An easy cheesy baked ravioli casserole with ravioli, savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and gooey melted cheeses for a dinner the whole family will love.
Classic Missouri Casserole
One of the things St. Louis, Missouri is known for is toasted ravioli. It’s a fun crispy twist on normal ravioli. I attempted to bring a bit of the toasted ravioli taste to this pasta casserole. We all loved this simple dinner. It has all the things…a meaty element, tangy tomato sauce, creamy cheeses and more. Enjoy!
Ingredients/Substitution Ideas
- Frozen cheese ravioli–or refrigerated, or frozen tortellini
- Butter
- Parmesan cheese
- Panko
- Lean ground beef–or ground turkey, pork
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- Italian seasoning
- Mezzetta Tomato Basil Sauce–or your favorite marinara sauce
- Ricotta–or cottage cheese
- Mozzarella cheese
Steps
Heat oven to 400° F. Spread ravioli in the bottom of a 9×13 inch dish. Drizzle the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle 1/3 cup parmesan and panko over the top. Bake for 15 minutes.
While ravioli is in the oven, heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.
Stir in the tomato basil sauce and turn heat to medium. Heat the sauce through.
Remove ravioli from the oven and evenly spread the ricotta over the top. Spread the meat sauce over the top. Sprinkle the mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan over the top.
Bake for 15 more minutes. Serve and enjoy!
Notes/Tips
- Serve with a green salad or caesar salad.
- Use frozen ravioli straight from the bag. There is no need to thaw.
- A pinch of garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, or fresh basil can boost flavor.
- Ricotta makes it creamier, but cottage cheese adds a lighter texture. Both work well. I always have cottage cheese hanging out in my fridge so that is what I used.
- You can prep and freeze this casserole for another day: assemble the casserole, cover tightly, and freeze for up to 2 months. Bake straight from frozen at 375°F for about 45–50 minutes.
- You can make this meatless. Skip the beef and use sautéed mushrooms or zucchini instead.
- Add a layer of spinach with the ricotta for some veg.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container* in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Other recipes you can make with ricotta cheese are Instant Pot Cheater Lasagna and Instant Pot Mother-in-Law Special.
Did you know you can filter the recipes on my website to search by meat type, IP or Crockpot, low carb, gluten free, etc.? Use the filter to find exactly what you are looking for.
Classic Missouri Casserole
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
An easy cheesy baked ravioli casserole with ravioli, savory meat sauce, creamy ricotta, and gooey melted cheeses for a dinner the whole family will love.
Ingredients
- 20 oz package frozen cheese ravioli
- 2 Tbsp melted butter
- 1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1/3 cup panko
- 16 oz lean ground beef
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 (25 oz) jar Mezzetta Tomato Basil Sauce
- 1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat oven to 400° F.
- Spread ravioli in the bottom of a 9×13 inch dish. Drizzle the melted butter over the top. Sprinkle 1/3 cup parmesan and panko over the top. Bake for 15 minutes.
- While ravioli is in the oven, heat a pan over medium high heat. Add in the beef and break it up. Brown for about 5 minutes. Drain off excess grease. Stir in the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning. Stir in the tomato basil sauce and turn heat to medium. Heat the sauce through.
- Remove ravioli from the oven and evenly spread the ricotta over the top. Spread the meat sauce over the top. Sprinkle the mozzarella and ½ cup parmesan over the top.
- Bake for 15 more minutes.
- Serve and enjoy!
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Stove and Oven
More Instant Pot ravioli recipes…
Instant Pot Lasagna Ravioli
A quick and easy meal made with ground beef, ravioli, spaghetti sauce and mozzarella cheese. All the flavors of lasagna without all the work!
Instant Pot Spinach and Ravioli Lasagna
An easy 5 ingredient dinner! Cheese ravioli, spinach, pesto, mozzarella cheese and alfredo sauce layered in a dish and cooked until hot and bubbly.
Instant Pot Million Dollar Ravioli Casserole
With ravioli, four kinds of cheese and Italian sausage this casserole tastes like a million bucks! Make it in your Instant Pot, slow cooker or oven.
Reagan’s Rockin Ravioli
Instant Pot or Crockpot ravioli and meatballs with homemade marinara sauce, parmesan and ricotta cheese.
*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.
99