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This easy ravioli lasagna with ricotta and spinach goes straight from the freezer to the oven in just minutes! There’s no need to boil the ravioli first — just layer the frozen pasta and bake it until bubbly. The hearty vegetarian casserole tastes like lasagna!
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If you love ravioli as much as we do, be sure to try this dump-and-bake ravioli casserole, this quick shrimp with ravioli, and a pan of dump-and-bake chicken Alfredo ravioli, too!
Easy and delicious. I used meat ravioli and small curds cottage cheese. Thank you for sharing!
– Kristi
Video: How to Make this Ravioli Lasagna Recipe
This baked ravioli with ricotta is just a glammed-up version of our favorite 4-ingredient baked ravioli. That dish proves that you can successfully bake frozen ravioli without thawing or boiling the pasta first, making it a total game-changer for busy weeknights! Here, the ravioli takes the place of traditional lasagna noodles, and is baked with spaghetti sauce and ricotta cheese layers. Think of it as your “lazy lasagna” that the kids love!
In this particular recipe, I took inspiration from our wildly popular spinach stuffed shells, adding even more flavor with extra cheese, fresh herbs, and plenty of leafy greens. Layer everything together and you have a comforting ravioli lasagna with very little effort!
A Few Tips Before You Make Baked Frozen Ravioli
- Use whole milk ricotta cheese for the richest, creamiest, smoothest texture.
- Egg is an important component in the ricotta mixture because it helps the cheese layer “set” so that it doesn’t ooze out when you slice into the casserole. That said, if you have an egg allergy, you can omit this ingredient — the finished texture just won’t be quite the same.
- Use frozen cheese ravioli for a vegetarian dish, or try meat-filled ravioli if you like. I’m not particular about the brand and just use what’s available at my local grocery store (typically the Food Lion store brand or Celentano brand).
- Start with frozen ravioli that’s not thawed or boiled before baking. Fresh ravioli would probably work, but you will need to decrease the total baking time.
How to Make Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta
This easy ravioli bake is essentially the perfect combination of cheese ravioli, a classic lasagna recipe, and stuffed shells — in one convenient dish! Best of all, it tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen…even though the prep work is minimal. Thanks to the convenience of baked frozen ravioli, you can enjoy cozy, Italian-inspired comfort food any night of the week!
I’ve included detailed directions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Squeeze the spinach very dry. I like to put it in a dish towel and wring it out over the sink. This will prevent the spinach from watering-down the creamy, cheesy filling.
- Stir together the spinach mixture.
- Pour a thin layer of pasta sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
- Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in the pan.
- Top with half of the spinach and ricotta mixture.
- Spread with half of the remaining marinara sauce.
- Repeat the layers once more.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan on top.
- Cover and bake.
- Let the dish rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This will help the cheese set so that it slices cleanly and doesn’t ooze out.
- Garnish with plenty of fresh parsley or basil just before serving for a bright addition to the baked casserole.
Serving Suggestions
Pair the easy ravioli lasagna recipe with simple side dishes like garlic bread, a simple green salad with red wine vinegar salad dressing, roasted broccoli, or roasted yellow squash.
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead Freezer Instructions: You can prep this dinner in advance and keep it stashed in the freezer until you’re ready to bake it! To do so, simply assemble the casserole but do not bake. Cover tightly with foil and freeze the unbaked casserole for up to 3 months. When you’re ready to serve it, pull it out of the freezer and bake as instructed. You will need to add a few more minutes to the cooking time, but just keep your eye on it and make sure that it’s heated through before serving.
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. You can also freeze the leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat Ravioli Lasagna: Cover the dish loosely with foil. Warm in a 350°F oven just until heated through, about 30 minutes. You can also reheat individual servings of ravioli in the microwave until warm, about 1 minute.
Made it last night for company and it came out perfect! Big hit. I prepared it about an hour ahead and put it in fridge. Then popped it in oven to cook while we had appetizers. Perfect!! Thanks for all your tips!!
– Corinne
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Watch How to Make It
Ravioli Lasagna with Ricotta and Spinach
Ingredients
- 2 (10 ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil (or 1 teaspoon dried basil)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (24 ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray; set aside. Squeeze all of the liquid out of the spinach. I like to use a dish towel for this, and just keep squeezing until you wring out as much water as possible. Place spinach in a large bowl. Add ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the Parmesan, egg, basil, salt and garlic powder to the bowl with the spinach and stir really well with a fork to combine. Add a pinch of optional nutmeg, if desired.
- Pour a very thin layer of marinara sauce into the prepared baking dish to cover bottom (about ½ cup). Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce.
- Spread or dollop half of the ricotta mixture over the ravioli.
- Top with half of the remaining marinara. Repeat layers once more, adding remaining ravioli, then remaining ricotta mixture, and finally remaining marinara.
- Sprinkle remaining 1 cup of mozzarella and remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan on top.
- Cover with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake, uncovered, for 20-25 more minutes or until bubbly and hot in center. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Ravioli Lasagna Recipe Variations
- If you’d like to make the baked ravioli with meat sauce, simply add ½ pound of cooked ground beef, ground turkey, or ground Italian sausage to the marinara sauce.
- Frozen spinach is great because it’s an inexpensive way to get a lot of spinach, and you don’t have to cook it before adding it to the dish. That said, you can substitute with fresh spinach if desired. If you prefer to substitute with fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach, you’ll need a total of about 3 cups of cooked spinach. Start with about 3 lbs. of fresh spinach, sauté the spinach in butter and/or olive oil until it wilts, squeeze out the excess moisture, and use in the recipe as instructed.
- If you’re serving a smaller family (or cooking just for 2), cut all of the ingredients in half and prepare the casserole in an 8-inch square pan. The rest of the cooking instructions remain the same, although you may be able to shorten the total baking time by a few minutes.
- Prepare two smaller casseroles in 8-inch square pans. Bake one now, and freeze the second for a later meal!
More Pasta Bake Recipes to Try
Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole
55 minutes mins
Simple Baked Rigatoni Recipe (No Meat)
50 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake White Bean Pasta with Spinach
45 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in August, 2021. It was updated in December, 2024.
I used fresh spinach and fresh ravioli – how long do you think I should cook it for? I was thinking maybe 350 for the same time.
Also… I didn’t see the note about cooking the fresh spinach until after assembly, so I’ll let you know how it turn out. I only used about 10 oz.
Hey, Sarah! I’m sure the fresh spinach will be fine — especially in that amount. 🙂
I would think the fresh ravioli will need slightly less time at 400, but not a huge difference. If you lower the temp to 350, then yes — about the same amount of time. Let me know how it works!
I did 20 min at 350 with foil, and 15 min at 400 without – it was delicious! The spinach was fine and did not water down the dish at all – in fact with the fresh basil I also used it was a really nice addition. I used 2 packs of Trader Joe’s truffle/mushroom ravioli (8.8 oz each). My 2 year old liked it! Two thumbs up. I’m usually still hungry after a ravioli dinner night, but this really satisfied and made it much more filling.
Excellent! Thank you for the update, Sarah! Glad that it was a hit and that your little one enjoyed it, too. 🙂
Hello Blair,
I’m single ,not a parent, and learning to cook. So, I love this simple recipe. I used meat filled ravioli and added ground turkey to the sauce and baked in a 8×8 dish. I love the taste and texture. This one will saved as a favorite.
Excellent! I’m so glad to hear that it worked well for you, Tim. Thanks for taking the time to come back here and leave me a note! 🙂
Easy and delicious. I used meat ravioli and small curds cottage cheese. Thank you for sharing!
Sounds perfect! Thank you, Kristi!
can you make this with 3 layers
of ravioli?
Hi, Janine! Yes, that should work fine. You might need to add a few extra minutes to the total baking time, but otherwise it should work fine. If you’re not using a smaller dish, you’ll also need to increase the rest of the ingredients to accommodate that extra layer. Hope you enjoy!
Can I use fresh spinach?
Hi, Nora! Yes, ma’am! Here’s what I wrote:
Frozen spinach is great because it’s an inexpensive way to get a lot of spinach, and you don’t have to cook it before adding it to the dish. That said, you can substitute with fresh spinach if desired. If you prefer to substitute with fresh spinach instead of frozen spinach, you’ll need a total of about 3 cups of cooked spinach. Start with about 3 lbs. of fresh spinach, sauté the spinach in butter and/or olive oil until it wilts, squeeze out the excess moisture, and use in the recipe as instructed.
How would I prepare this ahead for company same day?
You could bake it completely and just reheat it. Or, assemble the ingredients, cover the dish with foil, and store it in the fridge. Bring it to room temperature before baking, and bake as normal. Hope this helps!
Thank you for your quick response!
I thought of preparing it in the morning then cooking it in the evening.
But was concerned since the ravioli was frozen then as it sat it would alter the cooking time?
To perhaps less time?
Hi, Corinne! Yes, you can definitely just reduce the baking time slightly if you let the ravioli sit in the fridge and thaw before baking. Another alternative that I often recommend for freezer meals is to assemble the dish in advance using a freezer-to-oven-safe dish, but do not bake it. Store it in the freezer until you’re ready to cook it. When you’re ready to serve the dish, pull it out of the freezer and bake directly from frozen. You will need to extend the baking time slightly, but just keep your eye on it and make sure that it’s heated through before serving.
Ok. Thanks! Will let you know which method I chose and how it came out.
Thank you!!
Wonderful! I hope it’s a hit!
Made it last night for company and it came out perfect!
Big hit.
I prepared it about an hour ahead and put it in fridge.
Then popped it in oven to cook while we had appetizers.
Perfect!!
Thanks for all your tips!!
Oh, good! I’m so happy to hear that, Corinne. Thanks for following up to let me know!
Easy and delicious!!!
Thank you, Jenny!
I’m cooking for 2 and am wondering if assembling this in loaf pans would work well. I’m thinking that the baking time might need to be a little shorter. My husband LOVES lasagna and I’m hoping this might be a good solution to some of the high-sodium ones I find in individual servings sizes at the store.
Hi Ginger! We haven’t tested it in loaf pans but think it would work. Just be sure to keep an eye on it, and adjust the baking time as needed. We’d love to know how it goes if you give it a try!
Absolutely delicious & easy to throw together. I was in a hurry and used a handful of chopped spinach instead of waiting to thaw frozen spinach. Cooked up beautifully as written, the family loved it. Thank you!
Thank you, Stephanie! It’s on our menu for the week ahead. Always a winner!
Delicious!!! I used fresh spinach. Great recipe. Awesome flavors. I’m so happy right now.
Oh, good! Thanks for letting me know, Lequone!
This looks wonderful! If the ravioli are already cooked, how long should I bake this, and at what temperature.
Thank you.
Hi Ruth! You’ll just want to make sure the ravioli is heated through and the cheese is completely melted. We would guess about 20 minutes, but keep a close eye on the oven.
We hope you enjoy!
Excellent! The only change I made was using same amount of fresh organic spinach, (20 0z.) not frozen! worked great, as soon as mixed with the other ingredients it softened right up to layer well!
We’re so glad it turned out well for you, Gayle!