My Recovering Relationship with Spaghetti

Before Josh and I got married, if we ate dinner at his house, it was usually one of two things: stir fry or spaghetti. Now, I have never had ANY complaints about when he makes stir fry - his beef and peppers with AA choy veggies is one of my favorite meals ever (which is saying something). However, after over a year of eating spaghetti at least once a week, my taste buds can barely stomach the thought of noodles and tomato sauce. In fact, I don't think I've made spaghetti one time in the 7 months we've been married. I have, indeed, realized that this avoidance is pretty silly, especially considering how quick and easy spaghetti is, but I needed a creative way to get past the barricade my revolting taste buds put up. I think I found it.

Below is a ravioli bake that I found online somewhere and then modified a little. One of my big rules about cooking is that it needs to be ready in 30-45 minutes. If I'm feeling ambitious, I'll maybe push it to an hour. This dish is a little different, in that it takes about an hour and 15 minutes from start to end, but the beauty of it is the preparing... and the leaving. It literally takes about 10 minutes to prepare, you put it in the oven, check back 40 minutes later, then check back again 20 minutes after that and it's done! If that's not easy, I don't know what is. It's also a larger dish, so you can either feed numerous hungry people, or put it in the fridge and let it feed your very-hungry-husband for lunch for a few days. And the last noteworthy benefit of this one is that there's nothing really "special" about any of the ingredients. The only thing we don't usually already have on hand is the ravioli, which is incredibly easy to buy and stick in the freezer. It is a perfect "I don't know what to make for dinner" dish. And, if you, too, feel your stomach turn at the thought of spaghetti, perhaps this can aid you in the recovery process as it has me.


Ravioli Bake (Serves 8)
Prep: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes


Ingredients

• 1 jar (26-28 oz) tomato pasta sauce (any variety, though I like the garden mixtures or any sort of kind with veggies in it)
• 1 package (25-28 oz) frozen spinach or cheese-filled ravioli
• 2 cups (8 oz) mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 5-6 mushrooms (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray the bottom and sides of a 13x9x2" rectangular baking dish (think Pyrex), with cooking spray.

2. (This step is optional - if pressed for time, go to the next step) Pour the pasta sauce into a small mixing bowl. Mince a couple cloves of garlic (or use 1/2 to 1 teaspoon garlic powder) and mix in, as well as 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning for a little extra flavor.

3. Slice the mushrooms thinly (as if putting in a salad). Spread about ¾ cup of the pasta sauce in the bottom of the baking dish. Add a layer of sliced mushrooms. Arrange half of the frozen ravioli in a single layer over the sauce; top with half of the remaining pasta sauce and 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat the layers again, starting with the ravioli. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese on the very top.

4. Cover with aluminum foil and bake 40 minutes. After 40 minutes, remove the foil and bake uncovered another 15-20 minutes or until bubbly and hot in the center. Let it stand about 10 minutes before serving.