Instead of croutons, top your salad with oven-fried mac and cheese ravioli! You may never go back. Mac and cheese ravioli are coated in breadcrumbs and oven-fried for an indulgent salad topping.

Before I get into this recipe, I just have to say that I am super stoked about Taco Bell’s breakfast menu. I don’t eat fast food very often but when I do it’s typically Taco Bell or occasionally breakfast from one of the main-stream burger joints. To join those two together is a dreamland. Admittedly, I have eaten regular Taco Bell menu items for breakfast more times than I can count but now I’ll have the option of actual breakfast food. Glory and celebration!

Now that I’ve warmed you up to atypical meal options, how do you feel about macaroni and cheese on top of a salad? Let me explain before you run away thinking I’ve lost my mind completely.

After hearing about Mac and Cheese Mania, hosted by Rachel and Brandy, I knew I had to jump on board. An entire event dedicated to carbs and cheese? Heck yea I want to participate in that celebration! As an added bonus there are prizes involved.

In order to win you have to link up a mac and cheese recipe (up to 4, old or new) and link back to their pages. I already submitted an old one but decided to whip up something new for another entry. And because I’ve been trying to eat more salads O:-).

This event just so happens to be occurring at just the right time as I have been meaning to use a bag of frozen mac and cheese ravioli for quite awhile. I know you are familiar with fried ravioli, but this time I used those mac and cheese stuffed ravioli, oven-fried them, and then threw them on top of a salad! Air fryer mac and cheese would also work well here. 

You could skip the salad and serve the oven-fried mac and cheese ravioli as an appetizer with Ranch dipping sauce, but it’s so much more fun to put unhealthy things on top of a healthy salad (Like my BBQ salad topped with Cheetos) because everyone knows that a salad negates anything bad you eat with it. This is science people, the science of denial. 

Come join Mac and Cheese Mania at Rachel Cooks and Nutmeg Nanny sponsored by Door to Door Organics and OXO – Win prizes! **CLOSED**

One year ago: Baked Banana-Pecan Oatmeal

OVEN-FRIED MAC AND CHEESE RAVIOLI SALAD

Serves 4

Ingredients:

RAVIOLI

• 16 oz. package Mac + Cheese Ravioli (or any flavor of choice)
• 2 egg whites, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 cups seasoned bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
• Pinch of salt and pepper

SALAD

• 1 head romaine, chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• Ranch dressing

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place a wire rack on top. Spray the rack with nonstick spray. In one shallow bowl, add egg whites and in another mix the bread crumbs and seasonings.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook ravioli for half of the recommended time. Drain them and quickly spray with a little nonstick spray (helps them not stick together). Once cool, dip each ravioli in egg whites then coat thoroughly with the breadcrumb mixture, pressing to adhere. Place on the wire rack and repeat until finished. Spray tops with nonstick spray. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until crispy and golden.
3. Toss together the salad and serve immediately, topped with oven-fried ravioli and Ranch dressing. Store any leftover ravioli in the fridge and reheat using a toaster oven.

Source: Adapted from Crispy Oven-Fried Ravioli.

Taste the best of the season in this creamy pesto with cheese ravioli, fresh asparagus, and sun dried tomatoes. It’s an easy and delicious summer weeknight meal.

Jump to recipe

On one of my most recent adventures to Nashville, I (of course) stopped in to Trader Joe’s to stock up on old and new favorites. This particular journey I found myself flinging all kinds of newly found items into my shopping cart. One item that became a projectile happened to be dried mini cheese ravioli. 

Yes, I got all excited over their small cuteness.

Once I got them into my kitchen I found I couldn’t just throw them into just any old sauce – they were just too special. So I made a creamy pesto sauce by mixing basil pesto and Greek yogurt together and tossed in some roasted asparagus, garlic, and sun dried tomatoes. Roasting vegetables has become my go-to vegetable cooking method and the combination definitely did the mini raviolis justice.

Feel free to use regular (less exciting) sized ravioli if you cannot find minis, which was the caser when I remade this recipe to update the photos. ‘Twas a sad day but dang it if it wasn’t still delicious. Hard to deny a creamy pesto with any type of ravioli.

Post updated 6/3/2024, photo above is the original.

Two years ago: Guiltless Cajun Chicken Alfredo

CREAMY PESTO WITH RAVIOLI, ASPARAGUS AND SUN DRIED TOMATOES

Print

Yield: 4 servings Prep Time: 10 Minutes Cooking Time: 15 Minutes 15 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Ingredients

• 10 oz. cheese ravioli
• 1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
• 1/2 head of garlic, peeled and thinly sliced
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup basil pesto
• 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt*
• 1/3 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes, drained

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well and return to pot.
3. While the pasta cooks, place the asparagus in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Top with garlic slices, drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper to taste; gently toss to combine.
4. Place into the oven and roast for 8-12 minutes, or until tender but crisp. Let cool before cutting into 1.5-inch pieces.
5. In the pot with the pasta, add and combine the asparagus, pesto, Greek yogurt, and sun dried tomatoes. Serve.

Notes

*I've also used cream cheese and some reserved pasta cooking water in a pinch.

Source: Adapted from Damn Delicious and Little Bitty Bakes (website no longer active).