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This baked ravioli recipe has cheese ravioli, ground beef, marinara sauce, and melty parmesan and mozzarella. It’s so simple to make and is total comfort food!
If you like baked pasta, you’ll love my Baked Penne with Sausage or this Easy Meatball Casserole.
Why you’ll love it
This ravioli lasagna is especially great because the ravioli cooks right in the oven. There’s no need to boil it separately first! It’s such a time saver, making this an awesome easy weeknight meal. Even your picky eaters won’t be able to resist this one.
Ground beef is my go-to when I am creating an inexpensive and filling dish. Add in a bunch of cheese, and it’s total bliss. I think of this meal as lazy lasagna, which is important when you’re a busy parent and just want to get dinner on the table fast with no hassle!
What you’ll need
- Olive oil – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I love cooking with Vidalia onions, but yellow or white work as well
- Ground beef – we’re using extra lean ground beef
- Marinara sauce – it’s a big component, so use a jarred brand you actually enjoy the taste of, or make my Homemade Marinara Sauce
- Ravioli – I used cheese ravioli, but you can change up the variety no problem or even sub in tortellini. I’d add another 10-15 minutes to the baking time if you’re using frozen ravioli.
- Cheese – we’re using both parmesan and mozzarella
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I prefer to grate my own cheese for better flavor and texture, and I use this cheese grater.
- This is the skillet I use for the sautéing step.
- I like to use a deep lasagna dish for this one to easily accommodate everything.
How to make baked ravioli
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onions and ground beef in a skillet. Meanwhile, preheat the oven. Once the beef is cooked, stir in some of the marinara sauce into the skillet, and then add the rest to a baking dish. Add the first layer of ravioli. This doesn’t have to be done perfectly.
Add half the ground beef mixture and top with cheese. Then you’ll want to repeat it and do a second layer with the rest of the ravioli, ground beef, and cheese. Cover with foil, bake, and then broil carefully to bubbly, golden cheesy goodness!
Make ahead tip
- You can easily assemble it ahead of time! Simply complete the recipe through step 6, and then tightly cover and freeze the whole baking dish for up to three months.
- When you want to cook it, thaw in the fridge overnight and bake it for a bit longer than suggested. You’ll want to check it’s fully warmed through before the broiling step.
Substitutions and variations
- You don’t need to be super precise with this recipe. Use round ravioli if you prefer that shape. Change it up with a different flavor than cheese. Use more/less than 20 ounces. It’s all good!
- Try swapping the beef for ground turkey or even ground pork.
- You can change up the cheeses too. Cheddar would be great, or try Gruyère.
- Instead of using marinara sauce, feel free to use whatever jarred tomato-based pasta sauce is your favorite. You could even add a little Alfredo Sauce between the layers for added flavor and creaminess.
What to serve with baked ravioli
- A dinner roll or a big slice of Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread would be fabulous.
- For something lighter, try this Arugula Salad with Fennel and Cheese or mixed greens with homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing or Creamy Pesto Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Leftovers will keep for a few days in the fridge.
- Reheat them in the oven, covered by foil. You could always broil for a bit at the end as well. Microwave will be okay if that’s your only option.
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing leftovers. The pasta will change texture, and it just won’t be as tasty.
Will you give this baked cheese ravioli recipe a try? If you made it, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me on Instagram if you made any S&L recipe.
Easy Baked Ravioli
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 1 pound extra lean ground beef
- 3-4 cloves garlic minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 3 cups marinara sauce (one 24 oz. jar) divided
- 20 ounces uncooked cheese ravioli see note
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and move the rack to the top third of the oven. Prep the cheeses.
- Add the oil and onion to a skillet and sauté for 4-5 minutes over medium-high heat.
- Add in the ground beef and garlic. Cook it, breaking the beef up with your spoon as you go along, until it's browned and cooked through (about 8 minutes). If there's a lot of excess fat, spoon it out. Season with a bit of salt & pepper.
- Add 2 cups of the marinara sauce to the ground beef mixture (give it a good stir and let it heat through).
- Pour the remaining 1 cup marinara sauce into a greased 9×13 baking dish (spread it evenly along the bottom).
- Add half the ravioli to the baking dish (some overlap is totally fine, but try to arrange it in a fairly even layer), then add half the beef mixture followed by half of each of the cheeses. Repeat this process so you've got 2 layers and it's finished with the layer of cheese on top.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Take the foil off and broil for a few minutes so you've got a nice, bubbly, browned cheese layer, then serve immediately.
Notes
- I used refrigerated cheese & spinach ravioli. If using frozen ravioli, increase cook time by 10-15 minutes as needed. You can use a bit less or a bit more than 20 ounces ravioli for this recipe… it doesn’t have to be exact.
- Please see the blog post for make-ahead tips, substitution suggestions, and process photos if step 6 is confusing to you.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This is very similar to lasagna, but easier and faster to make. I was happy to get a meal together quickly for my husband to have before he went to work. He really enjoyed it and ate all of the leftovers when he came home. I doubled up on the pasta sauce.
That’s great! I’m so glad you guys enjoyed it!
Do you have any experience subbing out the beef for Impossible Meat or some similar plant-based option? I saw the comment about using mushrooms, which I would like, but others I’d be making it for would not.
Hi Margaret! We have not tested the recipe with a plant-based alternative to meat, but you’re welcome to try! Apparently Impossible Meat cooks quite similarly to ground beef, but it’s not an ingredient we have experience with.
What exact sauce is everyone using? Making their own or buying it in a can?
I am in Canada and use a brand called Stefano. Most of my readers are in the USA, so that’s why I don’t typically recommend it as most readers likely can’t buy it. 🙁
Super easy and delicious. The only thing I would do different is add more sauce.
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it, Debbie!
Made this recipe last night, very easy to make and we all loved it. I did do a couple of things differently though just for personal taste. I used beef ravioli instead of cheese ravioli and Italian sausage instead of ground beef. It was still very cheesy and delicious!
I’m so glad it worked out, Penny!! Thanks for letting me know! 🙂
Tasty and easy! I added some Italian seasoning, mushrooms and spinach to the mix and it was tasty. I was worried my top layer of pasta wouldn’t be cooked enough as I used a smaller dish and required three layers. But it turned out just fine!
I’m so glad it worked out, Shirley! Love those additions.
Amazing!!! I made this recipe exactly as written. It was delicious!! So easy to prepare. Will definitely be making this frequently.
I’m so happy to hear that!! 🙂
Delicious and so easy to make
Thank you!! So glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Can this be done in a crockpot? I want to make it tonight, but its so hot here!!!
Hi! I have never tried doing something like that, so I really can’t advise on timing, unfortunately. In theory I don’t see why it wouldn’t work, though. Let me know if you try!
This was a very good (and easier than traditional lasagna!) recipe, and I’ll definitely be adding it into my rotation. I do want to comment, though, that if you use a glass baking dish, like Pyrex or Corelle, it might be best to not do the broiler step. I’ learned the hard way that glass baking dishes explode if you try to use the broil function of your stove. 😣
I’m so pleased you enjoyed it! Oh geez… I’ve never experienced that issue before. Thanks for the tip!
I use glass baking dishes all the time and use the broiler option.