Ravioli Bake (Aka Cheats Lasagne)

My family loves lasagne. Served with vegies or a salad, it is easily a favourite. My mother’s lasagne is second to none with a creamy béchamel sauce combined with a rich mince mixture, it is easy to get lost in the deliciousness of it and sneak back to the kitchen for extra spoonfuls, stolen straight from the dish.

Unfortunately, with the hecticness of life with children, the luxury of spending bucket loads of time fiddling around making this meal can no longer always be afforded.

It is important to me and the peaceful running of my week, to have the bulk of our meals prepared before the onset of the working week. Therefore, I dedicate the best part of my Sunday to cooking a variety of meals and snacks which I can circulate through the dinner table throughout the week.

In order to make this routine sustainable, I have sourced as many quick and simple recipes as I can so as not to take up my entire Sunday. If I can’t have it prepped and done with in less than an hour I don’t do it.

So this week, I resurrected a family favourite and made a simplified version of lasagne.

I should note that this recipe can easily be made more gourmet by making the ravioli and the meat sauce from scratch but I didn’t bother and had no complaints from the family.

So, here’s what you’ll need:

500g beef mince

1 onion

1 clove garlic

1 large carrot

1 large zucchini

1 bottle of tomato-based pasta sauce

500-600g cheese ravioli

400g English spinach

1 ½ cups tasty cheese

Fry onion and garlic in a little oil until softened. Add mince, break up lumps and allow it to brown. Stir through carrot and zucchini. Add pasta sauce (or make your own from here).

In a baking dish, spread a little of the mince mixture and then layer it with ravioli, followed by spinach leaves and a little sprinkle of cheese.

Cover over with more of the mince mixture and repeat the layers with the ravioli, spinach and cheese. Repeat until all ingredients are used. I ensured the top layer was mince and covered it with cheese before baking. (At this point I covered mine in foil and put it in the fridge to bring out during the week for dinner)

Bake in a moderate oven for 25mins or until golden and bubbly. I served with a fresh garden salad but this is not necessary.

Enjoy and don’t forget you can share your cooking on Instagram with the tag #ppcktastytuesday so we can all be inspired!