This 4 ingredient baked ravioli casserole is an easy dinner for the whole family! Fresh or frozen ravioli is layered with cheese, marinara sauce, and frozen chopped kale to resemble lasagna with none of the effort. Even better, this vegetarian bake can be assembled in advance and frozen — a great freezer meal for new parents and busy families.

plate with a serving of ravioli casserole next to a baking dish with full casserole

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This may be the easiest recipe on the entire blog! But believe me, I didn’t sacrifice flavor or nutrition for simplicity. This ravioli casserole is still veggie-loaded AND it totally counts as a complete meal with protein, fat, and carbohydrates.

I came up with this idea while preparing meals for my maternity leave. I wanted to stock our freezer with casseroles, soups, and other dinners that we could pull out, bake or reheat, and enjoy. Lasagna seemed like a good idea, but I didn’t want to go through all the effort of making one at 36 weeks pregnant.

So when I saw some recipes for ravioli casserole pop up when I was googling postpartum freezer meals, I knew I had to make one for the Veg World! Most of them didn’t have any veggies, so I quickly settled on adding a bag of frozen kale for good measure. And that’s how today’s delicious meal was born.

I hope this easy, cheesy recipe is a hit with your family! Be sure to let me know if you make it in the comments. And if you have some friends who just became new parents in your life, I bet they would love this freezer meal!

frozen kale, shredded mozzarella, marinara sauce, and ravioli on a counter

How to Make Baked Ravioli Casserole

For the full instructions and ingredients, scroll down to the recipe card. Here’s a preview of the steps in the meantime. Be sure to read through the following section with my expert tips, especially if you have questions about making ravioli casserole.

Spoon a layer of marinara sauce in a greased baking dish. Add a layer of ravioli.
Spread a layer of chopped frozen kale on top of the ravioli.
Spoon another layer of marinara sauce onto the casserole.
Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.
Repeat steps 1 through 4!

ravioli on top of marinara sauce in a glass baking dish on a counter

ravioli, marinara sauce, and chopped frozen kale spread out in a baking dish

layers of ravioli, marinara sauce, and chopped frozen kale in a glass baking dish

layers of ravioli, frozen kale, marinara sauce, and shredded cheese in a baking dish

Expert Tips

Ravioli: You can use frozen or fresh ravioli in this recipe. I used cheese ravioli, but feel free to mix it up! Try meat-filled ravioli, squash or mushroom ravioli, or any other type of ravioli that you like. Use 18 to 20 ounces ravioli. Most family packages of ravioli are around this size, but you can use 2 to 3 smaller packages of ravioli if you can’t find a family size one.
Kale: Feel free to sub finely chopped fresh kale for the frozen kale. However, using frozen kale makes this recipe so easy! I use the 8-ounce package of Earthbound Farm organic frozen kale. Frozen spinach also works, but kale is better in ravioli casserole in my opinion.
Sauce: My favorite brand of marinara sauce is Cucina Antica. But of course, any brand will do! You can even try my homemade San Marzano Tomato Sauce in this recipe. Use around 25 ounces of sauce.
Possible additions: Cooked ground beef or sausage, white beans, sautéed onions and zucchini, or sautéed chopped mushrooms. The possibilities are endless!
Leftovers and reheating: Ravioli bake leftovers will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Reheat in the microwave for about 1 minute on high, stirring halfway through, until warm.

baked ravioli casserole with kale in a glass dish on a counter

How to Freeze Ravioli Casserole

This recipe is a great freezer meal! You can assemble it, freeze, and bake straight from frozen. Here’s how to do it:

Prepare a freezer-to-oven safe container for assembling and storing the casserole. Single-use, foil lasagna pans work very well. For a reusable option, use a 3-quart (13×9) glass baking dish that can be transferred from the freezer to the oven without breaking or shattering. Not every glass baking dish will fit the bill here. I recommend the Oxo Good Grips Glass 3 Quart Baking Dish with Lid. The company notes in the description that it can withstand extreme temperature changes. I also like that it has a lid so you don’t have to waste any foil and plastic wrap to seal it tightly for the freezer.
Follow the recipe steps up until baking the casserole. If using a foil pan, seal tightly with aluminum foil followed by plastic wrap. If using a freezer-to-oven safe glass baking dish (like the one mentioned above), seal with its lid or with aluminum foil followed by plastic wrap. Label the casserole with its name and date.
Place the sealed ravioli casserole in the freezer. Freeze for up to 6 months.
Bake the casserole from frozen. Remove the plastic wrap but leave the foil on it. Add 20 minutes to the cook time with the foil (a total of 45 minutes) and 5 minutes to the cook time without the foil at the end (a total of 20 minutes).

You can also thaw the casserole in the fridge overnight before baking it. This will help cut down on bake time, but you may need to add a few extra minutes since it will be cool from the fridge even if not frozen.

baked ravioli casserole with kale on a serving dish on a counter

More Casserole and Pasta Recipes

Love this frozen ravioli casserole with kale? You may enjoy some of my other pasta and casserole dishes! Check out the Ground Beef and Zucchini Casserole, Ricotta Pumpkin Stuffed Shells, Vegetarian Taco Casserole with Quinoa, and Healthy Tater Tot Casserole with Veggies. The Garlic Lemon Creamy Kale Pasta is another reader favorite.

📖 Recipe