Baked Ravioli
This is a pretty, delicious way to serve ravioli, which can be prepared ahead and then baked just before dinner time. The colors are evocative of both the holidays and the Italian flag. You can make your ravioli from scratch (show off) or purchase frozen or fresh ravioli in your favorite variety – meat, cheese, or vegetable fillings all work in this recipe. Same for the red sauce – a homemade version or store-bought. And, while we are at it – the same for the pesto. I recommend making the bechamel sauce. It is easy and fast, and why not flex your muscles a bit at the stove? Mastering bechamel sauce opens doors you never imagined.
Ingredients
- 4 Ravioli per person (more for big eaters)
- 1 cup of tomato sauce
- 2 Tbs Pesto
For the Bechamel Sauce
- 2 Tbs butter
- 2 Tbs flour
- 1 ¼ cup milk
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
To make the Bechamel sauce.
- Melt the butter over low heat in a heavy-bottom saucepan. Add the flour, stir to combine, increase the heat to medium-low and cook the flour mixture, constantly stirring, for about 1 to 2 minutes or until it is bubbling and frothy.
- Add the milk, and stir over medium heat, using a rubber spatula to ensure the sauce is not sticking on the bottom. Bring to a boil and cook for 30 more seconds. Remove from the heat and add the salt and pepper. Set aside until you assemble the lasagna.
Assemble the casserole
- Boil the ravioli according to the instructions on the package.
- Using a slotted spoon or spider, gently scoop the ravioli out of the boiling water and into a lightly oiled or buttered shallow casserole. I prefer to use a dish large enough, so the ravioli are in a single layer. They cook faster, more evenly, and are easier to serve. However, if you don’t have a casserole with a large enough surface area, do the best you can and layer them evenly throughout the dish.
- Ladle the bechamel over the ravioli as evenly as possible.
- Ladle the tomato sauce over the ravioli and in and around the white sauce in an artful way to leave some white sauce still revealed.
- Dot with Pesto.
- Drizzle with olive oil.
- You can prepare up to this point, cover it, and put it in the refrigerator. Remember to take it out of the fridge at least one hour before baking.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees 1 hour before dinner time.
- At the 30-minute mark before your plans to gather around the table, cover the casserole with foil and bake for about 25 minutes. Serve the ravioli piping hot.
Fantastic recipe! We served this over Christmas and it was a huge hit with my whole family. Even my 91 year old dad couldn’t stop commenting on how delicious it was!