Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach

5 from 3 votes

Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach

There's no need to boil the ravioli first! This easy ravioli lasagna with ricotta and spinach goes straight from the freezer to the oven in just minutes.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword baked ravioli, Ravioli Casserole, ravioli lasagna, ravioli lasagna with ricotta

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 45

Resting Time 10

Total Time 1 15

Servings people

Calories 537kcal

Author Blair Lonergan

Ingredients

2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon garlic powder
Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
1 (24 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside.
Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl. Add ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg, if desired.
Pour a very thin layer of marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish to cover bottom (about ½ cup). Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce. Spread or dollop half of the ricotta mixture over the ravioli. Top with half of the remaining marinara.
Repeat layers once more, adding remaining ravioli, then remaining ricotta mixture, and finally remaining marinara. Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan 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.

Video

Notes

Squeeze the spinach very dry before adding it to the filling. I like to put it in a dish towel and wring it out over the sink. This will prevent the spinach from watering-down the creamy, cheesy filling.
Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
Start with frozen ravioli that's not thawed or boiled before baking. Fresh ravioli would probably work, but you will need to decrease the total baking time.
Let the dish rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn't ooze out.
Garnish with plenty of fresh parsley or basil just before serving for a bright addition to the baked casserole.
If you'd like to make the baked ravioli with meat sauce, simply add ½ pound of cooked ground beef or ground Italian sausage to the marinara sauce.
Substitute meat-filled ravioli for the cheese ravioli. Any variety of frozen ravioli will work!
Frozen spinach is great because it's an inexpensive way to get a lot of spinach, and you don't have to cook it before adding it to the dish. That said, you can substitute with fresh spinach if desired. If you prefer to substitute with fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach, you'll need a total of about 3 cups of cooked spinach. Start with about 3 lbs. of fresh spinach, sauté the spinach in butter and/or olive oil until it wilts, squeeze out the excess moisture, and use in the recipe as instructed.
If you're serving a smaller family (or cooking just for 2), cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare the casserole in an 8-inch square pan. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same, although you may be able to shorten the total baking time by a few minutes.
Prepare two smaller casseroles in 8-inch square pans. Bake one now, and freeze the second for a later meal!

Nutrition