Crockpot Ravioli

This crockpot ravioli is an easy slow cooker dinner loaded with cheese, marinara sauce, and ground beef. Layer frozen ravioli with meat sauce and mozzarella, then let it cook hands-off for 3 hours. Perfect for busy afternoons when you want dinner handled without the rush.

A Love Letter To Pasta

Am I always in the mood for pasta? Honestly, yes.

Especially when the pasta takes about 5 minutes of hands on time, is extra cheesy, is coated in a rich red sauce, and has a loaf of garlic bread on the side for dippin’ and dunkin’.

Throw a green salad on the side, top it off with our easy garlic dressing, and you’ve basically got my dream dinner.

I make our spicy rigatoni pretty regularly (done in 20 minutes, so creamy and rich), but when I want something extra cheesy and hearty, but don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you’ll find me throwing this ravioli in the crockpot.

This slow cooker ravioli has major lasagna vibes, without the work of boiling and mixing and layering. Just throw it in, cover, and go about your day.

♥ 3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe:

Weeknight Win: Keep this recipe in mind for weeknight dinners! The crockpot keeps it simple and you can set it early in the afternoon before the kids are home from school and forget it until dinner time. Easy!

Family Favorite: This recipe is kid approved and the adults love it just as much!

Versatile: Tons of options for side dishes (think salad, garlic bread, steamed veggies, roasted veggies), plus you can doctor this up by swapping proteins or types of ravioli.

Ingredients, Swaps, & Tips:

• Ground Beef: I like to start with lean ground beef, but Italian sausage (sweet or spicy) would work well here. You can even use ground turkey.
• Marinara Sauce: Rao’s is our favorite jarred sauce (it’s a bit pricey but worth it!). For a more budget friendly sauce, try Ragu’s 45-ounce jar. You can also skip the entire beef + jarred sauce situation and use our homemade spaghetti sauce!
• Frozen Cheese Ravioli: You can use this straight from the freezer without thawing! Spinach or meat filled ravioli will work as well.
• Mozzarella: We like the melty, stretchy pull that mozzarella cheese adds. Freshly shredded always melts best, but a bag of pre-shredded will work just fine in this one.
• Parsley or Basil: Fresh herbs brighten things up but are totally optional! Other herbs or seasonings are okay here too. Red pepper flakes will add a bit of heat.

Step By Step:

Brown the beef in a skillet and drain the grease. Stir in the marinara sauce to coat.

Spoon a layer of the meat sauce into the bottom of a grease slow cooker insert.

Add half the ravioli, half the meat sauce, and half the cheese to the crockpot. Repeat the layers.

Cover and cook on low for 3 hours, until the ravioli is tender and the cheese is hot and melty.

Serving Suggestions:

You’ve got all the usual sides that go well with pasta like soups, salads, and bread.

Smear some air fryer roasted garlic over some toasty, crusty bread and get to dipping. This is honestly non-negotiable in my house.

Our easy garlic dressing or homemade Italian dressing are perfect over a green salad with this one.

Storage:

Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3 to 4 days in the refrigerator.

Reheat: Best reheated in the oven or microwave until hot and melty.

Freeze: I don’t love freezing foods that were already frozen (the ravioli), but it can safely be done for up to 3 months.

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