Hey, y'all! It is really chilly here today and I thought this quick and easy Cheater's Lasagna would do the trick for supper tonight. Can I tell you how this came to be here at our house?
I was super busy one day and we had last-minute supper guests coming over. I was scurrying around trying to decide what to fix. Open pantry door....open the freezer....pace around. You know the drill. Go back to freezer...stand there waiting on something to jump out at me....and it does! I always have homemade meat sauce in the freezer. I had just bought a bag of frozen ravioli which I had planned to use with a pesto sauce and some grilled chicken. Oh, well, that can be for another day. Grab those two items and go to the fridge. I use a lot of cheese, so I pretty much always have cheddar, mozzarella and pepper jack in the fridge. My lucky day, I had plenty of mozzarella and parmesan. In my mind, I was building a ravioli casserole. That's kinda a boring name - but Cheater's Lasagna has all kinds of personality, right? So, that's how it came to be in my kitchen and it was a huge hit that night.
Friends, please bear with me - as I do not have exact measurements. Sometimes, I make an 8x8" pan for just us and lunch for My Love the next day. Sometimes, I make a full 13x9" pan for company or to take to a gatherin'. So, take this idea and run with it. Run, Forrest, Run. It is sooo easy!
Here's what you need.
Homemade Meat Sauce or whatever meat or veggie sauce you prefer. Freshly shredded mozzarella cheese. Frozen cheese ravioli. I add a tablespoon of tomato sauce in the bottom of my pan - just because that's how I was taught to make Lasagna. It is optional.
Please keep in mind that as the frozen ravioli cooks in the oven it will give off some moisture also. If you want a stiff casserole/lasagna - don't add the extra sauce. DO make sure that you spray your pan very well. Now, just like regular lasagna - just layer. Easy Peasy! I do a layer of meat sauce, layer of the frozen cheese ravioli, and then top with the mozzarella. But first, preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
Once you've got that down, you are home free. Because you just do that again. I do 2 layers - if you have a really deep pan that you are using, you could do a third layer.
Layer 2 happening. So, exciting! Yum!
End with cheese, glorious cheese! Next cover loosely with aluminum foil so it doesn't stick to your cheese. That would be so tragic.
I like to bake this on a cookie sheet. Just a little preventive action in case it were to bubble over.....cue the Voice of Experience. I bake the 8x8" pan for about 20 minutes and then check it. If it isn't bubbling around the edges and the cheese on top starting to melt, stick it back in the oven, covered. Check it again in a few minutes. When it does look like the next picture, uncover it and stick it back in the oven.
When the cheese is completely melted, I like to turn on the broiler and brown my cheese a little. Now, please, stand with the oven while you do this. It only takes a split second for something under the broiler to get WELL DONE. Hush it, Voice of Experience. Stay in your lane.
Oh my word!! Y'all look at that cheesy goodness!! You are wanting some of this now, right? I know that I am. It is sooo easy. Please try it! I like to serve this with a nice little salad and a piece (only 1 because we are trying to cut back on carbs) of garlic bread.
Thanks for stopping by and hanging with me for a little while. When you make this please snap a pic and tag me on social media. #adashofsoutherngrit @adashofsoutherngrit
Say Hi in the comments below. Let me know your favorite pasta dish. Let's get to know each other. If you know someone who would enjoy this, please share it with them. Have a great day! Take care of yourself!
Till we Dash again,
xoxo,
Jeanie
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