This Cheesy Ravioli Skillet is a mouthwatering comfort-food dinner that’s ready in just 20 minutes! Tender cheese ravioli and savory Italian sausage are smothered in a rich marinara sauce, and finished with melty mozzarella cheese.
There is nothing better than a super tasty, super hearty, SUPER easy meal.
This Cheesy Ravioli Skillet is one of those meals that covers all the bases. It’s delicious, made up of pantry staples, and comes together in no time at all.
Why I LOVE this recipe!
- Uses frozen ravioli – Frozen ravioli is affordable and easy to keep on-hand!
- One pan meal – Any tasty, hearty meal that doesn’t require a lot of clean up is a meal I can get behind!
- So quick to make – Just 20 minutes from start to finish, and dinner is on the table.
Recipe Notes
This Skillet Ravioli recipe is as simple as promised! Just a quick 20 minutes for a family friendly dinner.
In this section I am going to go through a few tips and tricks I use for how to make this Easy Cheese Ravioli Recipe to get the absolute best and most delicious results.
Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
Ingredients + Substitutions
- Italian Sausage – You can use hot Italian sausage or a more mild one depending on your spice preferences.
- Onion and Garlic – Create a delicious flavor base for the sauce.
- Italian Seasoning – Grab a store-bought blend of Italian seasoning OR make your own using my Homemade Italian Seasoning Blend.
- Marinara Sauce – You can use a store-bought variety of your favorite jarred marinara sauce or, if you’re feeling ambitious, use my Homemade Hearty Marinara Sauce recipe to make your own.
- Water – Things the sauce out just enough and helps distribute the seasonings.
- Frozen Cheese Ravioli – You can use refrigerated ravioli too if that’s what you have on hand.
- Mozzarella Cheese
Make sure to see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full quantities and ingredients list.
Recipe Variations
If you love this recipe as much as we do and want some quick ways to change it up for variety, these little tips will do the trick!
- Make it vegetarian – Simply skip the Italian sausage, use a vegetarian variety, OR bulk your dish up with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, bell pepper, broccoli, you name it.
- Use another meat – You can swap the Italian sausage out for ground chicken or turkey or even leftover shredded or chopped Italian Chicken. Keep in mind that Italian sausage comes pre-seasoned, so if you use another type of meat, you may want to add additional seasonings to get all of that flavor.
- Try another ravioli – Feel free to use another type of ravioli or swap it out for any tortellini pasta.
Recipe Step by Step
I am going to highlight a few key steps in the recipe here, but make sure to jump down to the recipe card for comprehensive instructions on how to make this Cheesy Ravioli with Sausage.
In. large skillet, brown the ground sausage and onion over medium heat. Once the beef is almost done cooking, add the garlic and Italian seasoning.
After the beef is cooked, pour the marinara sauce over top, add in the water, and stir to combine. Add in the frozen ravioli.
Stir to combine, then top with a generous layer of mozzarella cheese.
Cover and let simmer until the cheese is melted, then serve and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
- Any type of ravioli will work – I love to use cheese ravioli for this recipe. However, you can swap the cheese ravioli out for beef ravioli, meat ravioli, spinach and cheese ravioli, you name it. The possibilities are truly endless.
- No lid for your skillet? – No problem. I like to keep this recipe stove-top, but you can use an oven-safe skillet and, instead of covering with a lid, simply pop the skillet in the oven to melt the cheese. Alternatively, you can simply use a piece of aluminum foil to act as a lid for the stovetop version.
Recipe Short Cuts
This recipe is already designed to be a shortcut recipe what with the store-bought marinara and frozen ravioli. However, here are a couple of other ways you can save a little bit of time!
- Get pre-minced garlic and pre-chopped onion – Part of the prep time involves chopping up the onion and garlic. Save yourself a few minutes by getting those ingredients ready-to-go from the store.
- Use pre-shredded mozzarella – Some love the flavor and texture of freshly shredded cheese (myself included!) BUT sometimes it’s better to just save the time. And pre-shredded mozzarella is still delicious!
Freezer Meal Instructions
Making this Cheesy Ravioli Skillet recipe into a freezer meal is simple! Follow the steps below, and you can store this recipe in the freezer for up to 3 months.
How to Freeze Cheese Ravioli with Sausage After Cooking
- Prepare the ravioli skillet as instructed, but don’t add the cheese.
- Let the ravioli, sausage, and sauce cool completely, then transfer to an airtight and freezer-safe container.
- Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When you’re ready to serve, let the dish thaw in the refrigerator, then warm in the oven until heated all the way through. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the mozzarella cheese to let it melt!
What to Serve with Cheesy Ravioli
Since this protein based dinner has the delicious flavors of Italian seasoning, it will pair well with many of your favorite Italian side dishes.
Choose one or several of these side dishes to create a wholesome, well-rounded dinner. There are both classic options and some healthy options to keep it light.
Side Dish Ideas
- Best Ever Garlic Bread – There truly is no better pairing than cheesy pasta and buttery garlic bread. This Best Ever Garlic Bread Recipe is irresistible and ready to go in 10 minutes.
- Italian House Salad – Make a restaurant-quality meal with this Italian House Salad. It’s made with a fresh spring mix tossed with tomato, pepperoncini peppers, red onion, parmesan, and a tangy Italian dressing.
- Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli – This Garlic Parmesan Roasted Broccoli is crisp-tender and coated in the perfect combination of parmesan, salt, garlic powder, and olive oil. Just 5 minutes of prep!
Cheesy Ravioli Skillet Leftovers
If you have leftovers after making this recipe, then it is your lucky day! They save and reheat well, and can make the start of another delicious dish.
To save leftovers, separate into meal sized portions and then place in an airtight container and store:
- in the refrigerator for 3-4 days
- in the freezer up to 3 months
Recipe FAQ’s
Can you cook frozen ravioli in a skillet?
You sure can! The frozen ravioli cooks perfectly in the sauce right in the skillet. No extra dishes needed!
Can you put sausage in ravioli?
Yes! This Cheesy Ravioli Skillet is delicious with the addition of Italian sausage. If you don’t want to add sausage to the recipe, then you can swap the cheese ravioli out for a meat and cheese kind.
More EASY Pasta Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, I really hope you will take a moment to grab a few more easy recipes for another busy night!
You can check out all of my easy pasta recipes here, or see a few of our readers favorite cheesy pasta recipes below.
- Creamy Spinach Chicken Lasagna Roll Ups
- Marry Me Chicken and Tortellini
- Spinach Ravioli Bake
- Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta
Cheesy Ravioli Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 pound Italian sausage
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 22 ounces marinara, (1 jar)
- ⅓ cup water
- 25 ounces frozen cheese ravioli
- 1 cup Mozzarella, or more
Instructions
- In a large skillet, brown the ground sausage and onion over medium heat. As it starts to get close to being done, add the garlic and Italian seasonings.
- Once done, pour the marinara sauce and water into the skillet and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer.
- Add the ravioli (frozen) and stir to coat. Top with the mozzarella cheese, then cover and let simmer about 8 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. (See note)
- Garnish with parsley if desired and serve warm. Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- transfer the oven safe skillet to the oven at 350˚F for 8-10 minutes.
- cover loosely with aluminum foil and follow stove top directions.
Leave a Reply