Ravioli with Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes

Photo by Katie Kay

On my first date with Matt he took me to a restaurant where I ordered Portobello Mushroom Ravioli in a cream sauce.  That should have been a warning to him.  This is a girl who likes her ravioli, whether it's of the Boyardee or the 3 cheese variety.  When I made this delectable ravioli recipe, Matt wasn't totally wild about it and I blame the 3 Cheese Ravioli.  And while blaming it, I also respect, honor and adore it.
Ravioli is so versatile!  You can stuff it with meat, cheese, spinach, mushrooms, leaves, dirt, twigs...anything goes.  Then you get to toss it all in literally ANY kind of sauce you want!  I think frozen ravioli should be a staple in my freezer and yours.  Why would you ever use spaghetti noodles again?
There's also something that tempts me about fire-roasted tomatoes.  I'd love to do a blind taste test.  Can I really tell the difference?  Or do those black specs just make everything seem more authentic and homemade?  I can just see those tomatoes being roasted over a hot fire in a big room-sized brick oven using only wood for heat, then being canned with a tender smile and a ray of sunshine.  And this is always done in the country by someone's beloved Gammi.  (Johnny Football calls his grandma "Gammi" which I think is so classic and adorable, and I'm going to use it forever.)
So if you like cheese, fire roasted tomatoes, and Johnny Football's Gammi, you won't be disappointed.  Leftovers reheated well, too!
Ravioli with Italian Sausage and Fire-Roasted Tomatoes
1 package sweet Italian sausage 1 14.5oz can Fire Roasted Tomatoes 1 8oz can Tomato Sauce 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste 1 Tbsp Italian Seasoning 1 tsp Garlic Powder 1 tsp Onion Powder 1 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper 1 1/2 cups water 25oz bag frozen Cheese Ravioli 16oz Italian cheese blend, shredded Parmesan Cheese for topping Fresh Basil for topping
Cook sausage in an oven-safe skillet.  Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste.  Stir well.  Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper.  Add water and stir to combine.  Add ravioli and gently push them down under water level.  Cover pan and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until ravioli is tender.  Add 4oz of the Italian cheese blend and stir.  Top with remaining Italian cheese blend.
(If you are making this in advance, skip to the next paragraph now.)  After sprinkling the rest of the cheese over the top of the ravioli mixture, place the skillet in the oven and broil for 2 minutes or until cheese starts to crisp at the edges and starts to darken a little. 
I prepared this meal a few days before I planned on eating it, so at this point I moved the mixture to a casserole dish (so I could free up my skillet for other recipes) and refrigerated it.  When you are ready to prepare this dish for eating, you can remove it from the fridge and bake it at 350 for 15 minutes or until warmed through, then broil for 2 minutes to give the cheese a nice golden color.
Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese.
Adapted from Donna Elick at Parade.com