This is one of those meals that is pretty quick to put together and the slow cooker does most of the work. The most work to this is cooking the ground beef. The sauce made from your favorite jarred marinara sauce and tomatoes, simmers long and slow for that homemade taste….even though it did come from a jar, but no one has to know right? At the end of the cooking time all you have to do is toss in a package of thawed ravioli, some cheese and you have a delicious, cheesy dinner. This is defiantly one of those meals for when you want comfort food at the end of a long day.
Here’s what you need:
* 1 pkg frozen ravioli, thawed or fresh ravioli
*1 to 1 1/2 lb ground beef
*2tsp. onion powder
*2 tsp garlic powder
*1 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds
*1 1/2 tsp. dried sage
*2 tsp. smoked paprika
*1/2 to 1 tsp. red pepper flakes
*1 tsp salt or more to taste
*2 24oz jars of marinara sauce (you can use homemade but I like using a premade kind because it makes this quick and easy)
*1 14.5 oz can petite (or regular diced) tomatoes; undrained
*2 cups shredded cheese; I used a combination of cheddar and Colby Jack
*Parsley for garnish (optional)
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat. Add the ground beef to the skillet and brown.
Drain if needed. Turn the heat down to medium.
To the beef add the onion powder, garlic powder, fennel seeds, sage, paprika, red pepper flakes and the salt.
Stir to combine. Cook for about 1 minutes stirring frequently so the spices will not burn.
Place the beef mixture into the slow cooker.
Pour in the marinara sauce and the diced tomatoes; stir to combine the beef, marinara sauce and the tomatoes.
Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Uncover and add in the ravioli.
I thaw out the bag of frozen ravioli in the refrigerator a day or two ahead of time.
Gently stir the ravioli in the meat sauce.
Stir in 1 cup of the shredded cheese being careful not to break apart the ravioli. Sprinkle on the remaining cheese over the top.
Cover and continue to cook on low for 15 to 20 minutes or until the ravioli are tender.
Serve and garnish with parsley.
Enjoy!
A Foodie In The South 