Italian Baked Ravioli

Easy baked ravioli with melted cheese and a rich tomato sauce, a comforting weeknight pasta bake everyone will love.

📝 Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds fresh ravioli (750 grams)
• 1 1/2-2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1/2 shallot or small onion minced
• 1/2 carrot finely chopped
• 1/2 celery finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano (optional)
• 1 1/2 cups tomato puree (passata)
• 1/4-1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2-3/4 cup water
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 cup freshly grated parmigiano (divided)
• 1 cup shredded gruyere, fontina or firm mozzarella cheese (divided) (100 grams)
• 1/2 teaspoon basil or 3-5 fresh basil leaves

👨‍🍳 Instructions

1. 1Pre-heat the oven to 350F (180C).
2. 2--- RED SAUCE ---
3. 3In a medium/large pan, add the olive oil, garlic, chopped carrot, onion and celery and oregano cook 1-2 minutes add the passata, water, bay leaf and salt. Stir to combine, on medium heat cook until thickened (not too thick), approximately 15-20 minutes. Remove the clove and bay leaf.
4. 4In a large pot of boiling lightly salted water, cook the ravioli very al dente. Drain well, do not rinse.
5. 5Place 3 tablespoons or so of sauce on the bottom of an 8 inch / 20 cm baking dish. Top with ½ of the ravioli, ½ sauce, ½ half of the shredded cheese and ½ of the parmigiano, repeat with the remaining ingredients to make two layers. Bake for approximately 20 minutes, then broil for 5 minutes to brown on top. Let sit 5 minutes top with fresh basil or oregano before serving. Enjoy!