Today we celebrate Ravioli, a famous stuffed Italian pasta.  Ravioli is one of the most popular Italian stuffed pasta to pasta lovers.  This day is observed annually on March 20th.

Ravioli is a type of dumpling comprising a filling enveloped in thin pasta dough.  They are sometimes served with sauce or broth.  Ravioli originated as a traditional food in Italian cuisine.  They are normally square, but nowadays, you can find different shapes including circular and semi-circular.  Traditionally they are made at home and the filling varies according to where they are prepared.  In Rome, the filling is made with ricotta cheese, spinach, nutmeg, and black pepper.  In Sardinia, they are filled with ricotta cheese and grated lemon rind.  Nowadays, ravioli is mass-produced by machine and prepacked frozen or canned

Today, you can find ravioli in your local groceries with different fillings, like triple cheese, wild mushroom, butternut squash, and more.  Celebrate this day by making yourself some ravioli for dinner.  My favorite is my homemade Baked Ravioli Casserole made with frozen ravioli, frozen spinach, ricotta, mozzarella, grated parmesan, and spaghetti sauce.  It tastes like lasagna without the fuss.  If you’re interested, check my easy recipe below.

Baked Ravioli Casserole

Ingredients:

• 3-1/2 cups spaghetti sauce
• 1 package (25 ounces) frozen cheese ravioli (can use 2 or more package for 3 layers)
• 1 package of frozen spinach (thawed and drained)
• 2 cups ricotta cheese
• 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Spread 1 cup of spaghetti sauce in an ungreased 13×9 baking dish. Layer the ravioli, 1-1/4 cups of sauce, sprinkle around some spinach, ricotta, and mozzarella cheeses.  Repeat layers and on the last layer sprinkle the Parmesan cheese.
• Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350° for 30-40 minutes or until bubbly, then remove the cover and cook for another 5 minutes to brown the top cheese. Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!