Hi! Heather the babysitter here bringing you another babysitter friendly recipe. Ever since I was a little kid, I’ve always loved ravioli. My introduction to those pillows of tender pasta filled with a cheesy or meaty treat on the inside most likely originated, sadly, with those little cans of Chef-Boyardee.

Eventually, a small gourmet specialty store opened up in my rural Vermont town, which before that only knew farm stands and a big family-run grocery store. I was fascinated by the little shop with it’s wooden racks filled with European wines and a cooler filled with exotically stinky cheeses, finely sliced meats and white boxes filled with fresh, homemade ravioli.

The shop, appropriately named Bon Vivant, was owned and operated by a friendly French man who seemed have opened it purely out of a desire eat well himself. There was a poster on the wall of the back of a man on a bicycle riding down a picturesque country road. The man was wearing  a beret and had a baguette strapped to the back of his bike with word FRANCE! written below him in slanted letters. As an eight-year-old I was mesmerized by this poster and knew that I must go to this place called France one day.

The raviolis from this little gem of a store became a staple in my parent’s house. And as always-hungry growing children, the delicious raviolis were the perfect after school, or late night snack.

This ravioli lasagna is even better than the usual boiled ravioli with red sauce. In this super-fun kid-friendly recipe, we layer the cooked ravioli with sauce and cheese and bake it to form a gooey, layered, cheesy lasagna!  It comes out looking golden and delicious and is incredibly easy to make. The layering of the ravioli and the sauce is a great thing to let the kids do. Be sure to let it cool before serving, as it will be very hot!