Everyone needs a show off dish that never fails to impress, that can be done at the last minute, and, most importantly, is ridiculously easy. I hate to brag, but I have the perfect one. This is so simple that Richard has already made it twice in his new apartment. Girls love it, guys love it, children and adults love it – in fact I have never met a person who actually claims to dislike Fried Ravioli.
I’m pretty sure I haven’t had Fried Ravioli in a restaurant, but rather read about it in a cooking magazine years ago. Long after the magazine was gone, during a nightly round of the, “what to make for dinner dilemma”, I pulled this out of the hat. Boy was it a success! I have friends from both Chicago and St. Louis who insist their respective cities claim all credit. I’ve got no dog in that race and I’m just happy that somehow the recipe made it to my repertoire and now Richard’s cookbook. According to these friends, it’s sometimes referred to as Toasted Ravioli, but that seems pretty silly since it is fried. If you “toasted” it in the oven, wouldn’t it be Baked Ravioli?
Fried Ravioli is so simple to make and best of all, it’s easy to keep the ingredients on hand. I love all the new flavors of Ravioli. Even Costco got in on the act last February with heart shaped ones in pink and red. Ravioli comes stuffed with different, cheeses, meats, seafood and a variety of vegetables. My current heartthrob is a spinach, sundried tomato and ricotta combination, but I’m fickle and can fall for another any day. In my fantasies where I’m a famous foodie, someone is interviewing me asking important questions, like what I stock in my freezer. Without mentioning the six or seven flavors of ice cream that take up the whole bottom shelf, I’ll proudly announce that there are always several varieties of ravioli tucked away in that freezer. That would be true, and that is one of the reasons this became such a popular dish for my family. That and the fact that you can say, “Gee, I sure would like some Fried Ravioli”, and be eating it in less than 15 minutes.
Ingredients
1 pkg refrigerated cheese ravioli (hint: You can keep this in the freezer and add it right into boiling water without thawing it.)
4 Tbsp. canola oil
Parmesan cheese (the kind in a can is fine)
1 jar pizza sauce and/or Alfredo sauce
Directions
Add pasta to boiling salted water (add salt to water after it boils, or it takes longer).
Boil for 2 minutes and drain well. Pat dry with a paper towel.
Heat oil in a large skillet, add pasta and fry till crispy. Do this in several batches.
Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
Heat sauce in bowls in the microwave and serve on the side for dipping.
