Air Fried Toasted Ravioli

This super simple recipe takes store bought cheese ravioli and transforms them into a crispy appetizer that's crunchy on the outside and gooey on the inside. These bites are so fun and delicious. And, they take basically no effort at all to make.

So, let's get to it!

We're going to start with a simple cheese ravioli that we'll buy pre-made from the grocery store. You can use fresh or frozen pasta. But the key is cook it until it's just BARELY al dente. Because this pasta is getting cooked twice, we don't want to overcook it during either round. That will give us dry pasta that's crunchy but not in a good way. So, we'll cook our ravioli in salted water according to the package directions to the shortest cooking time on the bag. From there, we'll let the pasta cool down for just a few minutes. And then, to the breading station it goes.

To make our ravioli nice and crunchy on the outside, we're going to coat it in a homemade Italian seasoned panko breadcrumb mix. We'll start with plain panko. Then, we'll add some Italian seasoning, some garlic powder, and some grated parmesan cheese. Now, I very rarely use the shelf stable parmesan cheese in a can anymore. But, this is one of those times where it's actually the right decision. Pre-grated parm in a can tends to be a little drier than freshly grated parmesan, and it's not as melty. So, using the canned parm is a great way to add salty, cheesy flavor without creating a gooey mess.

Once our breadcrumb mix is ready, we'll dip our cooked ravioli into some well beaten egg, which will help the breadcrumbs stick. Then we'll coat them in the breadcrumbs, and they're ready for the air fryer!

When it's time to air fry, we'll preheat our air fryer to 390 degrees. Then, we'll spritz the basket with a little cooking spray, layer in our breaded ravioli, give the top of the ravioli another spritz of cooking spray to help them get nice and crispy, and we'll cook them until they're just golden brown.

Here's the thing. These can go from perfect to overcooked in just 60 seconds. Because all air fryers are not created equally, you're going to want to watch these babes pretty closely. Start checking them at the lowest cooking time, and check on them every 30 seconds-1 minute until they're lightly golden brown. When they hit that golden color, they're ready to eat. You guys know that I'm obsessed with my Ninja Foodi Grill air fryer, and mine were perfect at exactly 4 minutes.

When it's time to eat, you're in for quite the treat. The layers of texture in these little bites are truly incredible. We go from a crunchy coating on the outside, to a soft and chewy pasta in the middle, to a creamy and gooey center. These are insanely delish on their own. But, you can never go wrong with a dip on the side. A classic marinara sauce dipper is the obvious choice. But, I highly recommend serving these alongside the Mushroom Marsala dip we made earlier in the week.

*chef's kiss*

Okie dokes. That's all I've got for today. I'm having a great time air frying unusual suspects, so tell me what we should air fry next!

Until then, enjoy! And, let's eat!