Baked Ravioli with Spinach and Mozzarella

Baked ravioli with spinach makes a great weeknight dinner without much effort. Refrigerated ravioli go straight from package to pan along with spinach, mozzarella cheese, and a simple homemade tomato sauce.

Ever have those days when you just feel like you’ve got yourself together? I certainly have plenty of the opposite but I had a day recently where I motored through my to-do list with reckless abandon.

A dress with too-long straps finally made its way to the tailor (on my list for weeks), wedding vendors were finalized, indoor plants were watered, wrinkles were steamed out of curtains, and the longest overdue haircut was squeezed in. I even remembered to wear extra eye makeup to my haircut so I didn’t spend an hour staring at my reflection in the mirror thinking I resemble Mr. Potato Head. Why is the lighting in that chair so bad?!

To cap things off I came home and made this baked ravioli with spinach and mozzarella in just over a half hour. Weeknight dinner win!

Recipe ingredients

Refrigerated ravioli have been a part of our dinner rotation for awhile. I use them in this recipe for crispy baked toasted ravioli that is a total reader favorite, but I’ll sometimes switch it up and prepare them according the package directions (boil and top with sauce). This baked ravioli with spinach falls in the middle ground between the two for a relatively quick and easy main dish.

Ten ounces of baby spinach leaves might look like a ton for a recipe that yields three/four servings, but it shrinks down significantly after it’s blanched.

I keep things basic in the recipe card and zhush up crushed tomatoes with Italian seasonings and sauteed onion and garlic, but you can absolutely use your favorite jarred marinara sauce to save some steps.

Oh, and just another note about the ravioli: you don’t need to pre-cook them for this recipe. They’ll become perfectly soft and tender during the bake time. And use your favorite flavor! A cheese or spinach/cheese variety will make this dinner vegetarian.

Can I use frozen ravioli?

Yes, you can. I tend to go for refrigerated for this baked ravioli because it shaves a considerable amount from the cook time, so that’s how the recipe is written below. However frozen ravioli will also work. You don’t even need to thaw them!

Arrange them in a single layer (unsticking them from one another as needed) as the recipes says, then increase the bake time until they’re cooked through. They may need around 45 minutes to an hour to cook through. I strongly recommend covering the baking dish with foil for most of the cook time so the cheese doesn’t burn before the baked ravioli are cooked through. Just remove the foil for the last 15 minutes or so.

Easy recipe steps

After a quick boil to tenderize the spinach, saute the onion and garlic in olive oil. Once golden, stir in the crushed tomatoes and other seasonings (if not using a jarred marinara). That’s all the “pre-cooking” we need.

Squeeze out excess moisture from the spinach, then press it down first in a greased 8″ x 8″ baking dish. Add about half of the super easy tomato sauce on top, and then the ravioli. Try not to overlap them too much so everything heats evenly. A ten-ounce package of ravioli fit just about perfectly in this size dish.

Next spread the remainder of the sauce over top, then Parmesan, fresh basil, and mozzarella. Bake until the mozzarella is melty and everything is heated throughout, and you’re all set to dig in.

Related recipes

While they’re not as quick as this baked ravioli, spinach lasagna rolls feature Italian sausage and many of these same delicious flavors for a different take on lasagna.

In the market for a new soup recipe? Italian sausage soup has so much wiggle room to add leftover this and that and make it your own. Lots of fresh spinach in this recipe, too.

Recipe notes

• You can use 16 ounces of your favorite jarred tomato sauce to in place of the crushed tomatoes and seasonings to save time.
• While this recipe uses a 10-ounce package of ravioli, you can use a larger size, no problem. Just change up the baking dish size to accommodate.

Baked Ravioli with Spinach and Mozzarella

Baked ravioli with spinach makes a great weeknight dinner without much effort. Refrigerated ravioli go straight from package to pan along with spinach, mozzarella cheese, and a simple homemade tomato sauce.

4.75 from 8 votes

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Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 23 minutes

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Servings: 3

Calories: 519kcal

Author: Alyssa

Ingredients

• ▢ 10 oz baby spinach
• ▢ 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ Half of one medium yellow onion, diced
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 16 oz crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1/2 tsp salt
• ▢ 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ 1/4 tsp dried parsley
• ▢ 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper, optional
• ▢ 1 10-oz package refrigerated ravioli (see note for using frozen)
• ▢ 1 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
• ▢ 6 fresh basil leaves, sliced thin
• ▢ 4 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded

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Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray an 8"x8" baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add baby spinach leaves and let boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute. Immediately place spinach in a colander and run cold water over top. Set aside.
• Add olive oil to a skillet set over medium heat. Add onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add garlic. Continue sautéing for another 2 minutes, then remove skillet from the heat.
• Add crushed tomatoes, salt, pepper, oregano, parsley, and crushed red pepper. Stir.
• Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the spinach and place in an even layer on the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Pour about half of the sauce on top of the spinach, and then place the ravioli over top in a single layer.
• Pour remaining sauce over the ravioli and evenly sprinkle Parmesan. Scatter basil slices over top and then mozzarella cheese.
• Bake for 12 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is melted.

Notes

Refrigerated ravioli: There's no need to pre-boil the ravioli - they go straight from to the refrigerator to being layered in the dish.

If using frozen ravioli: There's no need to thaw, simply arrange the frozen ravioli in a single layer and increase the bake time to 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until ravioli is fully cooked through. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil for the majority of the cook time, removing for the last 15 minutes or so. This is so the cheese doesn't become overdone before the ravioli is cooked.

Scaling: This recipe can absolutely be doubled or otherwise scaled up with a larger package of ravioli. Just use a baking dish large enough to accommodate all ravioli in a single layer.

Nutrition

Calories: 519kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 24.7g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 34mg | Sodium: 1468mg | Potassium: 566mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 10g | Calcium: 280mg | Iron: 5.2mg

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Nutritional information is provided as an estimate. As it can vary due to many factors (brands used, quantities, etc.), we cannot guarantee its accuracy.