Easy Baked Ravioli

This baked ravioli layered with rich tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese is a delicious, easy dinner recipe. Use pre-made, store-bought ravioli and transform them into a delectable, comforting dinner in minutes.

This baked ravioli recipe is the best kind of cheat dinner. Using store-bought ravioli and a quick tomato sauce (you could even use store-bought marinara sauce/spaghetti sauce too) means dinner will be ready in no time. This recipe only works with store-bought ravioli. Please don’t use your delicate, beautifully fresh, handmade ravioli for this. It would be a complete waste. Just like my baked gnocchi with bacon and tomato, this recipe works because of the firmness of  ready-made ravioli (or in that case, gnocchi).

Where ready-made ravioli simply cooked and dressed in sauce can often be tough and a little unpleasant in texture, baking them in a rich tomato sauce with layers of melty mozzarella results in an incredibly moreish dinner. Their robust texture (read: toughness) actually works beautifully when baked. It almost begs for it.

The tomato sauce I baked the ravioli in was a simple 10 minute sauce I made with cherry tomatoes, red onion and a good splash of Balsamic vinegar. This was layered with the blanched pasta and sliced mozzarella and then baked until bubbling and golden. From prep to plate in no more than 30 minutes (if you work fast, even less). Ooey, gooey cheesy pasta for dinner? Yes please!

Ingredients Needed

• Onion.
• Fresh garlic cloves.
• Cherry tomatoes.
• Chicken broth/stock.
• Balsamic vinegar.
• Salt and black pepper.
• Sugar.
• Ravioli. I used cheese ravioli but any ravioli will work. Frozen ravioli is a great option.
• Mozzarella cheese.
• Fresh basil leaves, to serve.
• Optional: For extra protein, feel free to use a meat sauce or layer cooked Italian sausage or ground turkey with the sauce and ravioli. Veggies like sautéed mushrooms, broccoli, bell peppers or zucchini can also be added.

How to make baked ravioli

Make a simple tomato sauce by cooking onions, garlic and tomatoes with Balsamic vinegar. Blanch store-bought ravioli of your choice for a few minutes in boiling water then drain. Combine the ravioli with the pasta sauce and layer in an oven-proof baking dish/casserole dish with mozzarella. Bake until hot and bubbling then serve.

Can I use another type of stuffed pasta?

Absolutely. Any shape or kind of stuffed pasta will work in this recipe. Tortellini and Pansotti are probably the two most easily accessible varieties but feel free to explore with whatever you can find.

How long does baked ravioli take to cook in the oven?

Because both the sauce and the ravioli are already cooked, you just need the mozzarella to melt and everything to warm through in the oven. The ravioli should take no longer than 10-15 minutes to bake in the oven.

Easy baked pasta recipes:

Cheese and tomato baked ravioli

Easy peasy cheese and tomato baked ravioli. Use pre-made, shop-bought ravioli and transform them into a delectable, comforting dinner in minutes.

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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes minutes

Course: Pasta, Ravioli

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Baked pasta, Baked ravioli, stuffed pasta

Servings: 4

Calories: 539kcal

Author: Alida Ryder

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Ingredients

for the tomato sauce

• ▢ 1 red onion finely chopped
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves crushed
• ▢ 2 cups cherry tomatoes quartered
• ▢ 1/2 cup water/stock
• ▢ 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sugar optional
• ▢ salt & pepper to taste

for the ravioli bake

• ▢ 500 g ready-made shop-bought ravioli (I used a butternut-filled ravioli)
• ▢ 150 g mozzarella thinly sliced
• ▢ fresh basil leaves for garnish

Instructions

• Pre-heat the oven to 200°c
• To make the sauce, fry the onion and garlic in a splash of olive oil until soft and translucent then add the tomatoes, stock, Balsamic and sugar.
• Bring the sauce to a simmer then reduce the heat and allow to simmer for 10 minutes until reduced and thickened slightly. Season to taste.
• In the meantime, blanche the ravioli in plenty of salted water for a minute then drain and set aside.
• To assemble the bake, layer the blanched ravioli with the tomato sauce and sliced mozzarella.
• Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes until golden and bubbling.
• Remove from the oven once baked and allow to cool for 5 minutes.
• Garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 539kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 95mg | Sodium: 1019mg | Potassium: 231mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 620IU | Vitamin C: 19.5mg | Calcium: 385mg | Iron: 2.9mg

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!