A creative twist on traditional lasagna that features pre-made ravioli, spicy pepperoni, tangy marinara, and a creamy filling made with cottage cheese and fresh spinach, this ravioli lasagna comes together in minutes and will be your family’s new favorite way to enjoy pasta!
Yesterday, my son turned 10–that is DOUBLE DIGITS!
I am still in state of shock.
It seems like only yesterday I laid in a hospital bed for days and watched my husband consume homemade chocolate chip cookies (from the nurses he made friends with at Labor and Delivery class) and waited patiently for my son to arrive into this world, after being 9 days late and in induced labor for over 24 hours.
I think the nurses felt bad for us because I was in labor for so long without an epidural–so they showed it by bringing my husband food I could not eat!! Or at least, I tried to believe that when I felt like hurting them all as they stuffed their faces on gooey, warm cookies and my body ached with pain like I had never experienced.
But enough ranting, back to my son.
When Tate entered this world, I fell so head over heels in love my heart felt like it was going to burst. I could write story after story about how this sweet boy has enriched my life and taught me so much. But bottom line–I am blessed to be his mom!
And for his birthday, he typically chooses to have lasagna. Last year, he wanted be to make lasagna the night before we left for out of town for a week–hence my creation of the Easiest Lasagna Ever. But his preferred lasagna is hands down Baked Ravioli Lasagna.
And can you blame him? Tender cheese ravioli is swimming in homemade marinara, and layered with a seasoned spinach and cottage cheese and spicy pepperoni. And to boot, I make this lasagna in individual ramekins, so the dish has restaurant presentation, making my son feel like a King on his birthday.
Personally, I am elated that my son loves this dish so much. Not only is it so easy to put together, it is a cheese and pasta lover’s dream come true. Which I admit fully to being both.
So let’s fire up the ovens and whisk ourselves away to a little villa in Italy. I may even pour myself a glass of wine–I deserve it after 10 years of being a Mommy, right?!
Ravioli Lasagna
Ingredients
- 1 16 ounce package fresh or frozen cheese ravioli
- 1 cup cottage cheese
- 1 egg whisked
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 cup fresh spinach diced
- 3 ounces nitrate free pepperoni optional
- 3 cups marinara sauce
- Parmesan cheese for serving.
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Mix together cottage cheese, egg, spices, and spinach. Set aside.
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Grease 4 8 ounce ramekins with olive oil. Add 1 tablespoon of marinara sauce and spread over bottom of dish. Place a layer of ravioli over the sauce, layering slightly to cover bottom of dish. Spread 2 tablespoons cottage cheese mixture over ravioli and then top with 3-4 slices of pepperoni. Top with an additional 2 tablespoons of marinara and repeat layers. Top with one final layer of ravioli and 1 tablespoon marinara sauce.
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Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake for additional 10 minutes.
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Let rest for 10-15 minutes.
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To serve, loosen sides of lasagna by running a butter knife around the ramekin. Place a plate over the ramekin and flip out the lasagna.
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Sprinkle with fresh Parmesan cheese.
A few notes on substitutions:
- Feel free to make this in a 8 inch square pan instead of 4 ramekins.
- Want to make it meatless? Leave out the pepperoni (just don’t tell my son you did–he loves that pepperoni!)
- Don’t like spinach? Leave it out.
Now grab a fork and dig in!!
Yum that looks delish! I love adore lasagna and this looks way way easier then making the traditional one!
So much easier and so much tastier!
I can’t blame him one bit – this looks delicious! All those layers are making my tummy rumble this morning.
Thanks Heather! It is a pretty amazing dish, especially for being so easy!
This looks delicious!! I am such a fan of Lasagna and I never make it enough… I love that this uses Ravioli! That’s Two awesome pasta dishes in 1! Pinning and sharing for sure! 😀
Thanks Dini! It is the best of 2 pasta dishes 🙂
This is brilliant! Perfect for a weekday dinner but could also be used to serve guests on a Saturday night! It looks fancy and its a great hack!
Exactly. It is so quick you can make it anytime but fancy enough to impress guests with!
What a great twist to traditional lasagna! This looks great!
Thanks Jessica!
YUM! Lasagna is such a family favorite and I love your new take on it!
Thanks Debra!
This sounds awesome! We love Italian food at our house and I cannot wait to try this!
Thanks Paris! If you love Italian, you will be all about this recipe!
Hello! You’ve reminded me that I haven’t made a lasagna for far too long! I love these cute little ones with pepperoni in!
You must remedy that asap:-)
Making it tonight! Should I boil the ravioli first?
No need to cook ravioli first. I hope you enjoy.
Looks delish! More spinach the better! 🙂
Totally agree. I love spinach.
My son is 18, but when he was 13 he became severely lactose intolerant. He has handled it well with the exception of lasagna. This is the only thing he says he misses (along with pizza), and THIS version is positively divine!!
Oh Kim, your poor son. Have you tried tofu mixed with nutional yeast, garlic, oregano and egg in place of the ricotta/cottage cheese mixture? My son was allergic to dairy until 6, so I would do this to get my lasagna fix. Not the same but it worked.
Wow I have never heard of this, but it looks really yummy.
You will love it Nicole!
This is the perfect comfort food I was looking for! Thanks for a great Italian recipe!
You Bet!
Oh goodness! This is exactly what I was hoping it was. Pinning!
Yea!! I am so glad it was what you were wishing for! Enjoy!
Love the idea of using ravioli here. And I was traumatized enough by my 10 yr wedding anniversary lol. When my oldest turns 10 this June I imagine I will be in a tizzy!
I was a bit more emotional than I thought I would be. It was rough!
Dear Kristen, Happy Birthday to your son! What a fantastic meal…this sounds wonderful! xo, Catherine
Thanks Catherine! We had a great day celebrating our son!
Happy birthday to Tate! This looks so delicious! I’d totally pick it for my birthday dinner!
Thanks Amanda! He enjoyed the day very much (and the dinner!)
WHAM BAM – THIS RECIPE is just on a whole other level! It’s like pillow lasagna!
Pillow Lasagna–LOVE that description!
Oh my, I LOVE this idea! I would have never thought to use ravioli in a lasagna, but talk about yum extra cheese!! And the individual servings are just perfect! I hope your son had a wonderful birthday! 🙂
Thanks Erica. He had a great day and we ALL enjoyed his birthday dinner!
wow this lasagne looks amazing, I want to stick my fork through the screen and take a bite!
Thanks!
Enjoy these special moments with your son. They grow-up so quickly. The dish looks as special as the occasion.
Thanks Faye–the time really does fly by!
Looks like the perfect comfort food to me! Pinning!
Thanks Michelle.
I love lasagna.I’m totally a lasagna person. lol. This is a good recipe to try. Thanks for linking up to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Party. I have pinned your post to the Bloggers Brags Pinterest Board.
Hi Kristen! Happy Birthday to your sweet son. My son celebrated his 8th birthday yesterday. His favorite meal is my homemade mac and cheese with ham tossed in it. Thanks to Easter leftovers, this was an easy meal to make. I make a similar ravioli lasagna and we love it. Your twist of putting it in a ramekin is fantastic. Those individual serving probably cook quicker and are perfect for freezing and lunch boxes. Love it!!
Happy Birthday to your son!! It sounds like he would pick what my daughter would like (without the ham). I hope you give this recipe a try and enjoy it.
This looks awesome,Kristen! Love both ravioli and lasagna, so this is double the deliciousness! 🙂
That is how I feel about this dish–total comfort at it’s finest.
Kristen – this looks fabulous! I love the single serving size, looks so elegant!
Thanks Allie, it seems so fancy and yet it is insanely easy!
What a great idea!! I’m always looking for ideas that I can make with the grandkids and they would love assembling this (and eating it too)!!
Renee, this is perfect. Easy enough for your grandkids to do with you and a dish they are sure to love!
I really love this recipe. It’s a simple concept but I never thought to do it. I also appreciate your attention to healthy wholesome ingredients. I’m going to keep this and give it a try. Thanks!
Thanks Lisa. I love when something simple strikes me and can inspire others. Enjoy!
Ravioli in lasagna is such a fabulous trick! I can’t wait to try it!
Thanks Marjory–I just know you will love it!
I can’t wait to make this!
Enjoy! You won’t regret it 🙂
Okay this is fabulous! Happy birthday to your son!
Thanks Katrina! I hope you give it a try 🙂
This is creative! Great recipe idea!
Thanks Megan!
I’m a sucker for anything that will get me to lasagna for dinner faster!
Well then you found your new favorite lasagna!!
my daughter is so fussy with dinners, and lasagna is her all time favorite, but man it can be time consuming to make, I LOVE how easy this is. now she can have lasagna any time she wants
Heather, this will make your daughter so happy and your life SO much easier!!
Love this recipe, Kristen! SO creative!
Thanks Lauren!
Eating cookies while you’re in pain. Not fair! Being a new mom is so special. Thanks for sharing. I can’t believe my baby boy is 11! Happy Birthday to Tate! ❤️️
LOL!! That is my husband for you! And our babies grow so fast! So hard to believe!