could I add heavy cream so not too tomatoey?? Other applicable suggestions?
Yes, that would probably work fine. I’ve also used Alfredo sauce in this type of recipe, so you could cut the tomato sauce in half and sub with some Alfredo instead. Enjoy!
This recipe was delicious, but it came up only halfway in the casserole pan. If I were to double the amount of ingredients, what would be the new time in the oven to fully cook the dish?
Hi, Terry! I would add 5-10 minutes to the total cooking time.
Blair- Thx for the great idea of the Dump and Bake Meatball Ravioli Casserole. I am primarily the cook in our house of two and look for easy dishes from time to time. I look forward to enjoying it this New Years Eve! We live in Wintergreen VA. Glad to have “discovered” you online!
Cheers and Happy New Year! Brian
Hi, Brian! I know Wintergreen well! My parents are in Nellysford, along with my aunt and uncle. We love visiting Nelson County. 🙂
Have a happy New Year!
I made this great recipe, it was a keeper for sure, only thing is i added some fresh cut up mushrooms in between the meat balls and used my own home made sauce.
Thank you, Matt! We’re so glad you enjoyed it and are glad you were able to make it work for you. Thank you for taking the time to leave a review!
Delicious – I cook this at least 2-3 times a month. I make one layer for my son and I but when my granddaughter visits (she loves Italian food), I cook the 2 layers. So easy to prepare and cooking time is short so this makes this dish a quick fix on busy days. Leftovers are just as delicious.
We’re so glad you enjoy it, Maureen! Thank you for taking the time to leave a review.