In Purrsuit of Flavors ~ November 2020

With autumn in full swing these days it’s time to start thinking about “tummy warmers”…or what I like to call, comfort food. Today we join our co-hosts, those wily Weimaraners…’da Phenny and da Nelly’ and their feline buddies, The Canadian Cats, ‘Tyebe and Master Chef Shoko,’ for this month’s recipe share.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I love recipes that are adaptable, tasty and super easy to prepare. Emphasis on the easy part. I’m a big fan of Italian meals, and lasagna is a big favorite but frankly hate all the rigamarole putting it together. Enter this easy and delicious layered spinach ravioli that comes pretty darn close to the favorite dish with a minimum amount of work and cleanup.

This dish is so easy to make and, at least around the Ranch, I always have these ingredients on hand. It can be assembled in less than 10 minutes and that includes dragging out the baking dish from the cupboard. Let’s put this baby together, shall we?

I purchase my ingredients from the neighborhood Costco store but you can outsource yours wherever you shop. And the beauty of this recipe is you can  substitute or add ingredients (like meat for all you flesh eaters).

Recipe

Recipe

Ingredients

1 uncooked package spinach ravioli
1 jar of your favorite marinara sauce
Mozzarella and Parmesan cheese (I tend to go heavy with the Parm over the Mozz)

The best part of this meal is how quickly and easily it can be whipped up. Spread some of the marinara sauce in the bottom of a baking dish. Add a layer of the uncooked ravioli over the sauce. Sprinkle mozzarella and/or parm. Continue to layer the ravioli, sauce and cheese. Stand back and admire that beautiful dish and savor the wafting scent of marinara and parmesan. It’s one of my most favorite scents in the kitchen.

Recipe

 

Recipe

At this point, it’s probably a good idea to open a nice bottle of red wine as you clean up (which is minimal I might add with only one spatula used for the marinara jar). Let your wine breathe then pore yourself a glass as you pop that baby into a 400ºF (204ºC) oven. I baked mine for about 40 minutes since the ravioli was frozen, less if it’s not. You’ll know the right amount of time by that heavenly smell.

Once finished baking and the cheese is nice and all melty, set your table and  enjoy a lovely meal. Add fresh bread with a tossed salad and a glass of wine to complete. Buon appetito – enjoy your meal.

Recipe

Mangia!

Purrsuit of Flavours

Live, love, bark! 🐾

72 thoughts on “In Purrsuit of Flavors ~ November 2020

  1. YUMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMY and warm in the TUMMY! One of our favorite meals is ANYTHING Italian and this looks like sheer perfection. Love the BIG ravioli too. Thanks for reminding us of the joys of Italian eating!!

    Hugs, Pam

    1. Italian goes so well with cold winter nights. Making it easy with minimal cleanup is just another bonus! Mangia!

    1. Ooh, I hope you can find some, because this dish is perfect for cold winter nights. Easy to make, it freezes nicely and tastes oh-so good.

  2. OMD, that looks super duper easy!!!! I thinks even Ma could do THAT! Oh, she’s goin’ to the store tomorrows, I thinks she’ll gets the ingredients for this! yummers!
    Thanks bunches!
    Kisses,
    Ruby ♥

    1. Anyone cam whip up a dish of this. Easy, quick and tasty. Just add wine to complete 🍷

  3. Oh yes! That will be on after my next trip to the shops as a standby for when we are behind schedule one of these miserable wet, windy days that Hurrican Etta is leaving in her wake. Poor Nicaragua is copping it, so I should not moan, but day after day of being in the clouds, rain pouring off the roof and dogs refusing to go out it would be such a tasty, trouble free lunch.

  4. I haven’t made lasagna in ages. My “secret” to success with the stuff was vino. Drinking it as I constructed my lasagna. By the time it was ready to put in the oven, I was in a very good place.

    As for that lasagna, it looks so good! And with a nice salad . . cannot go wrong.

  5. That looks like a great meal – and EASY too. Our Dad likes meat ravioli, but maybe Mom could trick by adding a thin layer of meat:) Thanks for sharing.

    Woos – Lightning, Misty, and Timber

  6. You’ve got my mouth watering. (Good) Italian has always been my favorite too. Grew up around a lot of Polish and Italians and love, love, love the the foods.

  7. We just buy and heat the Costco lasagna. Ultimate easy but you meatless folk wouldn’t like it. We’re almost ready to start using some of the many tomato sauces we made from this year’s bumper crop and froze. But maybe we’ll wait a little longer to stretch into the coldest days – it’s still in the 80s and 90s here!

    1. High 70’s here but a front is expected to blow through late weekend. If only it has some accompanying wet stuff with it and not just wind. Maybe because I’m a vegetarian, I haven’t noticed the Costco lasagna. Will need to check it out just to see that it’s around.

  8. What a brilliant idea! Why did I never think of that?
    I made a big pot of marinara yesterday… Ndbmy son made deer/mushroom ravioli… Hmmmm

    1. Oh boy…that sounds amazing! Yeah, I love making this dish because not only does it taste great but it’s easy to throw together. With little clean up. Win-win-win for us lazy cooks. 😋

      1. It was fab – of course he complained he had failed .. was more than edible. But I’m remembering this did the future. I do lazy when I can!

  9. That looks wonderful. I done the “fake lasagna” with just any old noodle but you still have to cook them first. Then layer like you did here. Somehow those big ol’ lasagna noodles are pesky to cook.

    1. I’ve always hated precooking lasagna noodles and then assembling. I’m not into doing additional work especially when it comes to meal prep.

        1. I don’t know what it is about cooking lasagna noodles but I hate it. Using these raviolis makes things even easier, don’t have to add spinach or anything else. Yes, I’m a lazy cook. LOL

    1. Oooh, that sounds delish! I’ll have to try it for a change. Thanks for the recipe share!

    1. Yeah. lasagna is good but a real pain to assemble and don’t get me started on the clean up of the kitchen after it’s put together. This one is quick and simple to assemble with minimal stuff to clean up after. My kind of recipe! And it freezes well too.

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