Ravioli Casserole Deficiency

 I do not care for the recipe blogs that go into a whole explanation before the recipe. Thusly, I am not going to do that. 

Ravioli Casserole

Ingredients

1 package (20 ounces) cheese raviolis

3.5 cups pasta sauce

2 cups small curd 4% cottage cheese

4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese 

.25 cup grated parmesan cheese

fresh parsley to garnish * optional

Instructions

1. Preheat Oven to 350
2. Prepare Ravioli per package instructions
3. In a 13x9" baking pan spread a layer of cooked Ravioli 
4. Cover in pasta sauce,  1 cup cottage cheese, and 1 cup mozzarella cheese
5. Repeat layers 
6. Top with remaining mozzarella
7. Top with Parmesan
8. Bake 30 to 40 minutes
9. Let stand 5 minutes before serving to thicken
10. Garnish with parsley *optional

I was in the mood for something like spaghetti, meaning using red sauce and noodles, that wasn't exactly spaghetti.  This caught my eye since I haven't cooked with Ravioli. I made some mistakes in prepping it by not following instructions. I used a larger baking dish. It belonged to my Mom and I admit I am prone to do most of my baking in it. Damn thing is HUGE. 

That resulted in my layers basically being spread to thin. The single pack of Raviolis barely covered the bottom a single time. I envision doing this correctly results in a casserole that somewhat resembles a lasagna. 

Now, for all my screw ups, this was actually pretty damned tasty. I joked that I made a bowl of sauce and cheese with a few noodles. We might have been playing find the Ravioli while scooping out supper. This is a very different game than hide the salami. 

Looking at doing this one again I think I would upgrade a few things. I would likely cook up a couple pounds of Italian sausage to add mix in with the sauce. I would at least double the cottage cheese. I would probably double or even triple the Ravioli. I also would (and did) top the uppermost layer with pepperoni. 

Be wary of my advice if you aren't cooking for a crowd. The base recipe can easily feed 4-6 people depending on appetite. I have a tendency to make far too much food. Also, the original recipe hit right with my kiddo. She is a picky eater and had no objections to a bowl of noodles, sauce, and cheese. 

If I were cooking just for me I would likely add diced onion and mushrooms as well. I admit to dosing the kid with camouflaged veggies from time to time. Personally I enjoy the additional taste and texture. Do with that what you will. It doesn't over complicate the mix or add much prep time for any of these suggestions.