This Lazy Baked Cheese Ravioli Lasagna is an easy weeknight dinner made with frozen cheese ravioli, jarred marinara sauce, ricotta, and a thick layer of melted mozzarella.

It skips the noodle boiling and the meat browning, so you get the same layered, cheesy result as a classic lasagna in about half the hands-on work.

I reach for this one on busy weeknights, but it also holds up fine for potlucks or a lazy Sunday dinner when I don’t feel like standing over a pot.

It’s also a smart way to use up a bag of ravioli that’s been sitting in the freezer for a while. I usually serve it next to The Best Fried Ravioli or a simple orzo salad on the side.

If you’re into easy baked pasta dinners, these are worth bookmarking too:

• The Best Fried Ravioli
• One Skillet Cheeseburger Mac and Cheese
• Cheesy Tuna Noodle Casserole with Peas
• Quick Garlic Butter Noodles Under 20 Minutes

Ingredients You’ll Need

Frozen cheese ravioli is the whole trick here (no boiling, no thawing, it cooks right in the sauce). Stick with a jarred marinara you actually like the taste of, since it’s doing most of the flavor work in this dish.

Important Recipe Notes

• Don’t thaw the ravioli first. Frozen ravioli goes straight into the dish frozen; thawing it ahead makes the pasta gummy and prone to splitting open in the sauce.
• Keep every piece of ravioli covered in sauce. Any ravioli sticking out from under the marinara dries out and turns leathery once it bakes, so spoon a little extra sauce over any exposed edges before it goes in the oven.
• Use a marinara you’d actually eat with a spoon. This lazy cheese ravioli bake leans hard on jarred sauce for flavor, so a flat or watery one will make the whole dish taste flat too.

• Don’t skip the egg in the ricotta. It’s a small step, but it keeps the ricotta layer from turning watery in the oven and sliding around when you cut into the lasagna.
• Storage: leftovers keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The ravioli softens a bit more overnight, which honestly isn’t a bad thing.
• Reheating: warm individual portions in the microwave for 1 to 2 minutes, or cover the dish with foil and reheat in a 350°F oven for about 20 minutes if you’re warming up the whole pan.
• Make-ahead: assemble the whole dish up to a day ahead, cover, and refrigerate unbaked. Add about 10 extra minutes to the covered bake time since it’s starting cold.
• Freezing: this cheese ravioli lasagna freezes well before baking. Wrap it tightly, freeze for up to 2 months, and bake from frozen, adding 20 to 25 extra minutes covered.

How to Serve, Store & Customize This Recipe

Serving:

Cut it into squares and serve straight from the baking dish while the cheese is still pulling. A scatter of fresh basil and an extra crack of black pepper is really all it needs.

Storage:

Cool completely, then store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

For longer storage, freeze individual portions in freezer-safe containers for up to 2 months (the texture softens slightly once thawed, but it still tastes good).

Customization:

Brown a pound of ground beef or Italian sausage and layer it in with the ravioli if you want a meatier version. Swap in spinach and mushroom ravioli for a different flavor base, or use a four-cheese ravioli if that’s what’s in the freezer.

A pinch of red pepper flakes in the ricotta mixture works well if you like a little heat.