Toasted ravioli is a St. Louis original, and Missouri fans bring it to Columbia. Here the breaded ravioli get baked crisp at home, then piled with sausage, mozzarella and pepperoncini and melted like nachos under the grill lid. At Faurot Field there are no grills in campus parking garages, so this one needs a surface lot.
At the lot: Melt the pans under the grill lid. Homegating: Bake the ravioli, build the pans and melt them in the oven.
Home gear: 2 rimmed sheet pans and a skillet
55 MIN
At home
20 MIN
At the lot
8
Serves
Ingredients
Toasted ravioli
- 1 (25-oz) bag frozen cheese ravioli, thawed in the fridge
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tbsp water
- 1¼ cups Italian-seasoned breadcrumbs
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- 3 tbsp olive oil, plus spray for the pans
Toppings
- 1 lb bulk Italian sausage
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (8 oz)
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini
- 1 (24-oz) jar marinara sauce
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan
- A handful of fresh basil leaves, torn
Steps
At home
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Brush the sheet pans with the olive oil.
- Whisk the eggs and water in a shallow bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs and ¼ cup of Parmesan in another.
- Dip each ravioli in the egg, let the extra drip off, then press it into the crumbs on both sides. Lay them on the pans in a single layer and spray the tops lightly.
- Bake 8 minutes, flip them and bake until deep golden and crisp, 6 to 8 minutes more. Cool them on the pans.
- Brown the sausage in the skillet over medium-high, breaking it up, until no pink remains and it reads 160°F, about 10 minutes. Drain it and let it cool.
- Pack the ravioli in a large foil pan in a single layer (use 2 pans if they don't fit). Pack the sausage, mozzarella and pepperoncini in separate containers and refrigerate everything.
At the lot
- Set the grill up for indirect heat at about 400°F. Scatter the sausage over the ravioli, then the mozzarella and pepperoncini.
- Set the pan on the cool side, close the lid and heat until the cheese melts and the center reads 165°F, 12 to 15 minutes. Warm the marinara in the saucepan at the edge of the grill at the same time.
- Spoon some marinara over the top, scatter the Parmesan and basil and serve the rest of the sauce on the side for dipping.
Pack for the lot
Lot notes
- No fryer: a hot oven crisps the breading at home, so there's no pot of oil to haul or watch in the lot.
- Shortcut: many stores sell frozen breaded toasted ravioli. Bake them by the package directions and start at step 5.
- Holding: keep the pan on the cool side with the lid down. The holding rules are in how to keep food hot at a tailgate.
Can you make toasted ravioli ahead for a tailgate?
Yes. Bread and bake them the day before, cool them and refrigerate them in the foil pan. They re-crisp on the grill while the cheese melts.
How do you keep toasted ravioli nachos crisp?
Keep the ravioli in a single layer and add the marinara only at the end. Build a second pan instead of stacking deeper.
How much for 20 people?
Make 3 batches in 3 large foil pans, which feeds about 24: 3 bags of ravioli, 6 eggs, 3¾ cups of breadcrumbs, 1½ cups of Parmesan in all, 3 lb of sausage, 6 cups of mozzarella, 1½ cups of pepperoncini and 3 jars of marinara. Put the next pan on when the first is half gone.
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