Baked Ravioli Lasagna

Here is another back pocket recipe for a simple Baked Ravioli Lasagna – it’s fresh ravioli (store-bought cheese and spinach is what I use), a simmered tomato sauce with ground meat of your choice or crumbled tempeh (which I use often for this dish to make it vegetarian), versatile as you can add additional veggies to it to up the nutrition (diced carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, chopped broccoli, chopped spinach or kale…), layer with some cheese and bake for 45 minutes total – and you have a delicious, hearty, crowd pleasing, budget-friendly fabulous dinner! It’s a great meal to take for a pot luck as it makes a thick 9 x 13 casserole meal, and even to take to a picnic, as once cooked, it’s delicious at room temperature too!

If you are using Tempeh it is a fermented soy product that is a wonderful meat replacement.  It is high in protein and contains iron, calcium, manganese, phosphorous and magnesium. Being a fermented food, it is a probiotic that is beneficial to help balance the microbiome bacteria in the gut and digestion and it is also a prebiotic – a food that promotes the growth of good bacteria in your gut. Prebiotics are beneficial as an anti-inflammatory. As it is made with soy, studies have shown that it can aid in reducing bad cholesterol and is an antioxidant, and the calcium content promoted healthy bones.

Tomatoes are an anti-inflammatory, an antioxidant and support the immune system.  Tomatoes are a source of potassium, VitC, VitB and VitE, the latter two support heart health. Tomatoes also contain lutein and zeaxanthin that support eye health and macular degeneration.

Fresh garlic is an antioxidant, an antibiotic and has been found to reduce inflammation. Studies have shown that allicin can help promote a healthy heart by lowering bad cholesterol and the antioxidants in garlic may help protect against dementia.

Spices are natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powerhouses.  There are easily absorbed into the blood stream.  They are heart healthy, ease arthritic pain, and support brain health.

As always, when you make this recipe, I would love to see your creation so please post a photo of your Baked Ravioli Lasagna goodness and tag my IG account #RenataCollective or leave a comment with your thoughts!

Prep Time: 10 minutes / Cook Time: 30 min minimum simmering sauce and 45 minutes baking / Makes:  9x11 baking dish / 6-8 servings

Ingredients

• 4 Cloves Garlic – sliced and set aside to work its nutritional magic

• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil (alternate: grape seed oil or another mild, neutral tasting oil)

• 1 Medium Cooking Onion - diced

• 1 lb. Lean Ground Beef (alternate: ground turkey or chicken or tempeh)

• 1 2/3 Cup Marinara Sauce or a 650mL Jar of Tomato Sauce (look for simple ingredients and no chemical preservatives, additives or colour)

• 1 - 796 ml / 28 oz liq Diced Tomatoes

• ½ Cup Passata (ground tomatoes)

• ½ Cup Veggie Bouillon (2 teaspoons of the mix in a ½ cup of water) (or use just water)

• ¼ Cup Balsamic Vinegar

• 1 teaspoon Dried Basil

• 1 teaspoon Dried Oregano

• 1 teaspoon Dried Parsley

• 1/8 teaspoon Cayenne

• Pinch of Herbed Seasoned Sea Salt (Alternate: plain sea salt)

• Grinds of Fresh Black Pepper

• 1 kilo Package Fresh Ravioli (Cheese and Spinach)

• 3 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

• Parmesan Cheese – optional but delicious – to sprinkle on top of the mozzarella layer

How It’s Made

First, you’ll make the sauce:

• In a large pot, over medium-high, heat the olive oil and when hot, add and brown the onions first, about 2 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the meat or crumbled tempeh and cook until the meat/tempeh is cooked through and nicely browned – about 5 minutes.

• Reduce the heat to medium and add in the marinara sauce (or store-bought tomato sauce) the diced tomatoes, the passata, the balsamic vinegar and the bouillon (or water). Stir well.

• Add in the herbs: basil, oregano, parsley and the cayenne. Stir.

• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for at least 30 minutes – an hour is best!  You want the sauce to be watery and not thick as the ravioli will absorb the liquid as it bakes so if your sauce has become thick, add ½ - ¾ cup water and stir well.  

Next is the layering of the dish:

• Preheat your oven to 375°F.

• You will use a 9 x 11” baking dish.

• Add two large spoonfuls of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and spread it out to the edges. It doesn’t need to cover the bottom completely; this just helps the ravioli from sticking to the bottom of the dish.

• Add half the ravioli into the pan and spread it out.  Some may be sticking together – pull them apart so they are as individual as possible.

• Spoon half the sauce over the ravioli, making sure to cover to the edges.

• Distribute half the mozzarella on top of the sauce.

• Repeat with the other half of the ravioli (again, pulling any stuck ones apart), spoon the rest of the sauce on top of the ravioli and top with the rest of the mozzarella. If you are including parmesan, sprinkle a generous amount on top of this last layer of mozzarella.

• Cover the dish with an oiled piece of foil (to stop the cheese from sticking) and bake for 40 minutes.

• Take the foil off and bake for about another 5 minutes, until the cheese bubbles and browns slightly.

• Remove from the oven and let the dish rest for 10 minutes to firm up a bit before serving.

Enjoy!

Variations

• Add sliced carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, chopped broccoli, chopped spinach or kale, frozen peas – any veggies you like – to the sauce and let them simmer for the hour in the sauce.

 Note

• You can prep this dish ahead of time and bake it later – I often put it together in the early afternoon and then pop it in the oven for dinnertime.