If I had to name one kind of food that Missouri is famous for it’s their BBQ. While I love eating delicious food in various parts of the country and figuring out how to make it at home, there are plenty of examples of where I know to leave it to the experts. BBQ is one of those things.

There’s nothing better than really good BBQ made by someone who has put in their 10,000 hours and knows what they’re doing.

One of the other things Missouri is known for (particularly in St. Louis) is toasted ravioli and that is absolutely something that can be easily made at home. And what a treat it is.

Contrary to the name, toasted ravioli is fried, not toasted. Making it is simply a matter of coating ravioli with bread crumbs and frying them.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

But, as with many pasta dishes, the magic of this dish is in the sauce. I mean, we are talking fried cheese filled pasta, so there’s no way that’s going to be bad. But top it with a really good marinara and it becomes something special.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

If you are a homemade pasta kind of person and have the time, you might want to make the ravioli from scratch simply because it’s a lovely way to spend an afternoon. But, honestly, frozen cheese filled ravioli is just as good in here and even though I am a homemade pasta kind of person, that’s what I used.

Plan ahead: Everything about this dish is simple and easy but there are a couple of things to plan enough time for:

1. The marinara sauce needs an hour or two to simmer.
2. If using frozen ravioli, allow 20 minutes to thaw after they are breaded.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ rebeccablackwell.com

Recipe: Toasted Ravioli

This recipe is an excerpt from Let's Get Lost, a newsletter about baking and cooking as a full time traveler. Read more and subscribe: rebeccablackwell.com

Makes 4-6 main dish servings.

Ingredients:

• Homemade marinara sauce
• 2 large eggs
• ¼ cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups Italian bread crumbs
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese + more for sprinkling
• 1 (20- to 25-ounce) package frozen or refrigerated ravioli
• vegetable oil, for frying

1. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. If using refrigerated ravioli, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. If using frozen ravioli, preheat the oven after breading the ravioli to give them time to thaw.
2. Add 2 eggs and 1/4 cup of milk to a small bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Add 1 1/2 cups bread crumbs, 3/4 teaspoon of salt, and 1/3 of a cup of shredded or grated parmesan cheese to a separate bowl OR zip-top bag and stir to combine (or zip the bag and give it a shake).
4. Dip the pieces of ravioli into the egg mixture. Then dip the ravioli in the breadcrumb mixture OR add them to the bag one at a time and shake them around a bit. Lay them on the paper towel lined baking sheet.
5. If using frozen ravioli, let them rest on the baking sheet at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes to give them time to thaw. They don’t need to be completely thawed, but if you press down on the center of one, it shouldn’t feel rock hard. If using refrigerated ravioli there’s no need to wait to fry them.
6. Fill a large saucepan, dutch oven, or skillet with enough oil to come about 2-inches up the sides. Set the pan over high heat and bring the oil to 350°F. (A high heat thermometer is super helpful here.)
7. Add a few ravioli to the hot oil (I don’t like to add more than 6 at one time) and fry them for 2-4 minutes total, flipping them over with tongs halfway through. Remove the ravioli from the oil when they are golden brown and place them back on the the paper towel lined baking sheet.
8. Repeat with the remaining ravioli. When all the ravioli have been added, sprinkle them with a bit of additional parmesan cheese (how much is up to you) and pop the baking sheet in the oven for a couple of minutes to melt the cheese and ensure that all the ravioli are hot.
9. Serve with marinara that’s been heated in a saucepan on the stovetop and additional grated parmesan if desired. Spoon the sauce over the ravioli or serve it alongside the ravioli as a dipping sauce.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

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