Here’s an easy put together dinner that makes enough for the whole family – a simple Ravioli Lasagna made in the slow cooker. It’s easy to put together in advance, and forget about it until a few hours later. Just add garlic bread and a salad for a complete meal!
I used up a few things I had in the fridge and freezer today to make mine. First, I had made some cheese ravioli out of won ton wrappers and a ricotta cheese mix a few weeks ago and put them in the freezer. It was time to use them up. Secondly, I had almost a quart of left over spaghetti sauce with a couple meatballs and a couple pieces of Italian sausage in it, hiding in the back of the fridge. I needed to use that up as well. Of course, a package of premade frozen/fresh ravioli and 2 jars of your favorite spaghetti sauce will work just fine. Use what you’ve got; for cost cutting purposes, I use up every leftover that I can! I had a jar of 4 cheese sauce on the pantry shelf – just waiting for one of those days when I didn’t feel like making a pot of homemade sauce. Perfect!
The rest of the ingredients are things you are likely to have on hand in your pantry anyway – a pound of ground beef, salt and pepper, some dried herbs (Italian herb mix, basil and oregano), fresh garlic or garlic paste, garlic and onion powders. To punch up flavor, I also put in a little Better Than Bouillon roasted garlic (I LOVE all the Better than Bouillon products!). This hits all the different notes of garlic – fresh, dried, and roasted. But don’t worry, it’s not too garlicky. And of course some shredded mozzarella cheese. I always have a bag of grated or whole chunks of mozzarella in the freezer.
Start by using a large skillet to brown and break up the meat – it’s a meat sauce (except for my meatballs and sausage!) so break up the meat fairly fine, without big chunks of ground beef. Saute over a medium heat. Next stir in the seasonings. I used a garlic paste today, but a couple cloves of minced garlic will work just fine. Then stir in the spaghetti sauce, and finally the dried herbs. You are ready to assemble dinner!
Put 1/3 of the sauce in the bottom on your slow cooker. Layer in half the ravioli. I added a small handful of mozzarella next, then repeat the layers, with the final 1/3 of the sauce on top. Make sure the sauce covers the ravioli so that all the pasta dough cooks. Put lots of shredded mozzarella on the top! I brightened it up today with some fresh parsley (also in the fridge, the last of it from the garden). If you want a final layer of gooey cheese you can add more about an hour before it’s done. Cook for 4 hours on high or 7 hours on low.
Slow Cooker Ravioli Lasagna
This dinner comes together easily and cooks without you overseeing it in a slow cooker or multi cook pot. A delicious short cut lasagna easy enough for a busy schedule.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 tbsp paste garlic or 2-3 cloves, minced
- 1 tsp garlic powder or dehydrated garlic
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp ground pepper
- 2 jars spaghetti sauce 24 ox each
- 1/2 tsp Better Than Bouillon Roasted Garlic
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 pkg frozen/fresh ravioli (about 1.5 pounds)
- 2-3 cups shredded mozzarella
- 3 tbsp fresh chopped parsley if desired
Instructions
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In a large deep skillet over medium heat, brown the ground beef. Once mostly browned, drain off the fat.
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Stir in the fresh garlic /garlic paste and saute for a few seconds. Add in the garlic and onion powder and salt and pepper. Stir to mix.
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Add in the sauce and Better Than Bouillon. Stir well to incorporate the meat throughout. Add in the dried herbs and stir to mix in.
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In the bottom of the slow cooker, place 1/3 of the sauce and spread out. Layer in half the ravioli. Sprinkle with a small handful of shredded mozzarella.
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Repeat the layer, ending with the last of the sauce on top. Make sure all ravioli is covered by sauce. Sprinkle with 1 cup of shredded mozzarella.
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Cook on low 7 hours or on high for 4 hours (base the time on the way your slow cooker behaves). It's forgiving if over cooked. If you want, add more shredded cheese 30-60 minutes before eating.
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Turn off pot and let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Recipe Notes
Serve with a green salad and Italian bread or garlic bread.
This will have a lot of sauce to cook the ravioli in. If you want to use less sauce, just know the “lasagna” will be thicker. Thinning one jar of sauce with a little water will give the ravioli enough liquid to cook in.
My multi cooker – I love the metal liner for browning and sauteing right in the pot, whenever I can use it!
What is your favorite slow cooker food to make?
