…because crispy sounds so much better than fried.
Where do I even start? I have a fried ravioli recipe saved in my “to-do recipe” list, but I never came around to it…until now. We’re having a party on Sunday and expecting over fifty people. You know what that means? Booze. Lots of it. You know what booze means? Food. Lots and lots of food. I was torn between making a Pineapple Upside Down cake (because baked goods are so much easier to prepare for a big party) and these ravioli. I mean, I’ve never made fried raviolis and I wouldn’t want to wait until the day of the party, right? That’s why I dedicated this morning, three days before the party, to tweak this recipe until I have the perfect crispy raviolis.
Aside from drooling over the thought of a fried ravioli, you may be thinking about doing a baked version instead. So did I. That’s when I decided to test out “fried vs. baked.”
As you may see fried conquers all.
*sigh*
The baked ravioli are not as crispy and golden as the fried. They also require a little patience given they’ll take a little longer to cook in the oven. Although the fried does require oil (may be pricey)(I used canola), and special attention, they only take about 3-4 minutes to cook. You decide what’s best for you, but in my case, the fried not only looked better, but tasted ah-maz-ing.
You know what else I love about these? You can bread these a few days in advance and refrigerate until needed. Time saving shiz. I fried mine up an hour before the party and kept warm in a low oven. Instead of rewarming the ravioli throughout, I just kept the dipping sauce warm.
*I used 1/2 c. (fat free) evaporated milk for my egg wash. You can use milk or buttermilk, whatever you have on hand. Also, frozen raviolis are much cheaper than the ones you can get packaged by the prepared foods. I bought two bags (1 lb. each) for $5. Also, I would use homemade marinara sauce if I had more time to make some. If you have plain breadcrumbs, add Italian seasonings, garlic powder, and parsley to turn into Italian breadcrumbs.
If your guests are anything like mine, they’ll be incredibly happy. Enjoy!
- 25 frozen ravioli- thawed
- 1 c. Italian breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 c. fat-free evaporated milk (or milk/buttermilk)
- Canola oil as needed
- 1 jar marina or pizza sauce for dipping
- Fresh parsley & Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Beat the eggs and milk together until combined.
- Lay the breadcrumbs on a plate and shake to even out. Set up your dipping station with the egg mixture and the breadcrumbs next to each other.
- Prepare a baking sheet lined with foil next to the dipping station.
- Add enough oil to a large pot to reach depth of 2 inches. Heat to 325 degrees, or test by throwing in a few breadcrumbs. If the breadcrumbs sizzle right away, your oil is hot and ready. Oh baby.
- While your oil is heating up, dip the thawed raviolis in the egg wash then breadcrumbs. Shake off any excess crumb and lay on baking sheet.
- Fry raviolis in batches about 2 minutes on each side until golden brown.
- Remove from oil and drain on paper towel.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan cheese. Dip in warm marinara sauce!
- Adjust recipe to the amount of raviolis serving (this is for a family-size appetizer. If I'm hosting a big party, I'll use 2 bags of ravioli, which means more breadcrumbs as well!)
- Make sure oil is hot before adding ravioli, or else your breadcrumbs will become soggy and flake off, oh no!
Agh thank you so much, it’s been in my to do list as well and was going to bake them. Thank you so much, saved me. By the way how did you get the fonts on your pictures? Lovely xx
No problem! There’s an app called “A Beautiful Mind,” you should check it out!
Hello again, thanks for your reply. Tried googling the beautiful mind app but couldn’t find it 🙁 can you please reply me with a link? Thanks xx
Hey! Unfortunately I downloaded my app on my phone, so I don’t think it’s available online. Try searching it through the app store via your phone!
Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis fave and can only be found in St. Louis…thank you so much for posting this recipe for a little taste of home! I was born and raised there and just moved 1000 miles away…no more “t-ravs” for this girl unless I make it myself (I tried my own recipe and it was a disaster!!). Gotta try this one 🙂
Good luck! Let me know how it turns out 🙂
Sure thing, St Louis on the hill tradition. Toasted ravioli are sold every where, restaurants, grocery stores. Hard to find and is a must, provel cheese. So yummy. Also while the toasted ravioli are still hot sprinkle real Parmesan on top, looks great. Adds a little to the presentation.
Thank you! It’s not the theme I’d like, but it settles for now. It’s the Jemma Theme by Aaron Hartland.
Did you fry them throughout the party or before hand??? I was asking because I’m curious how you keep them warm? I was thinking making them in advance but keeping them warm in the oven.
So I actually breaded them the night before the party, fried an hour before, then kept in the oven at 250 until it was time to serve them. It was on a Football Sunday and at halftime I reheated the marinara instead of the ravioli which was nice too!
Hey Lindsay!
When you say you breaded it the night before, did you just leave them in the fridge until ready to fry? And do you change the oil during the frying? Can’t wait to try it!!
Hi Jenn! I did leave them in the fridge overnight – you can freeze at this point too! Breading is a little time consuming so I def recommend doing so the day before. When frying, I used a big ol pot therefore only fried two batches. Depending on the size pot and batches, you may have to fish out any burnt crumbs but you won’t have to change the oil. Coming soon is a homemade ravioli with a pumpkin filling – I’m going to fry some of those too and see what comes of that. Stay tuned!! Let me know how these turn out for ya.
Just made these, and they are perfect!!! My 16 month old is eating off my plate, so I’d say we have a winner!! Thank you for sharing.
This looks so very yummy! I gave a shout out and a link back to the recip in my weekly “Saturday Morning Coffee Thoughts” post. Have a great weekend!
http://www.perfectlycreatedchaos.com/2015/05/saturday-morning-coffee-thoughts_9.html
Do you need to thaw the frozen raviolis before you fry or bake them, or, do you keep them frozen?
Thawed!