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Our Ravioli Lasagna Recipe is made with layers of frozen cheese ravioli in place of traditional lasagna noodles. All the classic elements of lasagna, like red sauce and ricotta, but with cheese filled ravioli in place of flat noodles.
Okay, I have a very important question to ask you. One that is probably going to cause a lot of controversy. One that you will likely have super strong feelings about.
Ready?
Okay. Deep breath. Here goes.
When you make lasagna, do you use ricotta cheese or cottage cheese?
I know that a lot of you are angry that I’d even ask that question. Like, why is cottage cheese even an option, because everyone knows that their Italian grandmother uses ricotta and obviously that’s the only way to make lasagna.
It’s just…you guys. I often make lasagna with cottage cheese.
Don’t leave me.
I love ricotta, but my husband? Not so much.
I’m happy to report that it doesn’t really matter one way or the other, because this ravioli lasagna is delicious made with either one! Use ricotta if that’s what your ancestors demand of you. Use cottage cheese if this is what your heart tells you to do.
Whatever you do, please just serve our baked ravioli lasagna recipe with a side of my ever popular cream cheese garlic bread. Or take our quick dinner rolls and shape them into breadsticks and then brush them with garlic butter!
Ingredient Notes:
Pasta – We’re using frozen cheese ravioli. You could also use beef ravioli, if you want things extra meaty.
Sauce – I’m a fan of Rao’s personally, but use whichever jar of sauce you like or try our homemade spaghetti sauce!
Ricotta Mixture – You’ll combine ricotta (or cottage cheese) with egg, Parmesan, parsley, and seasoning. This mixture will make the creamy layer between the pasta.
Mozzarella – We top it all off with a thicker layer of mozzarella. I prefer to shred my own for the best, most creamy result.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Step By Step Instructions:
Meat Sauce: Make the meat sauce by browning the beef and onion together and then stirring in the marinara.
Cheese Filling: While the meat is cooking, stir together the ricotta, parmesan, egg, parsley, and seasonings.
Assemble: Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the bottom of your pan and top it with a single layer of ravioli. Top that with more meat sauce and the ricotta. Repeat your layers and then finish it all off with mozzarella.
Bake: Cover the dish with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove the foil and finish baking for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot!
Expert Tips:
An important question that I hear a lot is “when making lasagna what goes on the bottom layer?“
The answer is sauce! You start with a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your dish to keep the pasta moist and prevent it from sticking and getting crunchy.
For a browned cheese topping, pop your ravioli under the broiler for a minute or two until the cheese gets toasty. Keep a close eye on it as the broiler works very fast.
If you’re wondering how to reheat lasagna, I recommend using the oven. Bake it, covered, at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes or until it’s warmed through.
More pasta recipes to try:
- Chicken Spaghetti: Cheesy comfort food!
- Italian Pasta Salad: This one is LOADED with veggies, meats, and a simple homemade dressing.
- Baked Spaghetti: My family’s absolute favorite spaghetti dish!
- Homemade Hamburger Helper: We love how easy this is!
- Shrimp Alfredo: Hard to go wrong with this 20 minute dinner!
Ravioli Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 small onion diced
- 24 ounces marinara
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 25 ounces frozen cheese ravioli
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- minced parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 13×9 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the ground beef and onion. Brown the beef, crumbling it as it cooks. Drain the grease from the pan.
- Add the marinara sauce and garlic and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often, over low heat.
- While sauce is simmering, mix ricotta, egg, Parmesan, parsley, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl.
- Spoon 1/3 of the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish and spread across the bottom.
- Top with a single layer of ravioli, ½ of the ricotta mixture, and 1/3 of the sauce. Repeat the layers, ending in marinara sauce.
- Sprinkle the top with the shredded mozzarella. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove cover and bake for 10 minutes more.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with minced parsley.
- Let set for 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
Tips & Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Cathy Smallwood says
This was such a big hit with my family. My son said put this on the rotation list. Thank you so much for posting this recipe.
Karly Campbell says
I love to hear that! Thanks, Cathy!
LYNN says
Just so so. I think the cheese layer was to runny. I like the simplicity of the recipe but I need to tweak that cheese layer.
christine says
I’ve absolutely made it with cottage cheese. I blend it so it’s smooth. It’s healthier than ricotta.
Karly Campbell says
Love using cottage cheese in pasta dishes. We usually blend ours too! 🙂
Kenneth B Odister says
I love this recipe so much that I don’t think I will ever make lasagna the old way ever again.
Karly says
Oh wow, so happy to hear that! Thanks for the review!