The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
This easy ravioli sauce is so easy to make with refrigerated or frozen ravioli. It has a thick and flavorful cream sauce with a hint of tomato flavor, simple seasonings, and fresh or canned diced tomatoes. Your family will love this 30-minute meal.
Be sure to serve this with a side of my Garlic Bread with Cheese!
Easy Ravioli Sauce
Nothing beats a gourmet-style ravioli sauce that you can have on the dinner table in 30 minutes flat.
The 4-cheese ravioli that I use for this recipe is filled with a combination of ricotta, Romano, mozzarella, and gorgonzola. So I chose to use cream cheese and Parmesan cheese in the sauce- because that gives us a 6-cheese combination!
SIX! CHEESES! 🤯
Scroll down to see how to make it, read through my PRO tips, storage information, and more.
How to Make It
See recipe card below this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions.
Melt the butter in a large high-walled skillet and add minced garlic. Cook for 2 minutes. Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, onion powder, basil, oregano, and mustard powder. Stir to combine.
Add the chicken broth in splashes, stirring continuously. Slowly stir in the half and half. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
Stir in the softened cream cheese and drained diced tomatoes. (Optional, reserve some of the tomato juice in case you’d like to thin the sauce out at the end.) Cook the pasta according to package instructions, drain. Reduce heat to low and stir in the Parmesan cheese.
Add the ravioli and use a silicone spatula to gently stir until combined. Garnish with Parsley and red pepper flakes and serve!
Pro Tips
- Freshly diced Roma tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of Rotel if preferred.
- A teaspoon of hot sauce makes a nice addition to the sauce and won’t make it too spicy.
- Optional additions include: Fresh spinach or fresh basil.
- I use Rana refrigerated 4-cheese Ravioli with this recipe.
- To soften the cream cheese quickly: Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave. Place 3 Tbsp. cream cheese in the microwave and close the door. Let it soften for 5 minutes.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese.
- 20 oz. tortellini can be used in this recipe as well. (Or try my easy Tortellini Sauce recipe!)
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 144!
Storage
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- While you can freeze leftovers, ravioli doesn’t hold up quite as well after being frozen and reheated.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links)- Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- This is the Le Creuset skillet I used in this recipe, (and in 90% of my recipes). It’s pricey, but it conducts heat really well and is oven safe. The size is perfect and the quality is great.
- Pasta Strainer– This is the one I have and love.
- Box Cheese Grater– Always shred cheese from a block, it melts and tastes much better. Bagged shredded cheese contains cellulose which prevents it from melting as well.
- Silicone Spatula– I use these every time I cook. It makes it easy to carefully toss the ravioli into the sauce.
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Easy Ravioli Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter, I use Land O' Lakes
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried basil, dried oregano, mustard powder
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- 1 ½ cups half and half, half light cream/half milk
- 10 oz. Rotel tomatoes with green chilies, juices reserved
- 3 tablespoons cream cheese, softened
- 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
- 20 oz. refrigerated ravioli
- 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes, optional
Instructions
- Prep Work: Measure out all ingredients prior to beginning.
- Melt the butter in a large high-walled skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring continuously. Add the flour and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste, onion powder, basil, oregano, and mustard powder. Stir to combine.
- Add the chicken broth in small splashes, stirring continuously. Add the half and half in the same manner. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer.
- Add the softened cream cheese and drained diced tomatoes. (Pro Tip: Reserve the tomato juice in case you’d like to thin the sauce out at the end.)
- Cook the ravioli according to package instructions, drain.
- Reduce heat of the sauce to low. Gradually sprinkle in the Parmesan cheese and stir until combined. Add the red pepper flakes, if using.
- Add the ravioli and use a silicone spatula to gently stir until combined. Add any of the reserved tomato juice if desired. Serve!
Notes
- Freshly diced Roma tomatoes or regular diced tomatoes can be used instead of Rotel if preferred.
- A teaspoon of hot sauce makes a nice addition to the sauce and won’t make it too spicy.
- Optional additions include: Fresh spinach or fresh basil.
- I use Rana refrigerated 4-cheese Ravioli with this recipe.
- To soften the cream cheese quickly: Heat 2 cups of water in the microwave. Place 3 Tbsp. cream cheese in the microwave and close the door. Let it soften for 5 minutes.
- Grate the Parmesan cheese from a block, it will melt and taste much better than packaged grated cheese.
- 20 oz. tortellini can be used in this recipe as well.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 144!
Storage:
- Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days.
- While you can freeze leftovers, ravioli doesn't hold up quite as well after being frozen and reheated.
Hi I’m a vegetarian if I substituted the chicken broth with veggie broth or Italian better than bouillon would that be ok?
Hi Jodi! Yes, that would be fine!! 🙂
This was excellent. A couple of notes:
This turned out to have way more sauce than you need. It would clearly work with 30 Oz. of pasta if you have a large enough pan.
And this would be amazing over lobster ravioli. Restaurant quality meal.
I’m so happy that you loved it Jim!! I like plenty of sauce with pasta/ravioli! 🙂
I didn’t have any basil, so I subbed Italian seasoning and paprika, and I didn’t use half and half or cream cheese, just whole milk, and I didn’t have any chicken broth so I used some bouillon. And I used fresh chopped Roma tomatoes instead of Rotel, and it still didn’t skimp on flavor. Thanks for the great recipe, it’s a keeper!
You’re very welcome Amanda! Nice job making tweaks, I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review💖