Baked Cheesy Ravioli

Sometimes I wish I had a little rat to help me around the kitchen. There are days when I feel so uninspired, when everything I make just turns out wrong. There are other times when I get home from work and my feet hurt so badly, my head feels like it’s full of bricks, and I just want to lay down. On those nights I usually order pizza, or get some other carry in. But what if I had my own little rat to cook for me?

This month the Food ‘n Flix movie is Ratatouille, hosted by The Seventh Level of Boredom.

When I was deciding what to make this month, I knew I could make ratatouille. While I’ve never made the dish before and it would have been an opportune time, to make the dish that the movie is named after, I just felt like it was too predictable. My motivation in determining what food I should make this month required me to think like a rat.

Now, Remy is a pretty high-class little rat. He knows what’s good and he likes it to be perfect. However, if I was a rat, I think I would have more simplistic tastes. I mean, that’s not different from now. I like my food simple, to the point, and quick to make. I have no reason to believe that the rat version of myself would want anything different.

I always think that mice and rats like cheese. Who knows if this is actually true, but this is how I decided what to make. This cheesy baked ravioli was incredibly easy to make. It kind of tasted like lasagna, but was a lot easier to make.

Baked Cheesy Ravioli

Ingredients
2 cups baby spinach
2 1/2 cups cheese ravioli
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups pasta sauce
1 tomato, sliced
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried oregano
handful of shredded Parmesan cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Spray a casserole dish with cooking spray. Layer the bottom of the dish with 3/4 of the baby spinach.

3. In a large bowl combine the ravioli, ricotta,  and pasta sauce. Toss with your hands and make sure it’s mixed well.

4. Pour the ravioli into the casserole dish and top with the remaining baby spinach. Top with both the shredded mozzarella and cheddar cheeses. Place the slices of tomatoes on top and then sprinkle with basil, oregano, and Parmesan cheese.

5. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. After the hour is up put the casserole dish under the broiler, until brown and bubbly.

* serves 2 hearty sized servings