The first time I had ravioli I likened them to fluffy meaty pillows. They’re so much fun! So today we’re going to have ravioli in a pasta bake of sorts, smothered in rich, creamy Alfredo sauce and layered with a spinach and artichoke pesto mix.
Oh and there’s cheese. A six Italian cheese blend of mozzarella, smoked provolone, romano, fontina, asiago and Parmesan cheese. And don’t be put off by all the fancy names, you can find a packet of this pre-mixed shredded cheese right in the dairy section of a grocery store. No need to visit the deli aisle!
What’s great about this is despite sounding like a lot of work, it really isn’t. Most of the stuff can be bought pre-made. From frozen ravioli, jarred Alfredo sauce (although I’ve included how to make Alfredo sauce from scratch in the notes) and artichoke hearts in a can that just need some dicing. Really easy.
I let the frozen ravioli thaw out a little to separate easier. Some of them clumped up together so it was necessary. As a precaution, since spinach has a high water content and I didn’t want my bake watery, I sauteed them over the stove top till they cooked down. Not much to it. Saucepan, some heat and some baby spinach. You can choose to chop your spinach or leave them as is.
It turned out my fears were unfounded as there was very little water released. So you could opt to cook them down or use them as is. The spinach is then mixed with chopped artichoke hearts and some pesto. This part is pretty simple.
Water down the Alfredo sauce a little with some broth, vegetable broth to keep it vegetarian or chicken broth for those who don’t mind. It’s so the sauce can spread easier in the casserole. Then it’s layering time!
Sauce, spinach mix, ravioli. Rinse and repeat once more and top with a final layer of Alfredo sauce. Bake for 30 minutes then cover with all that cheese I mentioned earlier and broil until melted, about 3 to 5 minutes.
Then we enjoy!
PS: Can’t get enough of spinach and artichoke? Try out this slow cooker spinach and artichoke dip!
Print
Spinach and Artichoke Ravioli Bake
-
Prep Time: 10 mins -
Cook Time: 35 mins
-
Total Time: 45 mins
-
Yield: 6
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeIngredients
- 5 oz. fresh baby spinach, chopped
- 1 can (16 oz.) artichoke hearts, diced
- 2 tablespoons pesto
- 2 cups Alfredo sauce
- 1/4 cup vegetable/chicken broth
- 25 oz. frozen ravioli
- 1 cup Italian cheese blend, shredded
Instructions
- Combine spinach, artichoke and pesto and mix well
- In a separate bowl, combine Alfredo sauce and broth
- Spread 1/3 of the Alfredo sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish
- Top with half the spinach mixture
- Lay half the ravioli in a single layer over the spinach
- Repeat layers once more
- Finish up with the remaining 1/3 Alfredo sauce
- Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes
- Sprinkle with cheeses and broil at 450 degrees for 3-5 minutes
- Dish and serve hot
Notes
Alfredo sauce (2 cups):
Ingredients:
8 tablespoons butter
1 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
Instructions:
Over medium low heat, melt the butter and pour in the heavy cream. Stir to combine
Season with salt and pepper to taste
Add the Parmesan cheese in portions and stir to mix
Inspired by Betty Crocker
116 Comments
Julie@ Cooks with Cocktails
February 25, 2015 at 9:09 AMThis looks so good! I wish I had some for breakfast lol. I love the addition of spinach and artichokes. Thanks for the recipe!
The Cooking Jar
February 26, 2015 at 1:33 PMThanks, Julie! I had some leftovers for brunch yesterday 😉
Dawn
February 25, 2015 at 11:14 AMFarah, I just wanted you to know that your recipes are fabulous! I am a passionate home chef, and just love the creativity, and ease of your delicious recipes. I have made a few of your dishes (including this one ) for my family, and they have been “keepers” (according to my crew). It’s a pleasure to read your blog, and I look forward to each and every post!
The Cooking Jar
February 26, 2015 at 1:44 PMThank you Dawn. This is such a heart-warming comment. I can’t take full credit for every single recipe on my blog since I’ve been inspired by so many others but I do try to put my spin on them or taste test them and test drive the execution for everyone in a manner of speaking. And if there’s anything I figure that’s hard, I include pics to hopefully make it easier to do. I’ve made many, many mistakes which I mention so people can learn from them, from one home cook to another! In short, I try to make home cooking approachable 🙂
Dorothy Dunton
February 25, 2015 at 6:42 PMCheesy goodness, oh my!
The Cooking Jar
February 26, 2015 at 1:45 PMLots and lots of cheese! If you get the cheese filled ravioli, it’s cheese 3 ways! Cheese in the ravioli, cheese in the Alfredo sauce and cheese on top!
Yana
February 26, 2015 at 7:06 AMMade this last night right after receiving it in my inbox. Too good to pass up. Such a easy meal and truly delicious! Only thing I did differently was add sautéed onions to the Alfredo homemade sauce. Will be making this again!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
February 26, 2015 at 1:51 PMThanks for trying it out and letting me know how you liked it, Yana! Love how you managed to customize it. If I were to add anything, it might be a Portobello mushroom layer since I love those so much!
Wendy Schatz
February 27, 2015 at 5:25 PMThe funny thing is I saw this exact recipe on another website a while back and made it last week. Of course I made some changes. I had a package of an artichoke ravioli and a jar of artichoke and lemon pesto, so that’s what I used. Depending on what kind of ravioli I find next, I may use a pistachio-mint pesto or for pumpkin or butternut squash ravioli, a sage and pecan pesto would be lovely.
★★★★
The Cooking Jar
February 27, 2015 at 5:50 PMThere’s a lot of overlap in the recipe world so I wouldn’t be surprised! I modified this recipe slightly from Betty Crocker so maybe that’s where you saw it? That pistachio-mint pesto sounds heavenly! Pistachios are one of my favorite things. I’ve only managed to find regular pesto so far!
Wendy Schatz
February 27, 2015 at 6:42 PMBoth the Pistachio-Mint and Artichoke pesto are made by a company called Bella Cucina Artful Food out of Atlanta, Georgia. I have a book on making different pestos and have made a cilantro- lime pesto and want to try developing my own sage-pecan with browned butter pesto.
The Cooking Jar
February 27, 2015 at 8:57 PMThey have quite the collection! Good luck with your pesto making, love the scent of sage.
Thalia @ butter and brioche
March 3, 2015 at 6:01 PMI’m glad I’m not the only one that loves to eat artichokes.. I must make this incredible bake!
The Cooking Jar
March 4, 2015 at 7:21 PMI’m all for spinach and artichoke dip, whenever I can get it. The creamier, the better!
Erica
May 4, 2015 at 10:36 PMTried this tonight, and it was delicious! Only about 500 cal/serving, and tasted much more sinful. 🙂 Would be great if you’re hosting a vegetarian. Next time, I might try adding red peppers and a hint of cayenne to the sauce. We will def. make this again.
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
May 8, 2015 at 1:59 PMThanks for trying it out, Erica! Let me know how it turns out with those peppers if you try it again 🙂
Debra
June 26, 2015 at 2:22 AMYou had me until the frozen ravioli. What kind of ravioli? What would work best if homemade?
The Cooking Jar
June 27, 2015 at 2:06 PMYou rock, homemade ravioli! I would go for cheese ravioli, that would work well and that’s the frozen kind I used. It won’t overwhelm the other flavors.
Maryann
August 11, 2017 at 3:17 PMCan this recipe be made ahead to a point?
The Cooking Jar
September 2, 2017 at 4:22 PMI would say maybe a day in advance. Good luck!
LuAnne
August 25, 2015 at 6:50 PMI made this tonight and it’s really good. I made it as directed but used a 9×9 in pan because it’s only my husband and me. I used all ingredients Just less of the ravioli to fill the pan. We are so bad, we Just about finished it off! I would make this again as is or with any or all of the Suggestions from others. Thanks it’s a keeper.
★★★★
The Cooking Jar
August 27, 2015 at 2:09 PMThat’s wonderful to hear! I think the hubs and I took a few days to finish off the 9×13 version and he did most of the finishing 😉 Thanks for letting me know how it turned out for you and enjoy it the next time you make it!
Tricksie
August 30, 2015 at 2:42 PMI did this but added baby bella mushrooms and asparagus to the layers because I just find everything is better with mushrooms and asparagus. Oh my. It’s SO GOOD. I think I may try it tomorrow with a little crab thrown in rather than the asparagus…or with. Not sure yet. 🙂
I had made it for lunch because I eat primarily vegetarian and the girls at work were just looking at me with envy and awe because it looked and smelled so amazing. And so EASY! I shared your recipe and your website with a few!
Thank you!
★★★★★
The Cooking Jar
September 3, 2015 at 12:22 PMOh you added portobello mushrooms! I suggested it in one of the comments but never actually tried it so It’s good to know the flavors played well together. Having a great lunch to show off at work is always fun 🙂 You get to strut back to your desk after heating it up. And thanks for sharing my blog! I hope your co-workers find something they like.
kylee
September 18, 2015 at 8:59 AMLooks delicious! Could I prepare this ahead of time and freeze it?
The Cooking Jar
September 23, 2015 at 1:04 PMThanks Kylee! I always get a little nervous when folks ask about freezing things because I don’t do much of that in my house so I hate to give out inexperienced advice. That being said, I took another look at the ingredients and they all look freezable separately so theoretically I think you can. If you end up doing it, can you let us know your results? The only thing I would caution is to let it thaw properly before cooking it up so the Alfredo sauce doesn’t break. Alfredo is notorious for breaking and the butter separating into an oily mess when reheated.
Tracy
December 4, 2017 at 10:56 AMCan this be made the night before?
The Cooking Jar
December 6, 2017 at 1:50 AMI’m sure you can. Just make sure to check it cooks fully from staying in the fridge overnight. Good luck!
Abby
September 23, 2015 at 12:12 PMAnyone else have very oily results? It tasted great but I could practically pour out the grease after I cut into it. Not sure what I did wrong?
The Cooking Jar
September 23, 2015 at 1:12 PMSorry it got oily on you, Abby! Time to play cooking detective. Did you make the Alfredo sauce from scratch? The grease sounds like the butter from the Alfredo sauce broke during the cooking stage.
Kathryn
January 10, 2016 at 12:49 AMAny suggestions for a really good jarred Alfredo sauce?
The Cooking Jar
January 11, 2016 at 1:31 PMWe’ve only tried two brands so far, Bertolli and Ragu. Out of the two, we prefer Ragu. But there are many other brands out there we haven’t tried yet, so please feel free experiment. I’m by no means a jarred Alfredo sauce expert 🙂 If you do, let us know which you think is the best?
Christine
January 8, 2017 at 6:49 PMI researched taste tests done on jarred alfredo sauces before I made this and the top ones are Giada de Laurentiis, Mario Batali, Victoria, and believe it or not, Great Value (Walmart’s brand).
Christine
January 8, 2017 at 6:49 PMI should have added that I used the Great Value and did not have a problem with oil at all.
Cassie
April 13, 2016 at 7:57 PMSame here. I just made it and it was literally swimming in oil. I dumped most, but even after I started cutting into it, more poured out. The Alfredo seemed a bit thin compared to any I’ve made, so that may have been the issue not sure. I think I should’ve left out the broth.
The Cooking Jar
April 16, 2016 at 6:37 PMSorry to hear that, Cassie! Did you make the Alfredo sauce from scratch based on the notes in this recipe or did you use jarred Alfredo sauce? The only thing that would make it oily is the butter separating from the sauce and Alfredo sauce is known to separate or break down on high heat. Kinda like taking home some Alfredo pasta from the restaurants and heating leftovers in the microwave. You’ll notice a lot of grease from the butter separating then.
Amanda
September 26, 2015 at 6:32 PMwhat kind of ravioli did you use not use which one you used cheesed stuffed or the meat one
The Cooking Jar
September 28, 2015 at 4:16 PMPretty sure I used beef ravioli when I made this but cheese works too. It’s all about what you prefer more!
Bryan
October 4, 2015 at 10:03 AMDo you not cook the frozen ravioli first? I want to make this dish but I have refrigerated ravioli. Wasn’t sure if I was supposed to cook them first or if they just cook themselves while the dish cooks.
The Cooking Jar
October 5, 2015 at 9:39 PMYup, I didn’t cook the frozen ravioli. It’ll cook while in the oven. Have fun making this and I hope you enjoy it!