cheeky recipe: baked ravioli with balsamic amatriciana sauce

you may have already caught on to my deep love of pasta. i often tell fanboy that i should have been italian. tonight, i combined a few favorite recipes that turned out to be pretty delicious.
 
baked ravioli with balsamic amatriciana sauce

for the sauce

• 3-5 pieces of thick cut bacon
• 8-10 garlic cloves, minced
• 4 fresh basil leaves, torn into small pieces
• two 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes, with their juices (i used san marzano)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

in a large saucepan or deep skillet, cook the bacon until it reaches desired crispness. set the bacon aside, add the garlic and cook until golden, about 3 minutes. stir in the basil.

pour in the tomatoes with their juices, bring the sauce to a boil, and then add the kosher salt. reduce the heat to low and simmer 45 to 50 minutes. as the sauce thickens toward the end, stir in the balsamic vinegar. remove the pan from heat.

for the ravioli (adapted from real simple)

• two 30 ounce bags of frozen large cheese ravioli, unthawed
• 1 cup of freshly grated cheese (i used a mix of asiago fresca and fontina)
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan

preheat oven to 350°F. coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray and spoon in a third of the sauce.

arrange one layer of ravioli on top of the sauce. top with half of each cheese. add the remaining ravioli, layer with sauce, then cheese. cover with foil and bake 25-30 minutes. uncover and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until bubbly.

serve with additional sauce, if desired.