Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli

Hello and Welcome! On the heels of yesterday’s Ingredient Spotlight on Italian Pasta, today we are trying our hand at Toasted Ravioli. I never knew about Toasted Ravioli until I lived in St. Louis, which is where it originated. Lou Oldani Sr. is credited with inventing the deep-fried ravioli in the 1940’s, at his restaurant Oldani’s in St. Louis’s Italian neighborhood, The Hill. There is always contention when it comes to recipe origins and Toasted Ravioli is no different. In addition to Oldani’s (now Mama’s on The Hill), Angelo’s (now Charlie Gitto’s) also boasted the invention of Toasted Ravioli. Whoever actually came up with it, I am sure glad they did because Toasted Ravioli is genius. Let’s do this Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli!

I wanted to pull out the Air Fryer for this recipe, just to see how it would turn out. I am happy to report that it’s currently my favorite Air Fryer recipe. Honestly, it worked out so well, it seems like store-bought fresh ravioli was made for breading and air frying. Use your favorite ravioli type for this, though the more filling the better. I used chicken and four cheese ravioli from Trader Joe’s, which were pretty skimpy on the filling.

Air Fryer

Set up your air fryer and preheat to 350 degrees. When I set up my air fryer, I like to place it on a sheet tray set on my stove top. My dredging station is set up directly to the left of the air fryer set up.

I have two eggs lightly beaten in a pie plate. In a second pie plate I have 1 cup of seasoned bread crumbs with 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese and 2 teaspoons of dried basil. Whisk or stir the cheese and dried basil into the breadcrumbs until the cheese is evenly distributed.

Dredge the Ravioli

Dredge the ravioli, two or three at a time in the eggs with one hand. Then drop the egg-coated ravioli in the breadcrumbs. And with your other hand, dredge the ravioli in the breadcrumbs, making sure every part of the ravioli is coated in breadcrumbs. Repeat with rest of the ravioli. Place each breaded ravioli in a single layer on a separate sheet tray.

I was able to fit nine breaded ravioli in a single layer in the air fryer basket. Spray the breaded ravioli with cooking spray. Slide the basket into the air fryer and set the temperature for 350 and the timer for 4 minutes.

At the end of the 4 minutes, remove the basket, flip the ravioli over and spray again with cooking spray. Then re-place the basket in the air fryer, set the temperature to 350 and set the timer for another 4 minutes.

After the second four minutes, the ravioli will look more toasted on both sides and the centers will have puffed up. Repeat the process for the remaining ravioli until all are air-fried and toasty.

Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli!

Transfer the Toasted Ravioli to a serving dish and top with more grated parmesan and fresh basil. Serve with warm marinara sauce. I like to serve with pesto too. Toasted Ravioli are a ubiquitous appetizer in St. Louis and I am sure their popularity stretches to other parts of the country. They’re a perfect appetizer or bar snack. Crunchy, chewy, cheesy – they really cover all the bases.

If you don’t have an Air Fryer, you can deep fry these too. Heat about an inch of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven to 350 degrees and fry the breaded ravioli in 2 batches until the ravioli are golden brown. Transfer each batch to a paper towel-lined plate or wire rack. Be sure to let the oil come back up to 350 degrees before frying the second batch.

Thank you so much for joining me today for Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli. I do hope you give these a try; they’re a real St. Louis treat! Take care and be well, everyone. xo Kelly

Print Recipe

Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli

(2 votes, average: 5.00 out of 5)

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Appetizer – Italian/American

By Kelly Djalali – Serves: 2-4

Prep Time: 10 Minutes – Cooking Time: 15 Minutes – Total Time: 25 Minutes

Air Fryer Toasted Ravioli are a perfect appetizer. Crunchy, chewy, cheesy – they cover all the bases. Serve with warm marinara or pesto.

Ingredients

• 2 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
• 1 cup Seasoned Breadcrumbs
• 1/4 cup Grated Parmesan Cheese, plus more for topping Air Fried Ravioli
• 2 tsp. Dried Basil
• 1 8-oz. Package of Fresh Ravioli
• Vegetable Cooking Spray
• Fresh Basil, for garnish
• Marinara Sauce, for dipping
• Pesto, for dipping

Instructions

1

In a shallow dish or pie plate, lightly beat eggs.

2

In a separate shallow dish, whisk or stir the cheese and dried basil into the breadcrumbs until the cheese is evenly distributed.

3

Dredge the ravioli, two or three at a time in the eggs.

4

Then drop the egg-coated ravioli in the breadcrumbs. Dredge the ravioli in the breadcrumbs, making sure every part of the ravioli is coated in breadcrumbs. Repeat with rest of the ravioli. Place each breaded ravioli in a single layer on a separate sheet tray.

5

Place as many breaded ravioli as will fit in a single layer in the basket of the air fryer.

6

Spray the breaded ravioli with cooking spray. Slide the basket into the air fryer and set the temperature for 350 and the time for 4 minutes.

7

At the end of the 4 minutes, remove the basket, flip the ravioli over and spray again with cooking spray. Then re-place the basket in the air fryer, set the temperature to 350 and set the timer for another 4 minutes.

8

After the second four minutes, the ravioli will look more toasted on both sides and the centers will have puffed up. Repeat the process for the remaining ravioli until all are air-fried and toasty.

9

Transfer the Toasted Ravioli to a serving dish and top with more grated parmesan and fresh basil. Serve with warm marinara sauce.