Baked Ravioli With Caramelized Onion Marinara
A Saucy Little Baked Dish
This Baked Ravioli with Caramelized Onion is layered with frozen cheese ravioli, melty Chihuahua and asiago cheeses, and a rich caramelized onion marinara made with slow-cooked onions, browned tomato paste, garlic, crushed tomatoes, butter, and Italian seasoning. The sauce simmers low and slow until deeply flavorful, creating the ultimate cozy baked pasta that tastes like it came straight from an old-school Italian kitchen.
Mr. Tipsy absolutely loves a baked pasta situation, but honestly they’ve never really been my favorite thing. I always feel like so many baked pastas end up dry around the edges, gummy in the middle, and somehow the sauce completely disappears by the time it comes out of the oven.
Gag!
So I decided to approach this baked ravioli a little differently by making a looser Caramelized Onion Marinara instead of a super thick heavy sauce. Since the ravioli bakes straight from frozen, the thinner sauce helps facilitate the cooking process while still keeping everything rich, cheesy, bubbly, and saucy instead of dry and clumpy.
The sauce slowly cooks into the pasta while the Chihuahua cheese melts into every layer creating the coziest baked pasta situation.
This is also one of those recipes that reheats incredibly well. In fact, I might even like it better the next day after everything has had time to settle together a little more.
Not A Dog, It Is Just Cheese
Chihuahua cheese is a mild, creamy Mexican melting cheese that’s similar in flavor to mozzarella but melts even smoother and creamier. It’s commonly used for quesadillas, queso, and baked dishes.
It gets perfectly gooey without becoming oily, which is exactly why I love using it in recipes like this baked ravioli.
You can usually find Chihuahua cheese in most regular grocery stores either near the specialty cheeses or in the Hispanic dairy section. I buy it pre-shredded sometimes for convenience, but if you can find a block and shred it yourself it melts even better.
If you can’t find Chihuahua cheese, freshly shredded whole milk mozzarella is the best substitute because it has that same mild flavor profile and great melt factor. I definitely recommend avoiding the super dry low-fat mozzarella because it doesn’t melt nearly as nicely.
You could also substitute provolone, Monterey Jack, fontina, or even a mix of mozzarella and muenster cheese. Anything creamy and higher in fat is going to give you that rich, cheesy pull that makes baked pasta so good.
A Taste Of Nostalgia
I almost always reach for the Contadina tomato paste with garlic and oregano when I can find it because it’s incredibly nostalgic for me. It reminds me of the kind of pasta dinners I grew up eating, and once it cooks down with the caramelized onions and garlic it develops this deep old-school Italian-American flavor that I absolutely love.
It’s also the same tomato paste I use in my Easy Monday Meat Sauce recipe because I think it adds so much flavor without needing a million extra ingredients.
Freeze For A Friend
This recipe also makes an excellent freezer meal because the slightly looser sauce helps protect the ravioli from drying out during reheating. You can assemble the entire dish ahead of time in a freezer-safe pan before covering it tightly with a layer of plastic wrap and then foil.
Then freeze it before baking for up to about three months. When ready to cook, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator if possible and bake as directed, adding a little extra time if it is still cold in the center.
You can also freeze leftovers in smaller portions, which reheat beautifully for quick lunches or easy weeknight dinners.
Extra Sauce
You could also halve this recipe and freeze part of the pasta sauce separately, which makes it perfect for bringing a comforting, homemade meal to someone going through a busy or difficult time. Assemble the baked ravioli with the extra sauce and bring along a loaf of frozen garlic bread and a simple salad and you have one of those cozy complete meals that feels thoughtful without being overly complicated.
This does make extra sauce that you can use later in the week for another meal or freeze. You can use it to serve with my Best Ever Meatballs or my Chicken Parmesan Meatballs.
The Ravioli
You can really use any ravioli you prefer for this recipe, and the one I used is pictured above. I personally like using frozen ravioli because it holds up really well during baking and slowly cooks right in the sauce without becoming overly soft.
If you decide to use fresh refrigerated ravioli instead you’ll want to reduce the baking time since fresh pasta cooks much faster and can become too tender if baked as long as frozen ravioli. Cheese ravioli is classic here, but spinach, sausage, mushroom, or even beef ravioli would all work beautifully with this sauce.
Baked Ravioli With Caramelized Onion Marinara Recipe
This baked ravioli with caramelized onions is made by layering frozen cheese ravioli, a rich homemade marinara simmered with caramelized onions and browned tomato paste, and piles of melty cheese baked until golden and bubbling. It’s cozy, hearty, and tastes like the kind of old-school baked pasta dish that took all day to make.
Ingredients
- FOR THE SAUCE:
- 2 (28 oz) cans crushed tomatoes
- 2 (15 oz) cans of tomato sauce
- 2 (6 oz) cans Contadina tomato paste with garlic and oregano
- 1 very large onion, diced very fine
- 8 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
- Water, as needed
- Salt and pepper to taste
- FOR THE RAVIOLI BAKE:
- About 30 frozen cheese ravioli (roughly 3 bags depending on brand)
- 4 to 6 cups shredded Chihuahua (or mozzarella) cheese
- 1 cup finely grated asiago cheese
Instructions
- Add the butter to a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium-low heat. Add the finely diced onion and cook slowly for about 45 minutes, stirring often, until deeply caramelized and golden brown. Add the soy sauce during the last few minutes of cooking.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute or two until fragrant.
- Add the tomato paste and cook it directly in the pot with the onions and garlic until the paste darkens slightly and becomes golden brown in color. This step adds a ton of depth and richness to the sauce.
- Add the crushed tomatoes. Fill each tomato can about halfway with water, swirl it around to get all the remaining tomato out, and add that to the pot as well. Also add the tomato sauce and do the same thing with the water in the cans. You can adjust the amount of water depending on how thick or thin you like your sauce. For this recipe, a slightly thinner sauce works best because the frozen ravioli absorbs liquid as it bakes.
- Add the brown sugar and Italian seasoning. Stir well and let the sauce simmer covered for about 90 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste as it cooks and adjust salt, sweetness, or seasoning however you like. Fresh herbs can also be added if you have them on hand. I like to keep this sauce extra saucy as the extra liquid helps the ravioli cook. Letting it thicken too much is not good.
- Once the sauce is finished, let it cool slightly.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Spread a couple ladles of sauce into the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish.
- Add a layer of frozen ravioli, then spoon sauce over the top. Add a generous handful of Chihuahua cheese and a sprinkle of asiago. Repeat the layers until everything is used, finishing with sauce and cheese on the very top layer.
- Cover loosely with foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.
- Remove the foil and continue baking another 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and bubbling around the edges.
- Let the ravioli sit for at least 15 minutes before serving. It will be very loose coming out of the oven, but as it rests, the sauce thickens and everything sets up beautifully.