Toasted Ravioli (The Pioneer Woman Cooks!)

Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis specialty; Marlboro Man and I first tried it years and years ago when we visited St. Louis to attend my brother-in-law’s wife’s brother’s wedding. At least I think that’s whose wedding it was. It might have been my brother’s wife’s brother-in-law’s wedding. Or it might have been my wife’s brother-in-law’s brother’s wedding.

(Don’t pay any attention to me. I could go on like this for hours.)

Anyway, toasted ravioli, despite its moniker, is actually fried ravioli (I’m not quite sure where the word “toasted” came into play), and while it seems like it would be a complicated munchie to make, it really couldn’t be easier. It’s the perfect predinner bite for any Italian(ish) menu, or just a fun snack for a night of movie watching.

For the breading of the ravioli, you need 3 dishes: One with an egg/half-and-half mixture…

One with flour…

And one with seasoned breadcrumbs.

Then just grab the ravioli right out of the freezer! You want them to be totally frozen, not thawed at all.

Okay, here’s the breading process: One by one, dunk the ravioli in the egg mixture…

Then dredge it in the flour…

Dunk it back into the egg mixture…

Then drop it into the breadcrumbs and toss it around to coat.

Put them on a plate as you go! And you can easily do this breading ahead of time and pop them back into the freezer until you need them; if you’re having nine million people over, this is the way to go!

When you’re ready to fry them, heat some vegetable oil over medium-high heat; if you have an oil thermometer, bring it to 400 degrees. Carefully drop in the breaded ravioli, 3 or 4 at a time…

And fry them until they’re golden and crisp, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes. (You’ll need to carefully turn them over halfway through the frying so they brown evenly on both sides.)

Keep going until they’re all fried up, draining them on a paper towel-lined plate as you go.

When they’re all fried up, pile them on a platter with a dish of marinara sauce…

Then sprinkle on some freshly grated Parmesan…

And some minced parsley.

Then serve ‘em up!

Warning: These are extremely habit forming. Enter at your own risk!

Here’s the handy dandy printable.

Recipe

Toasted Ravioli

Prep Time: 15 Minutes Cook Time: 20 Minutes Difficulty: Easy Servings: 24

Print Recipe

Ingredients

4 cups Vegetable Oil
6 whole Eggs
1/2 cup Half-and-half
2 cups All-purpose Flour
2 cups Seasoned Breadcrumbs
24 whole Frozen Ravioli (cheese Or Meat)
2 cups Jarred Marinara Sauce, Heated
1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
1 Tablespoon Minced Fresh Parsley

Preparation Instructions

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat until it reaches 400 degrees.

Whisk together the eggs and half-and-half in a dish. Place the flour in a separate dish. Pour the breadcrumbs into a third dish.

Grab the ravioli right out of the freezer. One at a time, drop the ravioli into the egg mixture, then dredge them in flour, then dunk them once again in the egg mixture, then coat them in the breadcrumbs. Set them aside on a plate as you go.

3 or 4 at a time, drop the breaded ravioli into the oil and fry them for 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the filling is hot. They brown quickly, so watch them the whole time!

Remove them to a paper towel and repeat with the rest of the ravioli. Transfer them to a serving platter, sprinkle on the Parmesan and parsley, and serve with the marinara sauce.

Posted by Ree | The Pioneer Woman on May 27 2014