Spinach Ravioli Casserole

Growing up I remember my Dad cooking and this casserole was one of my favorites! So easy too make with a simple white sauce, frozen ravioli, spinach and cheese… so good too!

Daddy's Spinach Casserole

Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups low fat milk
¼ cup butter
½ cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
4 – 5 large basil leaves, chopped
1 – 8 ounce package fresh spinach
(or 10 ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained)
1 pound package frozen cheese ravioli
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups Italian cheese blend or mozzarella, shredded

Equipment needed:

Large 4 quart pot
2 quart saucepan
Cutting board
Chef knife
Liquid & Dry measuring cups
Measuring spoons
Rubber spatula
3 quart casserole dish

Many Saturday’s my Dad would make dinner and some type of pasta dish would be on the stove cooking. Often he would use canned creamed soup, but I loved the white sauce version best. Back in high school my family hosted the French Club banquet and my dad prepared this dish for 30 hungry students! Served it with garlic bread…everyone loved it! Super simple and easy to make for a crowd too! Gather your ingredients, chop the onions, mince the garlic, and let's make this yummy dish…

Preheat oven to 325 F.

While you are making the sauce, fill a large pot with water and 2 tablespoons salt and bring to a boil. Cook ravioli according to package instructions.

White sauce is as basic as cooking gets! It's the base for many sauces and soups too. To start the white sauce, heat a 2 quart saucepan over medium heat for 2 – 3 minutes and melt butter. Add onions and garlic and sauté for ~ 5 minutes or translucent and yellow in color. Be careful not to burn them by stirring and adjusting the heat as needed.

Time to make a roux! A roux is a combination of fat and flour used to thicken sauces and gravies. Activating the starch in flour by heating and coating with fat, thickens liquids well. Sprinkle flour over sautéed aromatic vegetables and stir to coat in fat well. Heat for a minute while stirring. Roux will be thick as I use less fat to reduce the calorie content of the dish.

Add milk to roux and stir vigorously to break up clumps of the roux into the milk. A wire whisk can be used for this step as well. I use 1 % or non fat milk to reduce the fat content of the dish too. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and nutmeg over milk mixture and stir well. Continue cooking milk mixture over medium heat, stirring about every 30 seconds using a figure eight pattern until thickened and coats the rubber spatula well. The milk will not thicken until it starts to steam and almost boil. Be patient and stir.. low and slow is the dairy motto! Don't scorch the sauce and risk leaving your sauce with a burnt flavor.

While sauce is heating, butter the bottom and edges or your casserole dish so it's ready. Dovetailing tasks helps to speed up the total preparation process.

While ravioli are cooking they will start to float to the top when they are about ready. They need to be al dente or slightly chewy and not over cooked. Ravioli will fall apart easily when over cooked. They also will continue to cook in the sauce during baking.

When sauce has thickened, turn off heat and add Parmesan cheese and chopped basil. (Check Bruschetta recipe for easy basil chopping hints) Stir well. Add spinach, half package at a time, stirring between each addition. It is crazy how spinach shrinks down to nothing as it cooks. If using frozen spinach, make sure thawed spinach sits in a strainer for awhile to ensure all excess water is removed. Don't want to water down your sauce! After spinach is combined, add 1 ¼ cups of Italian cheese blend, reserve remaining for casserole topping. Fold cheese into sauce to combine.

Time to combine sauce and ravioli! Due to the fact that the casserole dish is generally exactly the size needed to hold your casserole, I mix everything in the pot I cooked the pasta in or a large bowl. Less messy that way as has more space to stir. After all the sauce and ravioli are mixed well, pour into casserole dish and spread to level. Sprinkle remaining ¾ cups of shredded cheese evenly on top. I place the casserole dish on a half sheet baking pan to catch drips as it bakes. Might not need it, but I'd rather be safe than have a messy oven to clean afterwards! The casserole at this point can be wrapped and refrigerated for later baking too.

Bake your casserole in a preheated 350 F oven for 20 – 25 minutes or sauce is bubbly and cheese golden brown. (Refrigerated dish may require extra time to bake) Golden brown is not burnt, but gives a nice cheesy crunch and texture! Meal appeal… Yum!

Garnish your plated ravioli with extra grated Parmesan cheese. Serve with garlic bread and a green salad! Dinner is served… enjoy!!