I got the idea for this concoction one day while watching a shopping channel cooking show. The host was making a veggie casserole and layering ravioli and cheese into it.
I was hungry for lasagna so my brain started working in a different direction.
That night I made this for the first time. It was surprisingly good. Even my son liked it! (He is not a picky eater – he just didn’t usually like my cooking.) I decided to call it Cheater’s Lasagna.
It is great for the cook who doesn’t want to take the time to make real lasagna or who, like me, is domestically-impaired. It is super easy and made with on-hand ingredients.
I like to use it on Sundays when we have company coming for dinner. Because the ravioli is frozen, it can sit in the oven safely until the preset timer comes on. Then it is ready when we get in from church.
It will feed an army (or a large group of high school boys) and because the ravioli is frozen when you start, it is easy to divide into two separate casseroles and freeze one to save for later. (Did I say it is BIG?) When our son was home I usually made it all at once and we ate on it for several days. Larry says it gets better with age. (Not that it lasts very long.)
Cheater’s Lasagna
Ingredients
1 lb. Hot Sausage (I use Jimmy Dean usually. You can leave this out if you are doing a meatless meal.)
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped (Use less or leave out if you don’t like garlic.)
66oz. of Pasta Sauce (I usually use Ragu Tomato, Onion, Garlic in the 4lb, 2oz size – which is 66 oz. But – I have been known to mix flavors of sauces as well.)
4 cups (16 oz bag) of shredded Mozzarella
2 bags (25 oz each) of Frozen Cheese Ravioli (Usually found near the frozen bread section of the grocery store. I usually buy Rosetto but couldn’t find it for this blog post.)
3 T Italian Seasoning
Dried Oregano
Grated Parmesan – Romano cheese (Found in the refrigerated dairy section)
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 375 F.
Brown the sausage over medium heat. Crumble. (Unless I’m using my old iron skillet I use a dab of olive oil or cooking spray so it doesn’t stick.) Add the chopped garlic the last two minutes.
Layer in a LARGE casserole or roaster pan (Mine is 11” x 15”) in this order –
Small amount of sauce to cover just the bottom of dish,
A layer of the cheese ravioli (One-third of the total amount — I lay them flat and side by side.)
Mozzarella cheese (one-third of the total)
Hot sausage sprinkled with 2 T of the Italian Seasoning
Sauce (one-half of what is left)
Cheese Ravioli (second-third of the total),
Mozzarella cheese (second-third of the total)
Cheese Ravioli (the remainder)
Sauce (all the rest – it will cook down into it)
Mozzarella cheese (last third of the total)
Sprinkle with additional Italian Seasoning and some dried Oregano for color if you choose.
Bake 1 hr. 15 min at 375 F. until cooked through and brown and crusty on top.
Sprinkle with the Parmesan-Romano. (Minced Italian Parsley would also look pretty sprinkled on top – I just didn’t have any on hand today.)
Cool five minutes before serving.
I typically serve it with a bagged salad and store bought garlic bread. (Although I have also been known to pour garlic butter over a can of Grand’s Biscuits before I bake them.)
Serves eight (at least)
