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Inside-Out Ravioli
In this delicious old family recipe, pasta, cheese, meat sauce and hidden spinach come together for a hearty one dish meal that says “Comfort Food!” Serve with warm bread and a simple salad.
- Prep Time: 40 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 90 minutes
- Yield: 8 portions 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb. lean ground beef (90-93% lean is optimal)
- 1 10oz pkg frozen chopped spinach (tell the kids that the green stuff is parsley!)
- 1 lb. package of large pasta shells (not the Jumbo size)
- ½ cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 large eggs
- 3 TBSP canola oil
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese
- 28 oz jar of prepared marinara sauce (look for the brands with the lowest salt content)
- ½ tsp granulated garlic
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp dried basil
- Optional: ¼ cup red wine
Instructions
- Pre heat oven to 350 degrees
- Cook pasta to package directions, strain and set aside to cool a little.
- Cook spinach to package directions, strain and set aside.
- Sauté ground beef with the garlic, oregano and basil over medium heat until no longer pink. Add the marinara sauce, mix well, cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes. If using the red wine, add it with the sauce. Gives the sauce a nice flavor and the alcohol burns off.
- In a large bowl, add the pasta, cooked spinach, canola oil, bread crumbs and mix well. Add the eggs, again mixing well and then add the cheese.
- Spread pasta mix into a 9×13 casserole dish. Top with meat mixture. Cover with heavy duty aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 15 to 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbling.
- Serve with parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
Note: this is a great casserole to double and freeze half for another time (unexpected company?) or you can split the single recipe into (2) 8×8 casserole dishes and freeze them. To cook the large frozen casserole, I usually put it in the refrigerator overnight first, then bake it, covered, at 350 degrees for 90 minutes and then uncovered for about 30-35 minutes more or until bubbling. To cook the small frozen casserole, bake covered at 350 degrees for 1 hour and uncovered for about 20 minutes more or until bubbling.