Baked Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce

Summer came and went. And apparently so did fall. We skipped ahead to winter. And I needed some stick-to-my-ribs belly-warming grub. This baked cheese ravioli with meat sauce dish hit the spot. And it was crazy easy to make too. Don’t let the simplicity of this dish fool you. It tastes great. It fills you up. And it’s fairly budget-conscious too!

Baked Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce

Change Things Up

The base recipe for these baked cheese ravioli with meat sauce is great just as it is. But that doesn’t mean you can’t make a few changes. I like a few good pinches of red pepper flake in my meat sauce. A little kick. Spicy Italian sausage will do that for you too. And don’t hesitate to use something other than cheese ravioli. Mushroom ravioli are great too!

Good Cheese Makes A Great Dish Better

I love shredding my own cheese. Do I save a bunch of money doing that? Probably not. Is it better? You bet! That stuff you buy in the store that’s already shredded has ‘stuff’ on it. Stuff to keep it from sticking together. Well that stuff also makes it melt different. And taste different. So shred your own. It’s easy. I use this shredder. It’s crazy fast and easy to clean up. And it shreds perfectly!

Also try my slow cooker ravioli lasagna.

Baked Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Baked Cheese Ravioli with Meat Sauce

The perfect cold weather comfort food.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword cheese, ravioli
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 5030kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Italian sausage
  • 1 medium sweet onion chopped
  • 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
  • ¼ cup tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • 25 ounces cheese ravioli frozen
  • 2 cups mozzarella shredded
  • 1 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped, for garnish

Instructions

  • Crumble the sausage into a large skillet. Cook over medium heat until lightly browned.
  • Add the onion and cook until it is soft.
  • Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and Italian seasoning. Stir. Let the sauce come to a slow simmer.
  • Meanwhile, cook the ravioli per the package instructions. Drain well.
  • Preheat your oven to 350 F.
  • Spray a 9 x 11 baking dish with non-stick spray.
  • Spread 1 cup of the meat sauce over the bottom of the dish and spread out evenly. It'll be thin but try to get it everywhere.
  • Add the cooked ravioli, distributing it evenly around the pan. Do not overlap the pasta.
  • Add half of the cheese then another cup of sauce.
  • Add the last of the ravioli and sauce, followed by the remaining cheese.
  • Cover the dish in foil and bake for 20 minutes.
  • Remove the foil. Turn your broiler on and place the dish under the broiler for a few minutes (keeping an eye on it the entire time) until you get a little browning on top.
  • Serve garnished with the chopped parsley.

Notes

Use spicy sausage for… a spicy dish!

Nutrition

Calories: 5030kcal | Carbohydrates: 399g | Protein: 237g | Fat: 279g | Saturated Fat: 109g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 21g | Monounsaturated Fat: 80g | Cholesterol: 904mg | Sodium: 10688mg | Potassium: 4787mg | Fiber: 43g | Sugar: 76g | Vitamin A: 4645IU | Vitamin C: 118mg | Calcium: 1800mg | Iron: 96mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.

Lasagna

The All-Purpose Mix

As you can tell, I use this for a whole lot of things. All great. This recipe makes a pretty big batch of Italian meat sauce. Since it has so many uses you won’t have any problems using it up. Just follow the recipe section below for adding in the ingredients for each way you can use this sauce. You want a thicker sauce for some dishes, and a thinner sauce with vegetables for others. It’s easy, though, to modify it for darned near anything!

Lasagna
Print Pin
5 from 1 vote

Italian Meat Sauce

This is my go-to meat sauce for all things Italian. I use it (with some variations) in lasagna, on pasta, in calzones, on buns for sandwiches… you name it. It uses the simplest of ingredients, goes together easy, and makes the house smell wonderful.
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian, sauce, spaghetti
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 20 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 315kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

For the meat

  • 2 pounds ground meat for lasagna I use 1 pound Italian sausage and 1 pound ground beef, but for other uses I use 2 pounds Italian sausage
  • 1 large white onion diced
  • 2-4 cloves garlic minced

For calzones, pasta and sandwiches, add:

  • 1 red bell pepper chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper chopped
  • 8 ounces mushrooms sliced

For the sauce (use half the amounts below if using for lasagna)

Instructions

  • Crumble the meat(s) into a large pot or Dutch oven and brown over medium high heat. Drain fat if desired.
  • Add the onion and cook until softened. If making the sauce for something other than lasagna, also add in the peppers and mushrooms.
  • Add the garlic and cook another minute.
  • Add in all of the sauce ingredients.
  • Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, 1-2 hours.
  • Continue cooking with lid off for another hour, adding a bit more water if the sauce is too thick.

Notes

This sauce can be frozen for later use.

Nutrition

Calories: 315kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 86mg | Potassium: 494mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 531IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional values are approximate.