The Key To A Simple Lasagna Is This Frozen Pasta

When craving a taste of Italy, nothing beats home-cooked lasagna. Unfortunately, there isn't always enough time in the day to boil noodles, make tomato sauce, cook ground beef, and whip together a ricotta filling that really hits the mark. Even if you avoid the mistakes people make when cooking lasagna, it can still take hours to complete. That is, unless you take a shortcut with frozen ravioli. 

Instead of the sheet pasta called for in most lasagna recipes, grab some frozen ravioli. It can be baked from frozen as it simmers in the tomato sauce, so there's not even the step of boiling pasta. The cheese in store-bought ravioli varies, but many brands use a ricotta mixture, so you can also potentially skip creating that element. Using good store-bought pasta sauce saves additional time, which leaves you with the simple task of quickly browning some ground beef or another protein and assembling the dish.

With just frozen ravioli, shredded mozzarella, tomato sauce, and optional protein, the oven does the rest of the work. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for roughly 30 minutes in a covered baking dish, then uncovered for another 20 minutes until the top layer of mozzarella begins to brown. The cooking time will vary based on your brand of ravioli, but if you use the heating instructions on the package as a guide, your lasagna will come out just as aromatic and appetizing as it does when you make everything from scratch.

One of the best parts of using ravioli to make lasagna — aside from the time you save — is that you can truly build the flavor profile any way you like. A spinach or mushroom ravioli offers a bit more personality than plain cheese. And if you want to bring a little heat to the dish, you can substitute hot Italian sausage for ground beef. On those days when you only have a few minutes to make dinner, swap the meat for fresh spinach and go vegetarian-style.

If you anticipate being short on time later in the week, you can construct the lasagna beforehand and store it in the fridge for up to three days. When hunger strikes, pop it in the oven and bake it as you normally would. (Because the ravioli will have thawed, you will want to decrease the cooking time a bit.) Alternatively, you can make the lasagna and freeze it for a later date. Just be sure to transfer it to the refrigerator the night before you plan on cooking it. Any leftovers quickly come back to life if you reheat lasagna in the oven, or they could also be frozen for when you find yourself in need of another quick and satisfying meal.