Creamy Veggie Ravioli Casserole

Every now and then I get a whim to veer from my planned menu and create a dish based upon my mood. Sometimes it needs tweaking and other times I surprise myself at how good the first time is! The is one of those latter times.

I had planned on making my Ravioli Zucchini Casserole but since we had recently had spaghetti, I just wasn’t into it when it came time for dinner. Since I had just stocked the kitchen in preparation for SnowJam 2 here in Atlanta, I had extra ingredients around to put to use. There is a little more prep time involved, but it still comes together fairly fast. Enjoy!

Author: Ann Dunaway Teh

Prep time: 25 mins

Cook time: 25 mins

Total time: 50 mins

Serves: 6-8

This is a hearty dish that is extremely versatile. Leave the sausage out for a vegetarian meal or use different vegetables, depending upon what you have on hand. The kale was perfect in this and still had texture after being baked.

Ingredients

4 chicken sausage links such as Trader Joe's Asiago Vegetable, sliced (optional)
1 teaspoon olive oil
½ onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 zucchini, quartered and sliced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cups loosely packed torn kale leaves, stems removed
2 (9 oz) packs cheese ravioli such as Buitoni
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
2½ cups milk
½ cup Parmesan cheese
½ teaspoon dried sage
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Instructions

In a large pan, cook sausage until cooked through and slightly browned. Remove from pan and set aside.
In the same pan, heat olive oil. Add garlic, onion, peppers, and zucchini. Cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Add kale and cook another 3-5 minutes covered or until kale begins to wilt.
In a greased 9x13 pan, spread out one pack of ravioli. Add half the sausage and half the vegetables. Repeat layers with the remaining ravioli, sausage and vegetables.
Using the same large pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Whisk in flour and scrape up any browned bits. Slowly add milk, whisking to combine well. Bring to a low boil then lower heat and simmer until thickened, about 5 to 10 minutes. Stir in Parmesan, sage and black pepper.
Pour sauce over ravioli casserole. Top with mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil (spray the inside of foil with cooking spray to prevent cheese from stickingI) and bake in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and cheese is beginning to brown.