It was not fancy fru-fru dinner day. It was ‘put some stuff in the crockpot’ day. I like those days. No stress-cooking days. Sometimes I need those days. Don’t get me wrong, though. It doesn’t mean ‘no flavor’ day. This slow cooker ravioli casserole really hit the spot. It’s pretty straightforward to make, but the flavors make you feel like you spent hours at the stove. The key is to not add anything to your slow cooker that doesn’t add flavor. And this has the flavor! And tons of ooey-gooey melty delicious cheese!
Make It Yummier
This slow cooker ravioli casserole gets better with better ingredients. I used flavorful, fresh Italian sausage. I found a good cheese ravioli in the frozen section of my grocery store. And I used fire-roasted tomatoes (they add great flavor and texture). And importantly, I used freshly shredded and freshly grated cheeses. Those make a huge difference. I used to use bagged shredded cheese out of convenience. But freshly-shredded cheese melts so much better. So much creamier. And blocks of cheese are almost always cheaper than that pre-shredded stuff.
Like a little heat? Add a pinch or two of dried red pepper flake to the meat mixture. Or (and!) use spicy Italian sausage. This dish won’t be crazy hot but it’ll have a nice warm-you-up kind of heat.
Serve with more freshly-grated parmesan at the table. A good sprinkling or two of more cheese really adds a nice finishing touch (and flavor) to this dish!
Don’t let the ravioli over cook in the slow cooker. Pasta tends to get thick and rather, well, gloppy if it spends too much time in the heat. If that happens to you, add more marinara sauce to thin it up a bit.
Reheating
You can reheat the ravioli in the oven or stovetop. I recommend the oven. Either way I’ll add a bit more marinara so it doesn’t dry it. I’ve found that reheating on the stovetop doesn’t treat the ravioli as well. It’ll still be good, but it’s hard to get it heated through evenly.
You’ll want to try my slow cooker steak fajitas too!
- Package Includes: Six (6) Reynolds Kitchens Slow…
- Easy Cleanup: These strong, reliable slow cooker…
Also check out my always-growing list of my favorite slow cooker recipes!
Slow Cooker Ravioli Casserole
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage bulk, removed from casings if in links
- 1 small sweet onion diced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 14.5 ounces petite diced tomatoes undrained
- 25 ounces marinara sauce the better the sauce, the better the casserole!
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 25 ounce frozen ravioli divided. I used cheese.
- 1 cup Mozzarella cheese shredded
- ΒΌ cup Parmesan cheese shredded. Plus more for serving, if desired.
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Crumble the sausage into the skillet and cook until almost done, breaking up any large pieces.
- Add the onion and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and tomato and cook another 5 minutes.
- Stir in the marinara sauce and the seasoning. Reduce heat and let simmer 5 minutes while stirring occasionally.
- Lightly spray your slow cooker with non-stick spray.
- Add 1 cup of the meat and sauce mixture and spread out evenly.
- Add half of the ravioli.
- Add the remaining sauce and spread out evenly.
- Add the remaining ravioli.
- Top with the cheeses.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. Do not stir while cooking.
- Serve hot with more Parmesan if desired.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional values are approximate.
- Package Includes: Six (6) Reynolds Kitchens Slow…
- Easy Cleanup: These strong, reliable slow cooker…