- Cheese ravioli is one of the simplest dinners to make, and pretty much any member of the family is guaranteed to enjoy it.
- As a self-proclaimed pasta enthusiast, I set out to find the best store-bought cheese ravioli.
- I tried seven different kinds – both fresh and frozen – and found that Rana came out on top with its generously filled shells and rich flavor.
- Two different types of ravioli I tried from Wegmans disappointed me with their texture and lack of filling.
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When it comes to a quick and easy dinner, few are as delicious as cheese ravioli.
I went to two grocery stores – Fairway and Wegmans – to try to find the best store-bought cheese ravioli on the market.
What I found surprised me. Wegmans, a grocery store brand I’ve previously ranked as No. 1 in other taste tests, disappointed me this time around with its cheese ravioli offerings.
Rana on the other hand, a brand I see in most grocery stores, trumped a more expensive brand with its creamy, tart, and flavorful filling.
Here's a breakdown of what I thought about each kind of cheese ravioli I tried.
I topped each cheese ravioli brand with grated Parmesan cheese and tomato and basil pasta sauce.
Some of the ravioli packages recommended tossing the pasta with a little olive oil, but I prefer to use a tomato-based sauce and a little cheese.
The worst ravioli I tried, in my opinion, was the Wegmans Italian Classics fresh cheese ravioli.
It cost me $3.99 for a 9-ounce package.
After boiling some water, I added in the ravioli.
After about four minutes, the ravioli were done. However, I noticed that the area where the cheese supposedly was looked remarkably flat.
After draining the pasta and adding it back into the pan, I added the tomato sauce.
I heated both the ravioli and the sauce through for a couple of seconds and then served them in a bowl.
After biting in, I thought the Wegmans Italian Classics cheese ravioli was undeniably lacking in cheesy flavor.
To me, the texture of the pasta shells was rubbery, and the cheese was barely noticeable. Biting in, I saw only a small slathering of ricotta inside.
Overall, I wasn't impressed by the flavor. It was bland and unremarkable. However, the size of the ravioli was more impressive than other varieties I tried.
To make sure I was covering all my cheese ravioli bases, I also tried Wegmans' frozen cheese ravioli to see if there would be any difference in quality, texture, or taste.
The 3-pound, family pack size cost $6.89 at my local Wegmans.
The Wegmans frozen cheese ravioli were about the same size as the fresh variety.
However, the texture was slightly different after being cooked.
They felt slightly slimy, perhaps from being frozen prior to cooking.
As someone who prefers al dente pasta to soft or chewy pasta, these were simply a disappointment. However, I thought the filling inside the Wegmans frozen ravioli was slightly more flavorful, although there still wasn't enough to impress me.
I also tried the frozen Celentano cheese ravioli mini rounds.
The 12-ounce bag of Celentano cheese ravioli mini rounds cost only $2.50, making them the cheapest brand I tried.
These ravioli were also frozen, so I was eager to see how they would compare not only to fresh ravioli but also their frozen rival from Wegmans.
They took slightly longer than the Wegmans ravioli to cook, about six minutes versus five minutes.
The Celentano cheese ravioli mini rounds had a similar texture to the Wegmans ones.
After dousing them in some tomato sauce and Parmesan cheese, I dug in.
There was a decent amount of filling inside the circular ravioli, but not enough for me to be truly satisfied.
The filling had a nice texture, however, and was slightly more present than the last two kinds. Overall, these were just alright, but definitely worth the price.
Buitoni four cheese ravioli is one of the most popular fresh pasta brands you'll find in most grocery stores.
The 20-ounce, family-size package of ravioli I bought cost $8.99 at Fairway, but you can get a smaller package for around $3 to $4.
The Buitoni four cheese ravioli were the smallest of the ravioli I tried.
Plopping them into the water, they also felt hard and dry.
I tossed the ravioli with some sauce and heated them through.
One serving size is about a cup, which is slightly less than what I served myself.
The filling tasted mainly of Parmesan.
Despite claiming to have four kinds of cheese - Parmesan, mozzarella, ricotta, and Romano cheeses - I could really only taste the Parmesan.
The texture of the pasta shell was also slightly harder and chewier than the rest, but if you prefer al dente pasta you might not mind. There was a decent amount of filling, but not enough to set this ravioli over the top.
Raffetto's cheese ravioli is a New York-based brand that can be bought in grocery stores.
The 22-ounce package of Raffetto's ravioli came to $8.99 at Fairway. Since it was the most expensive and seemed the most upmarket, I predicted this ravioli would be the best.
The Raffetto's cheese ravioli was packaged in a brown cardboard box, which made the ravioli seem slightly more upscale than the other brands.
To cook the ravioli, you simply tear them apart from one another and cook for around three to four minutes.
The ravioli squares felt soft, pillowy, and sticky to the touch.
Out of all the fresh pastas, this ravioli seemed the most homemade.
I was impressed by the ravioli's flavor and amount of filling.
They tasted distinctly cheesy, with herbs flavoring the filling as well. The ravioli tasted authentic and delicious, though the squares were slightly on the smaller side, earning the Raffetto's cheese ravioli my second-place spot.
My favorite store-bought cheese ravioli was the Rana four cheese ravioli.
The 10-ounce bag of Rana four cheese ravioli cost $6.74 at Fairway.
Dropping the ravioli squares in the water, I noticed how filled the small pasta squares were.
After the ravioli cooked in the boiling water for a few minutes, I drained them and tossed them with the sauce.
The Rana four cheese ravioli were large and smelled strongly of ricotta.
I was excited to dive into the plate of tomato-y, cheesy goodness.
The amount of filling inside the Rana four cheese ravioli blew me away.
The ricotta had a tart, prominent flavor, but I could taste the Romano, mozzarella, and Gorgonzola cheeses as well. These ravioli were the most flavorful. I could taste each distinct cheese and their large size also made them the most filling out of all the ravioli I tried.
After tasting every cheese ravioli brand, it was no surprise that the Rana four cheese ravioli came out on top.
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