I try to space my lasagna recipes out, so you don’t realize what a staple it is in our house! Mushroom Ravioli Lasagna is the easiest lasagna recipe I’ve made, so far. But also, it’s one of the most delicious. Good store bought fresh ravioli is a must.
For the longer, more authentic version of lasagna, start with a long-cooking mellow sauce, like, Fioretti Spaghetti Sauce. If you use enough sauce, assemble the lasagna, and let it set in the fridge overnight – you never have to cook the pasta, even if they are not the oven ready type. My classic lasagna is a layer of meat sauce, a layer of lasagna noodles, a layer of whole milk ricotta mixed with eggs, a layer of Italian grated cheeses, and repeat. It’s hard to go wrong with that combination.
Ingredients
- 2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil (optional)
- 1 small onion, chopped (optional)
- 1 large clove garlic, chopped (optional)
- 1 lb ground beef (optional)
- 2 (23-26 oz) jars good pasta sauce
- 1 lb mozzarella or Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1 family size package fresh ravioli (18-24 oz), uncooked. I used HEB Porcini Mushroom Raviolini
Instructions
- In a medium size pot, heat oil on medium. Add onion, and cook until almost translucent.
- Stir in garlic, and cook a couple minutes.
- Add ground beef to pot and break it up. Continue cooking, stirring and breaking up the meat into small pieces.
- When meat is cooked thoroughly and starting to brown, stir in the pasta sauce. Let mixture cook for about 1/2 hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt, pepper, and basil, if needed.
- Now, it’s ready to assemble. I used a small, deep pan and made the lasagna thick.
- Grease the pan. Put a small amount of sauce in the bottom.
- Lay some ravioli over the sauce. Leave enough space for the ravioli to expand, since it’s not cooked yet.
- Cover ravioli with some cheese.
- Now place a thin layer of sauce over the cheese.
- Continue layering, ending with a layer of sauce and sprinkle with cheese. Cover with foil.
- At this point, freeze it, or bake at 350 for about 30-40 minutes (covered) until bubbly and cheese is melted.
- Let rest for 15 minutes,before serving.
- Note: Sometimes, I sauté mushrooms and add them to the sauce. For a faster version, if you don’t want meat sauce, use the pasta sauce straight from the jar, and omit steps 1-4.