The Most Popular Casserole Recipe of 2024 Is Also the Easiest

This weeknight-friendly ravioli lasagna calls for four ingredients and far less prep than the traditional layered casserole, but delivers the same level of comfort. See why it was Simply Recipes’ top casserole recipe of 2024.

4-ingredient ravlioli lasagna in a casserole dish — Simply Recipes / Meghan Splawn

When I crave comfort food, I almost always turn to red sauce classics like meatballs, stuffed shells, and lasagna. Perhaps the influence of my New Jersey-raised, Italian American husband is to blame, but it’s also hard to contend with the combination of garlicky tomato sauce, carbs, and cheese.

So many of these dishes are weekend affairs, however, but it’s most often a stress-induced weeknight that requires their comforts. Luckily, our most popular casserole recipe of 2024 solves this dilemma: Ravioli lasagna is a brilliant four-ingredient affair that checks all the right boxes. After giving it a try, it’s easy to see why it’s been such a hit this year and—I have a pretty good feeling—for years to come.

layer of ravioli added to to a casserole dish after a layer of tomato sauce with meat pieces — Simply Recipes / Meghan Splawn

Ravioli Lasagna Is Pure Genius

Meghan Splawn is the brains behind this clever casserole, which I truly wish I had discovered sooner. Using fresh cheese ravioli instead of lasagna noodles means there’s no need for ricotta. More importantly, it means you can skip the fussy act of pre-boiling the pasta.

Simply layer the store-bought ravioli with your favorite jarred marinara sauce bolstered by cooked sausage, top it all with shredded Italian cheese, and bake for 40 minutes. Once the kitchen smells incredible and the casserole is melty and bubbling, carry it to the table for everyone to dig right in.

4-ingredient ravioli lasagna lifted from a casserole dish using a spatula — Simply Recipes / Meghan Splawn

The Many Ways To Make This Ravioli Lasagna Your Own

What I love about this ravioli lasagna is that it’s more of a concept than a hard and fast recipe. It’s intended to be a meal that comes together easily, with ingredients you already have on hand or what you and your family prefer. That means there are lots of ways to play:

You can easily leave out the sausage to make this casserole vegetarian. Or replace the sausage with ground beef, turkey, or even sautéed mushrooms.
Stir several big handfuls of baby spinach into the warm sausage and sauce mixture and you’ll practically turn this casserole into a complete dinner.
Feel free to use any ravioli flavor you like. Mushroom, spinach and cheese, meat and cheese, or for a fall twist, pumpkin, all work beautifully. You can also use frozen ravioli instead of fresh, but just let it thaw a bit on the counter before layering.
Shredded mozzarella or provolone, as well as grated Parmesan (or a combination) can be used in place of the Italian cheese blend.
If you happen to have pesto on hand, try adding a few dollops between the layers.
If you don’t have a 9x13-inch baking dish handy, this casserole can also be baked in any 3-quart baking dish as well as a 12-inch cast iron or other oven-safe skillet.