~ 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 husband sounds like a whole lot of fun to have around, I love how much he gets into holidays! And what a great idea to use ravioli in lasagna! And even better with a Mexican twist – my partner loves all things Mexican and just saw the top image over my shoulder and requested we have it for dinner soon! 🙂
I’ve gotta admit – two great ideas I’ve had in my life are 1) my hilarious husband who makes me laugh ALL the time and 2) this ravioli lasagna. I just hope I haven’t exhausted my storehouse of eureka moments … 😀
If you guys are into Mexican, you especially have to try this! It’s so crazy-easy yet so, so good … even warmed up a couple of days later. I seriously love this casserole! Can’t wait for you to try it! ~Shelley
such a great idea of using ravioli for lasagna! really creative!
Hi Sarah and Arkadi! This meal is such a snap to make … we’re certain it’ll become a new favorite for you! Especially since there’s no boiling or thawing in the prep, this delicious dinner is the perfect fit for a busy evening! ~G&S
YUM! It looks delicious and so easy to make.
Hi Vicky and Ruth! This Mexican Ravioli Lasagna is a snap to make! Especially since you don’t need to thaw or boil the pasta, it really comes together super fast! We’ve both made this for our families in the past week – and everyone was incredibly happy with dinner! 🙂 Have a great weekend! ~G&S
I was totally giggling as I read this. Your husband sounds like the funnest man at the party, er, fiesta!
He cracks me up all the time, too – really! My kiddos are getting just old enough now that they often shake their heads and roll their eyes, but his antics keep me giggling, for sure! 😀 ~Shelley
What a lovely idea! I never would’ve thought of doing a fusion ravioli Mexican lasagne like this! Sounds delicious though Shelley, and definitely perfect for Cinco de Mayo. Love the photos. Drool-worthy!! xx
Thanks so much, Laura! You’re so sweet! And really – it is terrificly, totally delicious! I made this for dinner earlier this week (for Cinco de Mayo! 😀 ) and have been happily munching on leftovers all week – mmmmmmm … loooooove! Can’t wait for you to try it! 😀 ~Shelley