Easy Week Night Dinner: Ravioli Casserole & Homemade Garlic Bread #QuickFixCasseroles

Life is super busy these days with the start of the new school year, trying to find a new routine and just life in general. As much as I love to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, sometimes I just don't have time for all of that. So what do I do? Turn to a handy dandy casserole recipe of course. 

This Ravioli Casserole is delicious - it tastes just like lasagna but without all the work! It's super easy to throw together in a pinch and only takes about 20 minutes or so. I call that a WIN! 

Here's What You'll Need:

1 pkg. of frozen or fresh ravioli
1 lb. ground beef
1 Jar of your favorite pasta sauce
1 Cup cottage cheese
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Shredded Mozzarella Cheese

Here's What You'll Do:

Fill a pot with water and bring to a boil; boil your ravioli per the directions on the package. Meanwhile, brown your ground beef and feel free to add in your favorite Italian seasonings like Oregano or Basil! Open up your jar of pasta sauce and in a 13X9 baking dish, pour in just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish. Gently place the ravioli in the bottom of the dish and then spread a layer of cottage cheese on top; I used about a cup in my casserole. Pour the rest of the pasta sauce over the ravioli and then top with the shredded cheeses. Bake at 350* until hot and bubbly! 

Easy peasy right?! Of course you can't have a pasta dinner without garlic bread and this homemade loaf is super tasty and you can throw it together in about 5 minutes.  

Here's What You'll Need

Loaf of Bread
Country Crock Original Spread
Shredded Parmesan
Shredded Mozzarella
Garlic Salt
Oregano

Here's What You'll Do:

Split your loaf of bread in half and then spread a layer of Country Crock on the two halves. Top with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese and then sprinkle with garlic salt and oregano. Pop the bread into the oven for just a few minutes until the cheeses have melted! That's it! 

I don't know about y'all, but a complete meal in 30 minutes or less is my kind of meal! This is a perfect dish for those crazy busy nights or those nights where you really don't feel like cooking. Give it a try - I'd love to know what you think! 

About Country Crock Original Spread:

• 0g trans fat per serving
• Contains no partially hydrogenated oils
• Has no cholesterol
• 70% less fat than butter per serving
• Has 30% fewer calories than butter per serving

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

                    

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Paying It Forward with Campus Book Rentals

It's that time of year again - if you have school aged children they are probably either already back in school or about to be in a few days. Some of us are excited about having a few free hours each week day and some of us are sad that our babies are growing up. I'll let you know which camp I'm in once I finally figure it out! Regardless, getting the kiddos ready for the school year can get expensive; I'm a firm believer that every child should have the opportunity to start their year off right with everything they need to be successful. So, when the opportunity arose to join forces with a group of awesome bloggers and Campus Book Rentals for a Back To School Pay It Forward Backpack Event I was in! 

I've worked with and written about Campus Book Rentals previously and I've always known they were an awesome company. However, I was blown away by their BTS initiative. They generously provided almost 100 bloggers $25 to purchase a backpack and school supplies to donate to someone in need. It was so easy! 

I took my kiddos to the local super center and we picked out a backpack along with some typical school supplies. They loved knowing that they were helping another child and they really enjoyed going wild picking out lots of school supplies! 

I think it is important to teach my kiddos to have a giving heart and to help others. The Back To School Pay It Forward Backpack event with Campus Book Rentals was the perfect reminder for them! 

After we stuffed the backpack with crayons, pencils, markets, paints, scissors, erasers, and so much more we dropped it off at our local YMCA where they were holding a back to school supply drive. We felt great knowing that a child in our community would be have a better school year because we did a small gesture. 

About our Sponsor:

Campus Book Rentals is a company that offers students up to 90% off their textbooks! It not only allows students to save money, it helps students make money by providing services for students to rent out their textbooks to other students. Campus Book Rentals has been around since 2007 and continues to help students live a more affordable life. Campus Book Rentals is proud to sponsor such an amazing pay it forward event! 
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