Lazy Lasagna with Frozen Ravioli
Frozen cheese ravioli baked right in a creamy Italian sausage sauce, then topped with ricotta and mozzarella. Everything happens in one pan, with no boiling and no layering.
Equipment
- 5-quart braiser with a lid (I use a Le Creuset), or a deep 12-inch oven-safe skillet
Ingredients
Sausage sauce
- ½ lb (227 g) sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1½ teaspoons tomato paste
- 1 (24 oz / 680 g) jar marinara sauce
- ¼ cup (60 ml) water
- ¼ cup (60 ml) heavy cream
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
Ricotta topping
- 1 cup (8 oz / 227 g) whole-milk ricotta
- 1 large egg
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) grated parmesan
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- pinch of black pepper
To finish
- 1 bag (25 oz / 709 g) frozen cheese ravioli, not thawed
- 1½ cups (6 oz / 170 g) shredded mozzarella
- 2 tablespoons (12 g) grated parmesan
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 400°F.
- Cook the sausage in the braiser over medium-high heat, breaking it into small crumbles, until no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Pour in the marinara. Add the water to the empty jar, shake it, and pour it in. Simmer 5 minutes. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cream. Add ½ tsp salt, then taste and add more if needed.
- In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, egg, 2 Tbsp parmesan, Italian seasoning, ¼ tsp salt, and pepper until smooth.
- Add the frozen ravioli to the sauce and stir gently, then press them down so every ravioli is covered in sauce.
- Dollop the ricotta mixture over the top and spread it gently. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining 2 Tbsp parmesan.
- Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes.
- Uncover and bake 15 minutes more, until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is completely melted. For browned cheese, broil for a few minutes at the end, watching closely.
- Let rest 10 minutes. Sprinkle with basil and serve.
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Notes
Adapted from: America’s Test Kitchen, Cheesy Ravioli Bake with Sausage. The heavy cream in the sausage sauce is their technique. This version bakes the ravioli from frozen in the same pan instead of boiling them first.
Salt the sauce. Jarred marinara and sausage vary a lot, so taste the sauce before the ravioli go in.
Don’t thaw the ravioli. They go straight from the freezer into the sauce.
Cover every ravioli with sauce. Any edges sticking out bake up hard.
Lid knob: if your lid has a plastic or black knob, check its oven rating or use foil. Many are rated below 400°F.
No braiser? Use a deep 12-inch oven-safe skillet covered with a lid or foil. Or make the sauce in a skillet and finish it in a 9x13 baking dish covered with foil. I haven’t tested either.
Bigger crowd: double everything and bake in a 9x13 pan covered with foil. I haven’t tested the doubled version, so check the center ravioli before uncovering.
Storage: refrigerate within 2 hours. Keeps 3–4 days. Reheat to 165°F.
Freezing: cool leftovers completely, then freeze in a foil pan or freezer container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight and reheat covered at 350°F until the center reaches 165°F. To freeze it unbaked, cool the sauce before assembling in a foil pan. Bake from frozen, covered, for 1 to 1½ hours, then uncovered for about 30 minutes more.
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