Lazy Ravioli and Vegetable Lasagna in White Sauce Recipe
This Four Cheese Ravioli and Vegetable Lasagna in White Sauce is a quick weeknight lasagna, baked in a loaf pan for the perfect small-batch portion. With frozen ravioli as the noodles, a no-fuss white sauce, sweet Italian sausage, and fresh asparagus and peas, it delivers all the flavors of a classic vegetable lasagna in white sauce with minimal effort.
Servings: 3 hearty servings
Ingredients
Lazy Ravioli and Vegetable Lasagna
- 1 lb asparagus , trimmed
- ½ lb sweet Italian sausage , casing removed
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds
- ¼ teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoons olive oil , divided
- ¼ cup white onion , diced
For white sauce:
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 whole nutmeg, grated to get ¼ teaspoon
- 1 lemon grated zest to get about 2 teaspoons, then juice to get 1 - ½ tablespoons
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese , finely grated
- 2 ounces goat cheese , mild
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 garlic clove , finely grated or minced
Lasagna Assembly:
- 10 ounce frozen spinach and cheese ravioli , about 24 ravioli, mushroom or a cheese ravioli would be great options
- 4 ounces deli Provolone cheese , thinly sliced
- 1 cup peas , fresh or frozen
- lemon , sliced thin (about 2 slices), optional
Instructions
- Adjust oven rack to middle center position and pre heat oven to 400 degrees F.
Prepare the vegetables and white sauce:
- Melt the butter in a saucepan on low heat, then add flour and whisk for a few minutes. It should thicken and turn biscuity golden brown. Pour in the milk, gradually, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Add the bay leaf and grate in the nutmeg. Keep stirring until the milk thickens to a lovely sauce that coats the back of a spoon. We want the bechamel thick but still pourable. Remove pan from the heat, whisk in the parmesan, goat cheese, and ½ teaspoon salt and grated garlic. Taste and season with more salt and nutmeg as needed.
- While the bechamel is cooking, Cut the tips off each asparagus spear and reserve. Slice the asparagus spears into ½-inch pieces and set aside. In a 10-inch saucepan add sausage, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes. Cook the sausage over medium heat, breaking up pieces with the back of a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to paper-lined plate.
- In the now empty saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the pieces of asparagus spears and onion. Sauté the asparagus until crisp-tender and onion is soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Using tongs, remove bay leaf from the sauce. Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk until completely smooth. Take a taste to check for seasoning.
Assemble Lazy Ravioli Lasagna:
- Spread a thin layer of white sauce, about ½ cup, on the bottom of the prepared loaf pan. Arrange a layer of the frozen ravioli over the sauce.
- Top the frozen ravioli with sauteed asparagus and onions, half the sausage, 1 cup sauce, provolone, and another layer of frozen ravioli. Top that with remaining sauteed asparagus and onions, peas, half of the remaining white sauce, provolone, then remaining sausage and another layer of frozen ravioli. Pour over remaining sauce and arrange reserved asparagus tips on the top along with lemon slices, if using
- Place the loaf pan on a rimmed baking sheet. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake until the sauce is bubbly, about 28 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake until the top is golden brown, about 20 minutes. You might want to finish it under a broiler for 2 minutes. Let it stand for 10 minutes before serving.