If you’re looking for a great plant-based dinner, you’ve come to the right place.
This easy, meatless pasta dinner uses only 6 ingredients and takes 30 minutes to make. Every item is store-bought from the pasta itself to jarred marinara sauce. You can use any mushroom of your choosing. Shiitakes, Oysters, Baby Portobellos, White Button, or the Creminis we used all work here. Sliced, they’re sauteed with spinach, garlic, a tiny bit of marinara sauce, and great pillow-y fresh ravioli. I got my ravioli at Whole Foods. We used the ricotta-filled variation. If you’d prefer Pesto or Spinach and Mozzarella, be our guest. You’ll be rewarded with a sumptuous dinner in record time.
Ravioli date back to the 1400s.
Ravioli is Italy’s version of the dumpling. Its name comes from the Italian verb “riavvolgere” which means ‘to wrap’. Ravioli are made by ‘wrapping’ fillings– ricotta, meat, cheese, or vegetables– in two thin layers of pasta dough. They were written about in the 14th century in a manuscript titled “Libro per Cuoco” (literally Cook Book). The recipe for ravioli was “Green herbs blanched and minced, mixed with beaten eggs and simmered in a broth.” According to one legend, Ravioli was invented by Genovese sailors who wrapped their leftovers in a dough pocket. In Italy, a vegetarian version of Ravioli has long been served every Friday. And Ravioli is an integral part of the solemn observance of Lent.
No, Chef Boyardee did not invent canned Ravioli
Chef Boyardee was late to the party. Canned Ravioli was pioneered by the Italian Army during the First World War. The Chef’s version made its debut in the 1930s. In 1924, an Italian immigrant, Ettore Boiardi, formerly Head Chef at New York’s Plaza 
Hotel, opened a restaurant in Cleveland, Ohio. Chef Boyardee, the brand, was born when customers asked for his spaghetti sauce to take home. He began distributing it in milk bottles. Four years later he opened a factory in Milton, Pennsylvania where he could grow his own mushrooms and tomatoes. He named his products “Boy-Ar-Dee” to help Americans pronounce his name properly. During World War 2, the US Military commissioned the company for army rations of Chef Boyardee Ravioli. The factory ran 24 hours a day, employed 5000 workers, and produced 250,000 cans per day. Here’s today’s recipe and after it, some other ‘stuffed pasta’ recipes you might enjoy.
Mushroom Ravioli with Spinach
Whatever mushroom you choose is sauteed with spinach, garlic, and a tiny bit of marinara sauce and great pillow-y fresh ravioli for dinner in under 30 mins.
Ingredients
- 10 oz ravioli (cheese ravioli, pesto-filled, etc.)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¼ cup marinara sauce
- 10 oz mushrooms (cremini, button mushrooms, or baby portobello, oysters or shiitake)
- 5 oz spinach, fresh
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- salt and pepper
Directions
- Step 1 Cook ravioli until al dente. Drain.
- Step 2 In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat.
- Step 3 Add marinara sauce and sliced mushrooms and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.
- Step 4 Add fresh spinach, minced garlic, red pepper flakes. Continue cooking and stirring until the spinach wilts.
- Step 5 To the skillet with sautéed mushrooms and vegetables add cooked ravioli, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and stir. Reheat gently on medium-low heat.
- Step 6 Season with salt and pepper.
