This inside out ravioli casserole is a great make-ahead dish, offering a perfect solution for a quick weeknight meal. It’s a hearty and satisfying dish that features layers of flavors and textures from ground beef, pasta, and spinach.
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This ravioli casserole is easy to make but looks like you spent hours in the kitchen! With its unique inside-out concept, it delivers big on flavor and is sure to become a new family favorite. The pasta is enveloped in a hearty meat sauce, making each bite absolutely delicious!
If you’re a fan of comforting casseroles, you’ll also love my chicken rotini casserole and chicken tetrazzini recipes. Or, for a different twist, try my ground beef casserole, which is another family favorite.
This is a recipe I found in my grandma’s recipe collection When I saw that she hand-wrote “good” on a ravioli casserole recipe from a newspaper, I knew it was going to be so.
Why I Love This Recipe
- Family-Friendly: This recipe is perfect for the entire family. Its hearty, comforting flavors and textures are a surefire hit with kids and adults alike.
- Easy: This recipe is incredibly easy to make. With simple ingredients and straightforward instructions, it’s perfect for busy weeknights.
- Comfort Food: There’s nothing quite like a warm, hearty casserole to cozy up to. This recipe is the epitome of comfort food.
- Make-Ahead: This easy casserole is perfect for meal prep. You can easily assemble it ahead of time and bake it when you’re ready to eat.
- Freezer-Friendly: This recipe is freezer-friendly, making it a great option for those days when you need a quick meal. Simply prep, freeze, and bake when you’re ready to enjoy it.
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Key Ingredients
- Pasta: The base of our dish, it will provide a hearty and satisfying foundation for all the other ingredients.
- Frozen Spinach: Adds a pop of color and a boost of nutrition to the dish.
- Italian Bread Crumbs: These will help to bind the ingredients together and add a nice crunch.
- Eggs: Also help to bind the ingredients together and add a rich, savory flavor.
- Mozzarella Cheese: Will melt beautifully in the oven, adding a gooey, cheesy layer to the dish.
- Ground Beef: Provides a hearty, meaty flavor that is the star of the show in this recipe.
- Onion: Adds a sweet, slightly tangy flavor that compliments the beef beautifully.
- Garlic: Adds a rich, aromatic flavor that will make your kitchen smell amazing.
- Your Favorite Pasta Sauce: This will tie all the ingredients together and add a delicious, saucy layer to the dish.
Equipment
- Large Skillet – You’ll need this to brown the ground beef, onion, and garlic, and then stir in the pasta sauce.
- 9×13 baking pan – This is where you’ll combine the cooked spinach, pasta, bread crumbs, cheese, and eggs. It’s also where you’ll layer the meat and pasta sauce mixture and bake the casserole.
How to Make Inside Out Ravioli Casserole
Preparation
To start off, preheat your oven to 350˚ F. This will ensure that it’s nice and hot when you’re ready to bake your casserole.
Step 1 – Cook Pasta and Spinach
Begin by cooking your pasta in boiling water until it is al dente. At the same time, cook your frozen spinach according to the package directions. This will give your casserole a hearty, satisfying base.
Step 2 – Prepare the Meat Sauce
In a large skillet over medium heat, brown your ground beef with onion and garlic. Once it’s cooked, stir in your favorite pasta sauce and let it simmer for 10 minutes. This will give your casserole a delicious, savory meat sauce.
Step 3 – Assemble the Casserole
Next, combine your cooked spinach, cooked pasta, bread crumbs, cheese, and eggs. Spread this mixture evenly in a greased 9×13 baking pan. Then, top it with your meat pasta sauce mixture. This will give your casserole layers of flavors and textures.
Step 4 – Bake the Casserole
Pop your casserole in the preheated oven and bake it for 30 minutes. This will melt the cheese, cook the eggs, and meld all the flavors together, resulting in a truly satisfying dish.
Step 5 – Serve
Your delicious inside out ravioli casserole is ready to serve!
Expert Tips
For the best inside out ravioli casserole, ensure your pasta is cooked to al dente. Overcooking the pasta can make it mushy when baked in the casserole, so it’s essential to watch it closely and drain it when it’s still a bit firm to the bite.
Recipe Variations
- Extra Veggies: If you’re looking to add more vegetables to your diet, consider adding extra veggies like bell peppers, mushrooms, or zucchini to the ground beef and onion mixture. This will give your casserole a boost of nutrition and flavor.
- Spicy: For those who love a little heat, try adding some crushed red pepper flakes to the ground beef as it cooks. You can also use a spicy pasta sauce to give your casserole a twist.
- Extra Cheese: If you’re a cheese lover, feel free to sprinkle some extra mozzarella on top of the casserole before baking. This will give it a deliciously cheesy, gooey finish that’s hard to resist.
What to Serve With
- This inside out ravioli casserole is a complete meal on its own, but you can pair it with a fresh green salad for a well-rounded dinner. The crisp, refreshing salad is a perfect contrast to the warm, hearty casserole.
- For a comforting lunch, serve this casserole with a side of garlic bread. The buttery, garlicky bread is a great accompaniment to the rich flavors of the casserole.
- If you’re hosting a brunch, this casserole can be a star dish. Serve it with some fresh fruit and mimosas for a delicious, crowd-pleasing meal.
Recipe FAQs
Yes. If you’re making this ahead of time, follow the instructions but don’t bake it just yet. Instead, cover in saran wrap and store in the refrigerator for up to one day. When ready to bake, remove the saran wrap and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until it’s fully cooked. It helps to set the ravioli casserole on the counter for 30 minutes before baking to bring it closer to room temperature.
Yes. You can make this recipe and omit the spinach. In fact, I made this recipe with half spinach and half without. I preferred the spinach, but my kids like it without. To do this, make as directed, omitting the spinach. Scoop half of the pasta mixture into half of the 9×13 pan. Add the spinach to the remaining mixture in the bowl. Mix well. Then add to the other half of the 9×13 pan. Bake as directed.
You can use whatever pasta you would prefer, like rotini or even macaroni. However, I recommend spirals or penne pasta for this ravioli casserole recipe.
I highly recommend tomato basil from Mid’s pasta sauce. It’s our go-to and has the best flavor in my opinion. If you don’t have that available, your favorite pasta sauce will work. Remember, this recipe is only as good as the pasta sauce you use, so use a delicious sauce.
Yes, you can use a different type of ground meat. The recipe calls for 1 pound of ground beef, but you can easily substitute it with ground turkey, chicken, or pork.
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate: After enjoying your inside out ravioli casserole, you can store any leftovers in the refrigerator. Simply place the cooled casserole in an airtight container. It will keep well in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: If you’d like to freeze this casserole, I recommend doing so before baking. Prepare the casserole as directed, but instead of putting it in the oven, cover it tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil. It can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- Reheat Instructions: When you’re ready to enjoy your frozen casserole, let it thaw in the refrigerator. Once thaw, follow the baking instructions as directed.
More Casserole Recipes You’ll Enjoy
Serving Size
- What to Expect: This inside out ravioli casserole recipe, when prepared as directed, yields a delicious casserole that can serve 12 servings.
- How to Scale: If you’re planning to serve more than 12 servings, you can easily double the recipe and follow the instructions as directed. Just make sure that your baking pan is large enough to accommodate the doubled recipe. If not, you can divide the mixture and bake in two separate pans.
Ravioli Casserole
Ingredients
- 16 oz pasta
- 10 oz frozen spinach
- 1/2 Cup Italian bread crumbs
- 2 eggs beaten
- 1 Cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 1/2 Cup onion chopped
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 32 oz your favorite pasta sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚ F.
- Cook pasta to al dente in boiling water. At the same time cook spinach according to the package directions and drain if needed.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef with onion and garlic. Stir in pasta sauce and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Combine cooked spinach, cooked pasta, bread crumbs, cheese and eggs. Spread evenly on greased 9×13 baking pan. Top with meat pasta sauce mixture.
- Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes.
I used egg noodles instead of pasta. This is excellent. Thank you.
I made this recipe the other night by modified it a bit. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef and blanched fresh spinach in place of the frozen spinach. Assembled the dish topping it off with homemade spaghetti sauce and a bit of mozzarella. This recipe is a keeper. Thanks
Thank you for sharing this. My mother used to make this recipe all the time and I suddenly had a craving for it. I searched the web for “Inside Out Ravioli” on a whim and immediately found the exact recipe! (Though my brothers and sisters always got the name wrong and called it “Inside Outside Ravioli”).
So glad you found what you were looking for! I love sharing these vintage recipes for those of us that have memories of some great dinners with family! I hope you enjoy!