This Memorial Day Eve Casserole is my go-to when the house is full, everyone’s a little sun-tired, and I refuse to stand over a hot stove. It bakes up in a glass dish with those gorgeous roasted, bubbling edges and a steamy, cheesy top that looks like you fussed way more than you did. With just four ingredients and the oven doing all the work, it’s perfect for feeding a crowd on a busy holiday weekend night, especially when you’d rather be outside with the kids than hovering over a skillet.
Serve big spoonfuls of this casserole with a simple green salad, corn on the cob, or a bowl of cut-up fresh fruit. Garlic bread or dinner rolls are great for scooping up the saucy, cheesy bits from the corners of the pan where it gets extra caramelized and bubbly. It also plays nicely next to grilled burgers, brats, or hot dogs if you’re stretching leftovers from the grill into an easy second meal.
4-Ingredient Memorial Day Eve CasseroleServings: 8-10
Ingredients
2 lb frozen cheese ravioli (keep frozen, no need to thaw)
4 cups jarred marinara or pasta sauce
3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Directions
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Lightly grease a 9x13-inch glass casserole dish so the pasta doesn’t stick, but still gets those nice browned edges.
Pour about 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce into the bottom of the glass dish and spread it into an even layer. This keeps the ravioli from drying out and helps create that steamy, saucy bottom.
Arrange half of the frozen cheese ravioli in a single, snug layer over the sauce. It’s fine if they overlap a little, but try to keep them mostly in one layer so they cook evenly.
Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan evenly over the ravioli. This first cheesy layer will melt into the sauce and start building that fibrous, stretchy texture underneath.
Spoon another 1 1/2 cups of marinara sauce over the cheese layer, spreading gently with the back of a spoon so the cheese is mostly covered but some peeks through.
Add the remaining frozen ravioli in another even layer over the sauced, cheesy base. Top with the remaining marinara sauce, spreading it to the edges so the corners get saucy and can caramelize as they bake.
Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella and 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over the top, paying a little extra attention to the edges of the dish. Those edges will roast and bubble up into the glossy, charred-looking bits that everyone fights over.
Cover the glass dish tightly with foil and bake on the center rack for 30 minutes, until the casserole is hot and you can see steam gathering under the foil. This step cooks the ravioli through without drying them out.
Carefully remove the foil (watch for steam), then return the casserole to the oven uncovered. Bake another 15–20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is deeply melted, bubbling all over, and the edges look roasted and slightly browned.
If you like a more charred, glossy top, switch the oven to broil on high for 2–3 minutes at the end, watching closely so it doesn’t burn. You’re aiming for dark golden, bubbly patches and crisped edges around the glass.
Remove the casserole from the oven and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before serving. This short rest helps the layers set up a bit so you get nice scoops, with steamy, stretchy cheese under those browned, bubbling edges.
Variations & Tips
For picky eaters, you can use a very smooth marinara sauce with no visible chunks and choose mini ravioli if you find them. If your crew loves meat, swap in meat-filled ravioli or tuck a layer of cooked, crumbled Italian sausage between the ravioli layers (this would add an extra ingredient, so keep that in mind if you’re sticking strictly to the 4-ingredient idea). You can also mix a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning or a pinch of red pepper flakes into the sauce for more flavor, or sprinkle a little extra Parmesan over just half the pan if some folks prefer a lighter top. To add veggies without complaints, stir a handful of finely chopped baby spinach into the sauce; it wilts down and mostly disappears into the layers. For a smaller household, assemble the casserole in two 8x8 glass dishes, bake one, and wrap and freeze the other (unbaked) for another night; bake from frozen, covered, adding 15–20 minutes to the covered bake time. Food safety tips: Keep the ravioli frozen until you’re ready to assemble, and don’t leave the baked casserole out at room temperature for more than 2 hours—cool leftovers, then refrigerate in shallow containers and eat within 3–4 days. Reheat portions until they are piping hot and the center reaches at least 165°F before serving again.
