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Buffalo Chicken Ravioli Lasagna

Front view of a plate with a serving of Buffalo Chicken Ravioli Lasagna. Dish with the casserole and bowl with basil behind.

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Layers of ravioli, spicy and tangy tomato and buffalo chicken sauce, a creamy ricotta basil mixture, and plenty of cheese get combined into one big and tasty lasagna casserole!

Ingredients

Scale

For the Tomato and Buffalo Chicken Sauce:

  • 2 TBLS Olive Oil (or any other cooking oil)
  • ½ Yellow Onion – finely minced
  • 6 Garlic cloves – finely minced
  • 480 grams / about 1 pound Ground Chicken
  • 1 (722 grams / 25.5 ounce) jar Tomato Pasta Sauce (I used Muir Glen Organic Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce with no sugar added, but you can use your favorite kind)
  • 177 ml / ¾ cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
  • ½ TSP Kosher Salt, to taste
  • 1.5 TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste
  • 2 TSP ground Cayenne, to taste (use less to make it milder)
  • 2 TSP Crushed Red Pepper Chili Flakes, to taste (use less to make it milder)
  • 1 TSP Garlic Powder
  • Few splashes (about 1/8 cup) Tabasco® Brand Buffalo Style Hot Sauce (optional, see notes)

For the Ricotta Basil Mixture:

  • 500 grams / 16 ounces Ricotta Cheese
  • 1 Large Egg
  • 1/3 cup fresh Italian Basil Leaves – chopped
  • 1/8¼ TSP freshly cracked Black Pepper, to taste

To Assemble the Buffalo Chicken Ravioli Lasagna:

  • ½ TBLS Olive Oil (or cooking spray)
  • 500 grams / 17.6 ounces Cheese Ravioli (fresh or frozen)
  • ¾ cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (or Parmesan)
  • 200 grams / about 2 cups freshly grated Mozzarella Cheese
  • 2 TBLS fresh Italian Basil Leaves – chopped

Instructions

For the Tomato and Buffalo Chicken Sauce:

  1. Make the meat sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large deep sauté pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes, or until the onion has softened. Add the ground chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, breaking up the lumps as you go, until the chicken is just cooked. Pour in the tomato pasta sauce, buffalo hot sauce, and add the kosher salt, freshly cracked black pepper, ground cayenne, crushed red pepper chili flakes, garlic powder, Tabasco® Brand Buffalo Style Hot Sauce (if using). Stir to combine everything, then give the sauce a taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Simmer while stirring occasionally for about a minute, then switch off the heat and set aside.

For the Ricotta Basil Mixture:

  1. Make the Ricotta Basil Mixture: Combine the ricotta cheese, egg, chopped basil, and freshly cracked black pepper in a medium sized bowl. Mix until evenly combined, then set aside.

To Assemble the Buffalo Chicken Ravioli:

  1. Prep: Preheat oven to 175°C/350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with ½ tablespoon of olive oil (or spray with cooking spray).
  2. Assemble layers: Spread 1/3 of the tomato and buffalo chicken sauce in the bottom of the dish. Then layer half of the ravioli in a single layer. Top with half of the remaining meat sauce, half of the ricotta basil mixture, half of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Then repeat all the layers – the remaining ravioli, meat sauce, ricotta basil mixture, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, and mozzarella cheese.
  3. Bake: Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for 15 more minutes, or until the cheese has melted and is golden and bubbly. If you like crispy and bubbly brown cheese, increase the temperature to 250°C/482°F and bake for an additional 5 minutes. (You can turn on the broil setting if your oven has one, but keep an eye on the dish so that the cheese doesn’t get too brown and burn). Transfer the dish to a cooling rack and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes.
  4. To Serve: Garnish with chopped fresh Italian basil and serve!

Equipment

Notes

Ingredient Notes, Cook’s Tips, and FAQs

  1. Meat options: Ground turkey, beef, pork, or sausage are other great options. You could also use leftover cooked shredded chicken, or shredded rotisserie chicken to save a little time when making the sauce. Simply stir it in along with the sauces and seasonings after sautéing the onion and garlic.
  2. Ricotta: I used 2 x 250 grams (8.81 ounce) cartons, which is about 17.67 ounces in total, because that’s the quantity they sell them in here. But a 16-ounce tub will be plenty enough if they are sold in that quantity where you’re based. Feel free to use part skim ricotta if you prefer.
  3. Buffalo Sauces: I used Wing Time Buffalo Wing Hot Sauce and Tabasco® Brand Buffalo Style Hot Sauce because their flavors compliment each other well. Feel free to use just one type and whatever brand is your favorite. Adjust the quantity you use if needed depending on heat level and tang preference.
  4. Ravioli: I used a package of fresh herbs & ricotta ravioli, and another package of stuffed cheese ravioli. But you can use fresh or frozen ravioli with any filling you like.
    Can I make this ahead? You can assemble it up to 8 hours in advance. Cover with foil and store in the fridge. Let it sit on the counter for 30-40 minutes to take the chill off before you bake. You could also assemble this in an aluminum baking pan, then cover and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then let it sit on the counter for 30-40 minutes before you bake it.
  5. How long will it keep? Leftovers will keep for 3-4 days when stored in sealed airtight containers in the fridge.
  6. How to reheat ravioli lasagna: The best way to reheat leftover ravioli lasagna is in the oven. Cover the dish with foil and place it in an oven preheated to 175°C/350°F for 20 minutes, or until hot throughout.
  7. To make it vegetarian: Use a plant-based meat substitute such as Impossible™ Burger, Beyond Beef®, Quorn™ Mince, or OmniPork instead of chicken. Or you could use chopped mushrooms (cremini, champignon, portabella, white or brown button mushrooms, etc.) or even chopped cauliflower. If you’d like to make it vegan, you can try using a flax egg for the ricotta basil mixture, and dairy-free ricotta and cheeses.

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