Easy Pan Fried Ravioli Appetizer
This tasty Pan Fried Ravioli appetizer is quick and easy. Crispy ravioli on the outside with a warm cheesy center! Perfect for dipping and there’s no egg-coating or bread-coating or boiling required!
It’s also a perfect game day or the holiday appetizer and only takes minutes to make!
Just whip up pan seared ravioli and serve these crispy pasta bites with your favorite marinara or pesto dipping sauce!
Use fresh or frozen ravioli for this easy appetizer! Crispy pasta outside with a warm cheesy inside!
Why this recipe works
No need to spend money on frozen pizza rolls when you can make a similar Italian snack at home!
- Quick and easy – this fried ravioli recipe is super simple
- Minimal prep – No breadcrumbs, no egg, no coating!
- Kids love these! Little Italian pizza bites that are much healther than Totino’s pizza rolls
- Versatile – use whatever kind of stuffed ravioli you like!
If you’ve got a bag of fresh or frozen ravioli in your kitchen, you’ve got a quick and easy appetizer! These little “pesto poppers” (as I call them) are perfect for game day or holidays!
These are pretty quick and easy to make and are less expensive than Olive Garden’s™ Pan Fried Ravioli!
What you’ll need
This pan seared pasta appetizer doesn’t require a lot of ingredients: all you need is ravioli, oil and a skillet! Use fresh ravioli or frozen and any flavor and shape you like! I’ve made this easy Italian appetizer with cheese ravioli, mushroom ravioli and lobster ravioli (which I used an Alfredo dipping sauce!) and they are delicious and appreciated every time!
- Ravioli – you can use refrigerated ravioli or frozen; if you use frozen make sure it’s thawed and completely dry before adding it to the oil. Use square or round ravioli, any flavor you like. I think the square ravioli turn out prettier than the round.
- Oil – frying oil, usually canola or vegetable oil; if you want to use olive oil, be sure to add a little canola or vegetable oil to the skillet because olive oil alone cannot stand the high heat
- Dipping sauce – use a homemade pesto or marinara sauce for dipping or, buy a high-quality prepred jar of either or an Alfredo sauce
- Garnish – a little fresh parsley and shredded Parmesan cheese always looks appetizing
How to make it
- Pour frying oil in a medium size skillet and bring it to medium or medium-high heat. You want the bottom of the skillet to be lightly covered with oil about 1″inch.
- You want the oil to be pretty hot, so use common sense here. If the oil is too hot and you notice the ravioli is cooking too fast, turn down the heat. Every stovetop is different, so start with the stove heat on medium and increase the heat if necessary.
- Place ravioli in a single layer and cook 30-60 seconds (put the flat side down in the oil first); flip, and allow to cook another 30 seconds; if the top of the ravioli isn’t a light golden brown enough, flip ’em again until they reach a crispy golden brown that suits you
- Drain the fried ravioli on a paper towel; garnish with any of these: shredded Mozarella and/or Parmesan cheese, diced red peppers, diced tomatoes, red pepper flakes. Serve with your favorite pesto or marinara dipping sauce.
- If you see the ravioli start to pop open and split, flip it over; repeat as needed until the pasta is light golden brown
Recipe tips
- For best results, use refrigerated ravioli (in any shape-some are square and some are round; I’ve found the round shaped ravioli “puff up” more than the square ones. You’ll find several brands of refrigerated ravioli: Rana and Buitoni are two popular brands
- These don’t take long to make at all because there’s no prep time involved. Just heat the oil and place them in a single layer; keep an eye on the toasted ravioli and flip it about every 30 seconds until it is the hue of golden brown you like
Use fresh or frozen ravioli
You can use either fresh or frozen ravioli to make this easy game day appetizer. If you use frozen, make sure it’s thawed and dried prior to placing it in the hot oil.
How to defrost frozen pasta quickly
Place frozen pasta in a colander and run cold water over it. Pat the pasta dry with a paper towel.
How to keep it warm
Preheat the oven to the warm setting (200-225ºF.) Cook and drain the fried ravioli on a paper towel, then place the crispy pasta bites on a baking sheet; place in the oven uncovered until ready to serve.
Serving suggestions
Serve with store bought or homemade pasta sauce, pesto sauce or an infused olive oil. Garnish with diced tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and fresh Italian parsley.
Storage and reheating
If you have any pan fried ravioli leftover, store in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. To reheat, place on baking sheet in a single layer, uncovered and bake at 275ºF to 10-12 minutes.
If you microwave them, they get soggy.
This pan fried ravioli appetizer (or pan seared ravioli) is the perfect Italian appetizer for the holidays or any day! These pair beautifully with Eggplant Parmesan, os Spaghetti and Bolognese sauce! Sometimes, I make easy pan fried ravioli to serve with Pasta Carbonara and a crisp green salad.
Related recipes:
- Margherita Nachos
- Hickory Almond Stuffed Dates
- Cheddar Cheese Wafers
- Sausage Balls
- Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs
♥ If you make this recipe, please leave a comment or rating below!
Pan Fried Ravioli Appetizer
Ingredients
- 1 lb ravioli fresh or frozen; round or flat
- oil (See Recipe Notes) , canola or vegetable (start with ½ cup; add more if you need it)
- salt to taste
Garnish
- ½ cup Parmesan Cheese (shredded or grated; sprinkle over top)optional
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley (sprinkle over top)optional
- 1 cup arugula or rosemary (for plating)optional
- 1 medium tomato (optional) for garnish , seeded and diced
Dipping Sauce
- 1 cup homemade or jarred marinara, pesto sauce or Alfredo sauce
Instructions
Frozen Ravioli
- Skip this step if using fresh ravioli or refrigerated ravioli. If using frozen, remove pasta from packaging and place in a colander1 lb ravioli
- Run cool water over the frozen pasta until it is no longer frozen (about two minutes)
- Place in a single layer on paper towels; pat each ravioli until it is completely dry
Cook the Ravioli
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium to medium-high heatoil (See Recipe Notes)
- Place ravioli in a single layer in skillet; cook for 30-60 seconds (if using square ravioli, place the flat side down in the oil first)
- Flip and cook an additional 30-60 seconds or until they begin to brown slightly See Recipe Notes
- Using a spatula or tongs, remove the fried ravioli from the skillet and place on a paper towel
- *If serving later, place on baking sheet and place in warm oven (200°F)
- If serving immediately, plate arugula, place ravioli on arugula, garnish with diced tomatoes, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley; lightly salt to tastesalt to taste, 1 cup arugula or rosemary, ½ cup Parmesan Cheese, 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, 1 medium tomato (optional) for garnish
- Serve with dipping sauce of choice1 cup homemade or jarred marinara, pesto sauce or Alfredo sauce
Notes
- Place in a colander and run cold water of the pasta
- Once it’s tender, pat dry with a paper towel
I JUST made these! OMG! I may never boil ravioli again! This would be a fab appetizer at a potluck or picnic. I can also seeing kids totally loving this because you get to eat ravioli with your fingers. They cooked up very quick in a cast iron skillet and got so brown and toasty. I’ll use the remaining oil in the pan to quick fry up some zucchini.
I’m so glad you enjoyed them! Thank you!
So easy and quick! We use butternut squash ravioli. Quick cook for 2-3 minutes preside in a small amount of olive oil and butter. Remove and top with fresh Parmesan. And serve with a small Caesar salad.
Great simple recipe! No extra breadcrumbs to soak up greasy oil. I used olive oil to sauté the ravioli and sprinkled garlic powder and grated Parmesan cheese on it. It was crispy and not soggy liked boiled ravioli! Highly recommend this!
Thank you, Alice! I appreciate your taking time to share!
Good tasty food..
Thanks Paul! It’s so easy, it’s hard to call it a “recipe” but it is a great snack!!
This is my “new” favorite appetizer . It tastes as delicious as it looks.
This looks delicious! Definitely trying this!
It’s super easy!!!