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Crispy Air Fryer Ravioli filled with spinach and ricotta is dipped in breadcrumbs and topped with a bell pepper and spinach marinara sauce for a healthy, satisfying, easy weeknight meal or party appetizer!
Ravioli is one of those hearty comforting dishes that's rather easy to pull together on a busy weeknight. It's always a crowd pleaser in my house too. My husband loves cheesy ravioli topped with marinara and parmesan cheese. The kids are happy to gobble it up too!
I enjoy making ravioli for the family because it's a really well rounded meal, especially when you can find whole wheat ravioli and add some veggies into the mix. There's whole grains from the whole wheat pasta, protein from the cheese, and veggies in the sauce and filling.
Recently, I've discovered the brilliance of air frying. I just got myself an air fryer and decided to start experimenting using it with some of my favorite recipes. I decided to breathe new life into our tried and true ravioli with marinara sauce by using the air fryer.
Instead of simply boiling the ravioli, I dipped it in an egg wash and whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs to make them nice and crispy. Then I added more veggies to the sauce to amp up the nutritional value. The result was this Crispy Air Fryer Ravioli with a Bell Pepper and Spinach Marinara Sauce! It turned out amazing in this air fryer from MagicChef, and if you're thinking of trying an air fryer for yourself, MagicChef is offering all of my readers $25 off by using the code "THEPICKYEATER" at checkout!
Tools and Equipment You'll Need for this Recipe
How to Make Air Fryer Ravioli - Step by Step
Step 1: Sauté the peppers, onion and garlic together in a drizzle of olive oil until cooked - about 5 min.
Step 2: Add the baby spinach - sauté another 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the jarred tomato sauce, and then season with salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper to taste. Simmer on low for 10 minutes until the flavors are combined.
Step 4: Boil the raviolis according to package instructions and drain well to removing as much water as possible.
Step 5: Mix the breadcrumbs with the grated parmesan and Italian seasoning until well combined. Dip a boiled and drained ravioli into the flour. Make sure to coat it well on both sides.
Step 6: Then dip the ravioli into the lightly beaten eggs.
Step 7: Next, dredge the ravioli in the seasoned panko breadcrumbs.
Step 8: Set aside on a baking sheet while you batter enough raviolis to fit your air fryer basket.
Step 9: Air fry at 350 degrees for 8-9 minutes (no need to flip midway during cooking time).
Step 10: Serve with marinara sauce on the side.
What makes this Air Fryer Ravioli recipe healthy?
- Whole Grains: This ravioli is made with whole wheat pasta and whole wheat Panko breadcrumbs which increases the amount of fiber in this dish. Rather than white pasta which is a simple carbohydrate that turns to sugar, whole grain pasta provides fiber which helps with digestion.
- Low Fat and Low Calorie: Since this recipe is made in the air fryer all you need to do is spray the basket with cooking spray to get a nice and crispy texture. This cuts back on both the calories and fat in this dish. One serving of traditional fried ravioli will run you 500 calories over 12g fat. This recipe has less than 300 calories and 8g fat per serving!
- Rich in Vitamins and Nutrients: Adding fresh bell peppers and spinach to the marinara sauce increase the vitamins and nutrients in this dish. Bell peppers are a great source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and potassium.
- Serving of Leafy Greens: Spinach is a superfood! It's packed with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds such as lutein. Consuming dark leafy greens like spinach have numerous health benefits including fighting cancer, regulating blood pressure, improving eye health, and helping with oxidative stress.
Will kids enjoy this Air Fryer Ravioli recipe?
My kids loved this air fryer ravioli. They're always happy when it's ravioli night, but they really enjoyed the crispy texture of this ravioli. I served the sauce on the side, and they enjoyed dunking their ravioli in the sauce.
Can you use frozen ravioli for this air fryer recipe?
If you are using frozen ravioli you will boil and prepare it on the stove the same way you would if you were using fresh ravioli. Then follow the directions and coat the ravioli in flour, egg wash, and breadcrumbs. You don't want to bread the ravioli while it's still frozen.
Can you reheat fried ravioli?
Yes, you can reheat air fried ravioli two ways. You can either place it on a baking sheet and reheat in the oven for 10 minutes at 350 F.
What do you serve with Air Fryer Ravioli?
This air fryer ravioli recipe is versatile. Serve it as a main meal for dinner, or as an appetizer for a dinner party. It's the perfect finger food for dipping in the marinara sauce. This ravioli dish is a complete meal on it's own if you're serving it for dinner, but it also tastes great with these sides...
- Cesar Salad
- Light Green Salad with balsamic vinaigrette
- Steamed broccoli, carrots, or cauliflower
- Boil the ravioli on the stove-top before breading and placing in the air fryer.
- Follow package instructions for preparing ravioli. Don't over cook as it's going to be cooked again when it goes into the air fryer.
- Use whole wheat flour, whole wheat ravioli, and whole wheat Panko to make this a healthy whole grain dish. If you can't find whole wheat ravioli, regular ravioli is also ok!
- Spray basket with cooking spray to prevent ravioli from sticking.
- If you have a small air fryer you'll need to cook in batches. While one batch is air frying, bread the next batch, and so on until all ravioli have been fried.
- Flip the ravioli half way through cooking to ensure they are crispy on both sides.
- Serve hot with the sauce on the side for dipping.
