We love lasagna for dinner. It’s one of our go-to family dinners, but it can be a chore to make totally from scratch. That’s why I have an easy microwaveable short cut version with my 3-ingredient Lazy Man Lasagna. This post contains affiliate links.

Title image with an extreme close up of the ravioli in the 3-ingredient lazy-man lasagna

It’s so easy because it has 3 ingredients. That’s it! Even the kids can put this one together.

Table of Contents

What do you need to make Microwave Lazy Man Lasagna?

What could be easier than just 3 ingredients? All you need is:

a bag of frozen cheese ravioli (or meat ravioli)
2 cups mozzarella cheese
24 oz jar of meat sauce

If you are good at preparing ahead of time, which definitely isn’t always me, then pop the frozen ravioli in the refrigerator to defrost the night before. This cuts down on the cook time in the microwave.

How do you make 3-Ingredient Lazy Man Lasagna?

This is the easy part! You’ll just layer:

sauce
cheese
ravioli

Collage images of how to layer the 3-ingredient lazy man lasagna

I use either an 8 x 8 baking dish or a 7 x 11 baking dish. Both fit nicely in the microwave. Make sure to spray it with non-stick oil spray beforehand, so the lasagna doesn’t get stuck in the dish.

Now, start with a couple tablespoons of the sauce and spread it all over the bottom of the dish. Add a single layer of ravioli. Top that layer with sauce and the some mozzarella cheese.

Then, you’ll begin again with a layer of ravioli, then sauce, then cheese. With one regular package of frozen cheese ravioli, you can layer ravioli, sauce, and cheese – 3 times each.

If you’re running out of the sauce when you get to the last layer, add 1/2 cup of hot water to the spaghetti sauce jar and shake it up really good. Then pour it over the ravioli. (leave off the last layer of mozzarella cheese until later)

You definitely want to cover all the ravioli with sauce and adding a little bit of water really helps this. This keeps the ravioli nice and soft.

Close up view of the ravioli from the 3-ingredient lazy man lasagna

How do you cook a 3-ingredient Lazy Man Lasagna in the Microwave?

I recommend leaving off the top most layer of mozzarella cheese until the last bit of microwave cooking because this lasagna will need to cook for about 15 minutes or so. The top layer of cheese can get really hard when you microwave it for that long.

When I buy cheese ravioli, it recommends the internal temperature of the ravioli should be 165 F degrees. I use a kitchen thermometer and check the temperature of the casserole at different points during the microwaving process. To check the temperature, insert the temperature in a ravioli that is in the center of the casserole.

I love using a kitchen thermometer. I use one to check internal temperatures all the time, especially for meat.

Thawed vs. Frozen Ravioli

With a microwave, cook time will vary. This is also true if you’re using thawed or frozen ravioli.

If you thawed the ravioli in the fridge ahead of time so it’s not rock hard frozen, this will cut down on cook time. Check the temperature of the casserole after about 10 minutes in the microwave. And, if the temperature is close, like 145-150 F degrees, sprinkle the top layer of mozzarella cheese and microwave for another 3-5 minutes.

If you are using frozen solid ravioli, then you’ll probably need to microwave for 18-20 minutes. Start with 15 minutes and check the temperature. If it’s 110-120 F, then don’t add the cheese yet, just put it back in the microwave for 7-8 minutes and check again. If it’s close, such as 145-150 F degrees, sprinkle the top layer of mozzarella cheese and microwave for another 3-5 minutes.

Boiled Ravioli Option

Another option is boiling the ravioli BEFORE putting the lasagna together. You can do this in the microwave. This will greatly cut down on the time for cooking the entire lasagna AND you can skip the entire part about checking the internal temperature of the casserole.

To cook the ravioli in the microwave ahead of time:

Place one bag of frozen ravioli into a microwave-safe large bowl
Add 2 1/2 cups water
Cover it with vented plastic wrap
Microwave on High for 10 minutes, stirring once halfway through the time

Lazy Lasagna with Boiled Ravioli

Once the ravioli have been boiled, drain the water and prepare the casserole the exact same way as if you were using the frozen ravioli.

Go ahead and add the last layer of mozzarella cheese. Then, cook the casserole for 7-8 minutes on HIGH. It’s done!

Can you make the 3-Ingredient Lazy Lasagna with Fresh Ravioli?

Yes, you can. If you are using fresh ravioli, you can use the boil method mentioned above. Or, you can use the method for “thawed ravioli” and make sure to check the internal temperature as fresh ravioli is uncooked and will need to reach 165 F degrees.

How do you store leftovers of the 3-Ingredient Lazy Lasagna?

This is a great casserole to portion out for meal prep for the week into separate containers for the fridge.

For leftovers, just put it in a sealed container for up to 5 days in the fridge. Reheat portions as necessary.

More Easy Microwave Casseroles

More Italian Recipes for the Microwave

6-7 servings

Microwave Cheesy Ravioli Lasagna with Meat Sauce

Name: Microwave Cheesy Ravioli Lasagna with Meat Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 25 min
Yield: 6
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 25 oz bag frozen cheese ravioli; 45 oz jar spaghetti sauce with meat; 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded; 1/2 lb ground beef

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

25 oz bag frozen cheese ravioli
45 oz jar spaghetti sauce with meat
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 lb ground beef

Instructions

Cook the hamburger meat and add to sauce.
Layer 2 tablespoons of sauce in the bottom of the dish.
Add a single layer of ravioli.
Cover the ravioli with 1/3 of the jar of sauce.
Top the sauce with mozzarella cheese.
Continue adding layers until there are 3 layers of ravioli.
If necessary, add 1/2 cup of hot water to the jar of sauce and shake it up.
Top this final layer of ravioli with the sauce.
Microwave for 10 minutes on HIGH.
Check the internal temperature of the ravioli to determine if it's reached 165 F degrees. If close to 165 F degrees, and microwave for 3-5 additional minutes.
If the temperature is not close, microwave for 8-10 more minutes, check temperature.
Add the last layer of mozzarella cheese and heat for an additional 45 seconds to 1 minute.
Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 506Total Fat: 24gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 85mgSodium: 1169mgCarbohydrates: 39gFiber: 5gSugar: 15gProtein: 31g

Any nutritional information on justmicrowaveit.com should only be used as a general guideline. This information is provided as a courtesy and there is no guarantee that the information will be completely accurate.

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3-Ingredient Lazy Man Lasagna in the Microwave