Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake Recipe
Ravioli makes this lasagna especially inviting: each little parcel has its own cheese filling, surrounded by beefy tomato sauce and more cheese between the layers. Scoop down through the browned top for a generous helping. It's a hearty pasta dinner that welcomes everyone to the same baking dish.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 75 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Original yield
- Serves 12
- Ingredients
- 12 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Primary protein
- Beef
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Cooking method
- Baking · Baked & roasted
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: over 60 minutes
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Brown the beef well
Break up the beef as it browns with its seasonings before adding the garlic and then the marinara sauce.
2. Keep the ravioli frozen
Use the cheese ravioli straight from frozen for layering; the ingredient directions specifically say not to thaw it.
3. Catch any spillover
Set the covered baking dish on a cookie sheet for its long bake, then uncover for the final cooking stage.
Get to know the ingredients
Optional fennel seeds
Fennel seeds are optional. If you're including them, add them with the other seasonings while the ground beef browns.
Shredded mozzarella
Divide the mozzarella across both inside layers and the top, keeping some aside until the final sauce layer is in place.
Ricotta inside
Split the ricotta between the two ravioli layers; the top gets mozzarella and Parmesan after the remaining sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 12. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 10 steps completeMake room for Easy Ravioli Lasagna Bake Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Uncover for the last bake
After the covered baking period, remove the cover and return the dish to the oven for the final fifteen minutes.
A little more help as you go
Begin with sauce
Spread a quarter of the meat sauce over the bottom of the dish before laying down the first half of the ravioli.
Give garlic a brief turn
Stir the minced garlic into the browned beef for its short cooking stage before adding and mixing in the marinara.
A few questions you might have
Does Parmesan go in every layer?
Keep the Parmesan for the top. It goes over the remaining sauce with the last portion of mozzarella before baking.
How are the ravioli divided?
Half go into the first layer and the remaining ravioli form the second, each with sauce and cheese around them.
When do I add the crushed red pepper?
Add it to the beef with the salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning and optional fennel, before browning is finished.
Can I use a nine-by-thirteen pan?
Yes, that pan is explicitly included as an option alongside a large baking dish for assembling the layers.
Does the second layer use up all the sauce?
Keep the last quarter of sauce for the top. The second ravioli layer gets another quarter before the final topping.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
