This is one pan, one baking dish, and no pot of boiling water. You layer uncooked spinach ricotta ravioli with shredded rotisserie chicken and a cream sauce you make in about 15 minutes, then bake the whole thing at 400°F. The ravioli cook right in the sauce.
The sauce is the only real work. Butter, garlic, cream, Parmesan and a pinch of nutmeg go into one pan, and you let them bubble down until the sauce is thick enough to hold a line when you drag a spoon through it. If it still runs like milk, keep going. Thin sauce makes a soupy lasagna.
Use a 9×13-inch glass dish so you can see the layers browning at the edges. Let the finished pan sit for 10 minutes before you cut it. That rest is what keeps the squares from sliding apart on the plate.
Tips & Tricks
- Set the cream sauce at a low boil, then turn it down and let it cook 10 to 15 minutes. You'll know it's ready when a spoon dragged across the pan bottom leaves a trail that holds for a second.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce on the bare dish first. It stops the bottom row of ravioli from sticking and burning.
- Press each ravioli layer down gently with a spatula. You want the sauce to come up around the edges, not sit on top of dry pasta.
- Check the center with a knife after the foil comes off. The pasta should feel soft with no resistance, and the sauce around it should be bubbling, not still liquid.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Heat the oven
Set a rack in the middle and turn the oven to 400°F. You want it fully hot before the dish goes in.
2. Soften the garlic
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells sweet and looks soft but hasn't browned.
3. Build the Alfredo sauce
Pour in the cream and add the Parmesan, stirring to combine. Bring it to a low boil, then drop the heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Stir now and then. The sauce is done when it's thick enough to leave a clear trail behind your spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then pull the pan off the heat.
4. Start the layers
Spoon a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Lay one package of ravioli in a single layer over it. Scatter 1 cup of the shredded chicken and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella on top, then cover with more sauce.
5. Repeat the layers
Add the second package of ravioli, the remaining 1 cup of chicken and another 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Spoon more sauce over that. Finish with the third package of ravioli and pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Tilt the dish so every ravioli gets covered, then scatter on the last cup of mozzarella.
6. Bake covered
Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. The foil traps steam, which is what cooks the raw ravioli through.
7. Brown the top
Take the foil off and bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is browned in spots and the sauce bubbles at the edges. If the top is darkening too quickly, lay the foil back on loosely.
8. Rest and serve
Let the pan sit 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top, cut into squares and serve.
Variations
- Add 1 cup of frozen peas scattered between the first and second ravioli layers for a little texture and sweetness.
- Swap the spinach ricotta ravioli for plain cheese ravioli and stir a cup of frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry, into the sauce.
- Use shredded cooked turkey instead of rotisserie chicken in the same amount.
How to Store Chicken Alfredo Ravioli Lasagna
Refrigerator
Cover tightly and refrigerate up to 4 days. Let it cool within 2 hours of baking before it goes in.
Freezer
Freeze baked portions in single-serving containers up to 2 months. The texture of the cream sauce softens a little after freezing, so it's best reheated from the fridge rather than the freezer.
Reheating
Reheat covered in a 350°F oven until steaming and 165°F in the center, about 20 minutes for a whole pan or 8 to 10 minutes for a single portion. The microwave works for one square on a plate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Do I need to boil the ravioli first?
No. The ravioli go in raw and straight from the package. The covered bake steams them and the sauce keeps them from drying out.
Q: How do I know the ravioli are cooked through?
Slide a knife into the center of the dish. It should go through the pasta with no firm resistance, and the sauce around it should be bubbling. If it still feels tough, cover and bake 5 more minutes.
Q: Can I make this ahead?
Yes. Assemble it, cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours, then add about 10 minutes to the covered bake time since it starts cold. Don't freeze it unbaked.
Q: Why did my lasagna come out watery?
Usually thin sauce or wet mozzarella. Cook the sauce until it thickens, use low-moisture mozzarella, and let the pan rest 10 minutes before cutting.
Q: What should I serve with it?
Something with acid or crunch. A simple green salad with lemon dressing, or roasted broccoli, cuts through the cream.
Chicken Alfredo Ravioli Lasagna – Easy Baked Dinner
Skip the pasta sheets. Uncooked spinach ricotta ravioli, shredded rotisserie chicken and a quick homemade Alfredo bake into one golden, bubbling dish.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven — Set a rack in the middle and turn the oven to 400°F. You want it fully hot before the dish goes in.
- 2Soften the garlic — Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells sweet and looks soft but hasn't browned.
- 3Build the Alfredo sauce — Pour in the cream and add the Parmesan, stirring to combine. Bring it to a low boil, then drop the heat to low and simmer 10 to 15 minutes. Stir now and then. The sauce is done when it's thick enough to leave a clear trail behind your spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then pull the pan off the heat.
- 4Start the layers — Spoon a thin layer of sauce across the bottom of a 9×13-inch glass baking dish. Lay one package of ravioli in a single layer over it. Scatter 1 cup of the shredded chicken and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella on top, then cover with more sauce.
- 5Repeat the layers — Add the second package of ravioli, the remaining 1 cup of chicken and another 1/2 cup of mozzarella. Spoon more sauce over that. Finish with the third package of ravioli and pour the rest of the sauce over the top. Tilt the dish so every ravioli gets covered, then scatter on the last cup of mozzarella.
- 6Bake covered — Cover the dish with foil and bake 20 minutes. The foil traps steam, which is what cooks the raw ravioli through.
- 7Brown the top — Take the foil off and bake another 20 minutes, until the cheese is browned in spots and the sauce bubbles at the edges. If the top is darkening too quickly, lay the foil back on loosely.
- 8Rest and serve — Let the pan sit 10 minutes on a cooling rack. Sprinkle the chopped parsley over the top, cut into squares and serve.
Food safety: Check the thickest part with a food thermometer. Poultry must reach 165°F (74°C); color alone is not reliable.
Muffins & quick breads are my whole kitchen philosophy: one bowl, a whisk, and a batter that goes from counter to oven before the coffee cools. I write for cooks who want banana bread and blueberry muffins that work on a Tuesday, with ingredient swaps and bake times tested in an ordinary home oven. My angle is making quick breads forgiving, so a slightly overripe fruit or a forgotten timer still ends in something worth slicing.
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