easiest dinner ever

It seems I've been posting pretty involved meals lately. Often the quick 30-minute meals don't make it to the blog, I guess because they don't always seem that impressive. On the other hand, everyone needs quick and easy weekday meals, so here's a new one that we tried tonight. (I tend to say "we" because Matt almost always assists in the cooking process!)

This ravioli dish is hearty and flavorful, vegetarian, and can be easily halved as we did tonight.


Cheesy Toasted Ravioli with Pesto
from Cook's Country April/May 2010
Makes 4 servings

1 tbsp unsalted butter
2 (9-ounce) packages fresh cheese ravioli
1 c low-sodium chicken broth
1/3 c heavy cream (I used 2% milk because I don't like to have tons of cream sitting around)
1/4 c basil pesto, homemade or store-bought refrigerated
1/2 c crumbled goat cheese (we used goat feta)
3 plum tomatoes, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
Salt & pepper

Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat broiler (do as they say or your cheese won't brown--I tried to skip this). Melt butter in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat (if you use an oven-safe skillet you won't have to switch pans midway). Add ravioli and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Stir in the broth and cream and cook, covered until ravioli are nearly tender, about 3 minutes. Remove lid and continue to cook until sauce is slightly thickened and ravioli are completely tender, about 3 minutes.

Off heat, stir pesto and 1/4 cup cheese into pan with ravioli. Transfer to broiler-safe 1 1/2-quart casserole (unless you used that oven-safe pan in the beginning). Arrange tomatoes over ravioli and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese and broil until surface is spotty brown, about 3 minutes. Serve warm with a salad.