Toasted Ravioli — Crispy, Golden Bites Worth Passing Down

December 2023. Winter in Memphis, 65 years old, and the cold has settled into the house on Deadrick Avenue the way cold settles into old bones — persistently, without malice, just the physics of aging and December. Rosetta has the thermostat set at 74, our eternal compromise, and I cook warming things: stews and soups and slow-braised meats that fill the house with steam and flavor.

Charlie in Nashville, thriving in the way Charlie thrives — quietly, competently, with the determination of a Johnson woman and the grace of something uniquely hers.

Comfort food this week: a big pot of collard greens with smoked turkey neck, simmered for three hours until the greens were dark and silky and the pot liquor was a treasure. The kitchen smelled like Mama's kitchen in the shotgun house, and I stood at the stove and stirred and thought about hands — her hands, small and strong, teaching mine everything they know about turning humble ingredients into something that feeds not just the body but the soul.

I sat in the lawn chair next to Uncle Clyde's smoker as the dark came on, and I thought about what I always think about: the chain. From Clyde to me. From me to Trey, maybe, or Jerome, or whoever comes next with the patience and the hands and the willingness to stand next to a fire at three in the morning and wait for something good to happen. The chain doesn't break. The fire doesn't stop. And I am here, 65 years old, in a lawn chair in Orange Mound, Memphis, Tennessee, watching the smoke rise, and the rising is the living, and the living is the gift.

All that talk of chains — from Clyde to me, from me to whoever comes next — it made me want something you could pass around a table, something golden and warm that disappears fast because everyone wants more. These toasted ravioli are exactly that kind of food: humble on paper, unforgettable in the moment, the kind of thing you set out and watch people reach for before they’ve even sat down. Mama would’ve had a plate of something like these waiting after the smoker went cold, and I think that’s reason enough to make them.

Toasted Ravioli

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 20 minutes | Total Time: 35 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 package (25 oz) frozen beef ravioli, thawed
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup whole milk
• 1 cup Italian-style breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• Vegetable oil, for frying (about 2 inches deep)
• 1 cup marinara sauce, warmed, for serving
• Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

1. Set up your dredging station. In a shallow bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk until combined. In a second shallow bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, garlic powder, onion powder, dried basil, and black pepper.
2. Heat the oil. Pour vegetable oil into a heavy-bottomed skillet or Dutch oven to a depth of about 2 inches. Heat over medium-high heat until a breadcrumb dropped in sizzles immediately — about 350°F.
3. Coat the ravioli. Working in batches, dip each ravioli into the egg mixture, letting any excess drip off, then press it into the breadcrumb mixture, turning to coat all sides evenly. Set coated ravioli on a baking sheet while you coat the rest.
4. Fry in batches. Carefully lower 6—8 ravioli at a time into the hot oil. Fry for 2—3 minutes per side, turning once, until deep golden brown and crispy. Do not crowd the pan.
5. Drain and season. Transfer fried ravioli to a paper-towel-lined plate. While still hot, sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
6. Serve. Arrange on a platter alongside warmed marinara sauce for dipping. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately while crispy.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 13g | Fat: 14g | Carbs: 34g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 620mg