fried ravioli

Anytime I can make a vegetarian meal and Ed doesn't complain, or even seem to notice, I'm in good shape. This was one of those meals. His only real comment was, "Did you make these?". A pretty good comment, at that.

When cooking pasta, I always, always, always season my water with plenty of salt and olive oil. The salt gives you an opportunity to season the pasta itself, and the olive oil help the pasta not to stick together.

You just need plain old ravioli for this! You can dethaw them and then cook, but you can cook them according to package directions and they work out just as well.

Let these cool just a little bit. Cool enough that you can handle them.

Okay, so now you'll want to mix up the breading. Parmesan cheese, Italian breadcrumbs, a little bit of panko breadcrumbs as well, flour, black pepper, salt and some chopped up parsley.

This is a dry, wet, dry deal here. First, the cooked ravioli into the breadcrumbs, then into milk. Sorry, I didn't get a shot of the raviolis in the milk. By the time I realized it, I already had junk all over my fingers.

Back into the breadcrumbs for a final dusting and then onto a sheet pan.

How cute are these?

Repeat until allll the raviolis are covered with breading. Pop these little delights into the fridge for about 10 minutes while you let the oil come to temperature. You don't need much oil, only about an inch of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Once the oil is up to temp, fry the ravioli in batches. These will literally take just a few seconds to brown on the bottom, then it's time to flip.

Repeat on the other side and then drain on a paper towel. Dust with a small bit of salt and serve with marinara. You'll make these all the time.

Fried Ravioli
1 bag frozen cheese ravioli
1 cup Italian breadcrumbs
1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup milk
Vegetable oil

Prepare ravioli according to package directions. Drain and let cool. Meanwhile, mix together both kinds of breadcrumbs, flour, parmesan cheese, garlic powder, salt and black pepper in a large bowl. Pour milk into a small bowl. Dunk each individual cooked ravioli into the breadcrumbs, then into the milk, and then back into the breadcrumbs. Place on a baking tray and repeat with all remaining ravioli. Place in fridge for 10 minutes. Preheat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a pan over medium heat. In batches, fry raviolis for about 30 seconds on either side or until browned and crispy. Drain on a paper towel and season with salt. Serve with warm marinara and enjoy!