Fresh Herb Ravioli Lasagna

This ravioli lasagna is a wonderfully quick meal to keep in mind for those busy evenings! Just layer frozen ravioli with marinara sauce, shredded mozzarella and Parmesan cheese, sprinkle it all liberally with chopped fresh herbs, and bake it for thirty to forty minutes.  Out of the oven comes a warm, cheesy, saucy dinner that will nourish your soul and satisfy your hunger.  All in about 45 minutes, with only about ten of those minutes hands-on time.  Honestly, this is one of the easiest dinners I have ever made, and the beauty of it is that it tastes like it took a lot more work to prepare than it really did!

A friend told me about this recipe when we were brainstorming together about quick, nourishing meals to feed our families on the evenings when our kids have track meets and soccer games.  I immediately tried it because it was so simple and sounded like a crowd-pleaser.  The meal was such a hit with my family that I made it again the next week, this time with lots of chopped chives, oregano, and thyme from our garden. (I would have added fresh basil too, but don’t have that planted yet.) The possibilities of variations on this basic recipe are endless.  Another friend of ours made it with the additions of mushrooms and spinach (after I raved to her about how quick and delicious it was), and I can imagine sautéed eggplant and zucchini would be really good additions too.

I know there are already lots of versions of ravioli lasagna out there in the blogosphere, so this may be old news to some.  But it was new to me and to a couple of other friends I told about it, so I couldn’t resist sharing my own version of it.  Sometimes a bag of frozen ravioli, a jar of good marinara sauce, some shredded cheese, chopped herbs, and a warm oven will do wonders for a group of hungry people!

We are at a point in our family life when quick meals are often necessary.  When I have time, I love to make lasagna from scratch, either with meat sauce or vegetarian, and it is delicious.  But on busy weeknights with all the after-school and evening activities, the easy meal is the only way to go.  And this meal can be made ahead of time and re-heated, depending on your schedule.  If you throw together a tossed salad while the ravioli lasagna is baking, then you have all your bases covered!

It feels good to be getting back into this space again.  I have been away from the blogging world for almost a month.  I was quite sick in March, and it completely threw me off.  We took a road trip to the coast of South Carolina for a few days in early April, and that (along with antibiotics) finally cured the cough that had settled in my chest.  The warm, salty breeze and the tall palm trees were just what I needed.  I would love to go back to that area again next spring, because it is absolutely lovely.

Exciting things are happening around here now that spring weather is finally here.  Our cherry trees have burst into blossom, and the other day, I found some morel mushrooms right in our very own yard! It’s so fun to experience the passion of finding morels with others.  While I was waiting for our car to get new tires put on at our mechanic’s garage, our mechanic’s wife (who also works there and is also a friend) started talking about morels.  I happened to have one in our car, since I had just found them and wanted to show someone.  She got so excited to see that I had found some, and her excitement was contagious!  Another customer at the garage started telling us his tips for finding morels. I can see why they have such a passionate following.  Their flavor is incredible–so subtle and delicate.

There is a tree frog chirping on our porch as I write this.  On previous spring mornings, we have sometimes woken up to a visiting tree frog on our kitchen floor, or once one was in a shoe I had left overnight on the porch.  Each time, we were able to get the frogs back outside before they got stepped on or discovered by our sleeping dog! I wonder if that will happen this year!

I hope you have all been well this past month, and I hope to catch up on some of the blogs I have missed.  If you ever need a quick meal with lots of flavor and comfort, keep this ravioli lasagna recipe in your back pocket for a busy time.  It tastes especially good after being out on a windy, rainy evening.  We have plenty of those in Michigan!  🙂 But for today, it is warm and sunny, and the cherry, apple, and crabapple trees are flowering in varying shades of white, pink, and purple.  Have a great week!