~ This ultra-easy Mexican Lasagna brilliantly uses ravioli to create delicious layers. It’s awesome for busy nights, since you don’t need to thaw the ravioli first – you just layer and go (and can even assemble the casserole entirely ahead of time)! ~
This Recipe: • Includes Make-Ahead Steps •
My husband is fun x 100. Seriously the funnest person I know. (Funnest? Yup. It’s a word. Trust me … I live it.)
From laboriously putting up holiday decorations to ingeniously turning minor holidays into full-blown events … he makes sure our family doesn’t take celebrations lightly.
Our family festiveness rules-to-live-by include:
- When hosting a Spider-Man party for your three-year-old nephew … after the usual themed plates, napkins, balloons and banners, also be sure to purchase a high-end Spider-Man costume. Why? Because it’s awesome and way more fun! To my husband, this is obvious. Similar logic can be applied to other events, such as princess parties. (He purchased a jester costume for himself and rented a tiny frog-prince costume for our son … no, really.)
- Also – you haven’t decorated properly unless it required schematic drawings, five trips to the hardware store for supplies, and perilous journeys up ladders of any kind or onto the roof during Christmastime snowstorms. (I’m really only joking a little bit.)
- Lastly – when hosting a family reunion, always have a theme and a ridiculous name. This is why our annual fall gathering is called Thanks-o-Weenie. (You know … Thanksgiving smashed into Halloween!) And we can’t just meet up with cousins at the beach (much too straight-forward). No, in our family we have BeaChappeLooza! And our much-anticipated spring to-do is dubbed St. Peaster’s Day. (Did ya figure it out? It’s easy … St. Patrick’s Day mashed with Easter!!)
To support such rampant creation of fun, we have bins in the basement filled with costumes, streamers, and random decorations for occasions ranging from:
- tropical luaus (Life-sized collapsible cardboard palm tree, anyone?)
- to St. Patrick’s Day (My husband absolutely wears a Lucky-the-Leprechaun hat to the office.)
- to the Super Bowl (I mean, why not?)
- to (Uh-huh …. you knew this is where I was headed, right?!?) … Cinco de Mayo!
Yep, Cinco de Mayo. I’m the proud owner of multiple sombreros, festive maracas, tchotchke ponchos, Mariachi vests, and chili-pepper-shaped sunglasses. Everything we need to make Cinco de Mayo memorable … even on a school night. (‘Cause, you know, these celebrations have changed just a wee bit since we had kiddos.)
Gretchen’s jaw hit the floor when she saw the amount of props I pulled out for this photo shoot. Yes, there was a lot of festiveness going on!
With so much decorating and festiving-it-up, I’m lucky to have this killer-good but insanely easy recipe ready to throw together before the Mariachi band shows up. (If you read our post on Mexican Fiesta Black Bean Hummus, you know the band is on its way.)
Just mix up the super-quick sauce and layer everything in the pan, lasagna-style. You don’t even have to thaw or pre-cook the ravioli (total time saver!). And you can prep the whole thing hours ahead!
It bakes up perfectly, family-pleasingly delicious … leaving you with oodles of extra time to dig out the decorations!
And BTW … if you need more great ideas for your fiesta, try kicking it off with our yummy Easy Corn Salsa for an appetizer, or even use our Chicken Burrito Bowl recipe to set up a DIY burrito bar!
Happy Cinco de Mayo, friends! Hope it’s your funnest yet!
Easy Mexican Ravioli Lasagna
A 5-ingredient, layered Mexican lasagna that's extra-easy with frozen ravioli. No need to thaw the ravioli first – just layer and go!
• Includes Make-Ahead Steps •
Ingredients
- 2 (16-ounce) jars mild thick and chunky salsa (see note)
- 1 (10-ounce) can mild enchilada sauce
- 2 cups frozen corn
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 (25-ounce) bag frozen beef ravioli (see note)
- 8 ounces (2 cups) shredded, reduced-fat 4-cheese Mexican blend
- optional fillings/toppings: chopped cilantro, black beans, sliced black olives, chopped jalapeños, canned green chilies, thinly sliced green onions, reduced-fat sour cream, Mexican hot sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Mix salsa, enchilada sauce, corn, and water together in a medium bowl.
- Spread 1 1/2 cups salsa mixture in the bottom of an ungreased 9x13" baking pan.
- Spread about half of the ravioli evenly across the salsa.
- Sprinkle ravioli evenly with half of the cheese, then spread remaining ravioli on top.
- Pour the remaining salsa mixture over ravioli layers, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.
- Bake, covered with foil, for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 15-20 minutes, or until ravioli is tender and cheese is bubbly.
- Let stand 10-15 minutes to allow sauce to thicken, if desired.
Notes
Salsa: We found that thick and chunky salsa works best for this recipe because it is much thicker than typical jarred salsas. (We used Chi-Chi's Mild Thick and Chunky throughout most of our testing.) You can certainly substitute your favorite, regular salsa or whatever you have in the pantry. However, your final dish will be much runnier and saucier because of the looser consistency of the salsa.
Ravioli: We used Rosetto brand in testing this recipe. We always recommend whole-grain pasta when possible, but the whole-wheat ravioli available in our local stores is significantly higher in fat than the ravioli we chose to use here. Also, there is a notable difference in the fat content of various brands of traditional, frozen ravioli. Read the labels carefully. We encourage you to choose higher-fiber, organic or all-natural products whenever it's feasible.
Make-Ahead: You can assemble this casserole earlier in the day. Cover and refrigerate until you're ready to bake it.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 12 servings Serving Size: 1 pieceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 6gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 53mgSodium: 1079mgCarbohydrates: 27gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 14g
Nutrition information does not include optional toppings, as those can vary. Nutrition information should be considered an estimate only, and may additionally vary depending on your choice of ingredients or preparation. No guarantees are made regarding allergies or dietary needs. Always consult a physician or dietician for specific advice and questions.
Your hubby sounds totally fun!! Mine is like that about SciFi, superheroes and comic books! I’m the one with the unrealistic celebration ideas!! Though we’re not as extreme as you guys 🙂 We do go crazy for my sons birthday themes though 🙂
What a clever and quick way to do lasagne! My fav bit is the not cooking the ravioli!!
Isn’t it so fun to turn even ordinary things into a memorable celebration – something a little more outlandish than what it really had to be? I know it at least keeps my husband and me amused :D, but I really hope that my kids will grow up with memories of fun, crazy things we did … and the idea that you can choose to make life a silly, happy, adventure if you want to! 😀 ~Shelley
Love how you made the sauce here and it’s really too funny how into holidays your husband gets! I wish some of that energy would rub off on Josh (just enough to put up holiday lights!)
Thanks, Kelly! The sauce is so quick and easy but so totally flavorful and chock-full of veggie goodness! You could definitely sub in cheese ravioli for a vegetarian version, too! And hey – look at the whole holiday lights things this way … at least you don’t have to go through my annual torment over whether or not I’ll have to rush my guy to the emergency room when he comes crashing off the roof, entangled in strings of lights, in the middle of an ice storm! 😀 Have an awesome weekend! ~Shelley
That ravioli looks really yummy. Thanks for the idea on innovating decors. Love those stirrers!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Hi, Julie! This recipe is so incredibly yummy – you’ll love it! And lol on the stirrers – doesn’t everyone need multi-colored, cactus-shaped stirrers in their life?!?! Happy Cinco de Mayo! 😀 ~G&S
Ravioli lasagne! I’ve never seen this done before, but what a great idea! And I love the Mexican twist, too. Definitely one to try some time.
P.S. Your hubby sounds like a scream!
Thanks, Helen! You’ve just gotta try this! You’ll be shocked that something so easy (and chock full of all those veggies hanging out in the salsa sauce!) turns out to be so insanely, family-pleasingly delicious! It’s just one of those go-to’s that you know you can pull off on even the busiest days … and you know everyone will be really, really happy to eat! Yay! Oh – and my hubby? Yep – a scream is kind of a good description! 😀 ~Shelley
I am dying over this post!!! Your husband sounds like a riot! What a fun guy! Also, this ravioli lasagna?? Stop the insanity! I HAVE to try this! What a yummy dinner idea – pinned! LOVE IT!!!!
Thanks so much, Jen! What a really, really nice comment! My husband truly is totally hilarious and just cracks me up all the time! I’m so glad you liked the stories of our family’s craziness – we pretty much do not have much boredom around here – EVER! 😀 Can’t wait for you to try this recipe – it is so, so easy and a total lifesaver on busy nights (whether on the fifth of May … or any other night!). I’m actually gonna throw this together this morning so it’s ready to go for our uber-hectic evening! Hey – and thanks so much for the pin! Happy Cinco de Mayo! 😀 ~Shelley