A tasty combination of sausage, veggies and griddled ravioli comes together for a fantastic family-friendly dinner on the Traeger Flatrock griddle. Inspired by similar tortellini recipes, we used what we had in the fridge and freezer and ended up with a delicious dinner of griddled sausage and ravioli on the Flatrock that everyone enjoyed!
INSPIRED BY OTHER GRIDDLED PASTA DISHES
As we have dug into being griddle people now (thanks Traeger!), we have been exploring lots of recipes that were otherwise challenging on a smoker. Griddled pasta was one of those things. It’s taken the internet by a storm– with recipes for griddled pasta on Instagram, Pinterest and TikTok, and lots of variations on a theme.
In the interest of budget-friendly, family-friendly, and time-friendly meals, we figured now was the time to give it our own go and see what we could create using ingredients we had in the fridge, freezer and pantry. In about 15 minutes and with only a few ingredients, we ended up with an amazing griddled sausage and ravioli dish hot off the Flatrock.
COOKING PASTA ON THE GRIDDLE
Now you may be wondering how the heck you would cook pasta on the griddle without previously boiling it. We wondered the same, but when you use either fresh or frozen pasta like ravioli or tortellini, you will have no problem making griddled pasta. The moisture in the pasta as a result of not being dried gives you adequate liquid to cook the pasta to al-dente while making the filling hot and melty.
To spur things along and ensure an even cook to al-dente throughout, we used a steam dome to create a hot and steamy area for the pasta to cook. By adding a bit of water to the griddle and then covering it, you end up with a hot and moist ecosystem where the pasta can cook on the griddle and in the hot air.
Remember to turn the pasta frequently when cooking it on the griddle, so all sides of the ravioli cook evenly. A little toasting along the way doesn’t hurt either– ensuring that you have some soft and tender parts and some crunch in there too.
INGREDIENTS TO AMP UP THE FLAVOR
For this recipe, we used two kinds of sausage to add some flavor and heft to the dish. We had 1/2 a pound of ground Italian hot sausage that we seared on the griddle as a block (to get some great crust on all sides) and then chopped apart on the griddle to cook through.
We also used about 1/2 of a link of smoked sausage, which comes fully cooked. This sausage was sliced into 1/2 inch coins, resulting in lots of extra flavor, a little extra crunch and texture and a hearty griddled sausage and ravioli dish that was cooked up in no time.
VEGGIES TO INCLUDE IN YOUR DISH
Many variations you’ll find on the internet include spinach. Ours does not, simply because I cannot eat spinach due to the high oxalates present in spinach (which in turn can cause kidney stones). So we don’t cook with much spinach around here, despite loving it.
You can use any veggies you want or have on hand– in our recipe we used green and yellow summer squash/zucchini in addition to onions. You could also use mushrooms, another green like kale, or even corn cut off the cob if it’s seasonal.
One must-have is tomatoes– either chopped whole/big tomatoes or cherry tomoatoes. You need the moisture they let off to help create the sauce that coats the entire dish. For quicker cooking, cut the cherry tomatoes in half. They’re also easier to catch off the griddle surface if they’re cut!
PRIMARY INGREDIENTS
- Frozen or fresh cheese ravioli
- Ground Italian sausage
- Smoked link sausage
- Yellow onion
- Green and yellow summer squash
- Cherry tomatoes
- My Garlic Junkie seasoning
- Parmesan cheese
- Basil
- Balsamic glaze
- Vegetable oil
WHY COOKING RAVIOLI ON THE TRAEGER GRIDDLE WORKS
If you search for griddled tortellini recipes on the internet, you’re bound to come up with a decent variety of them. Inspired by some we saw online, we decided to create a recipe of our own, using Traeger’s new Flatrock griddle. The incredible design– with lots of cooking space on the cast iron griddle– and the super accurate temperature control across three distinct zones– means that we can achieve a delicious dinner for our family using only the griddle in our backyard.
Now you might be wondering about cooking pasta on the griddle, but we’re here to tell you it’s totally possible and delicious. We used a bag of frozen ravioli that had partially defrosted by the time we started cooking, and the consistent heat on the Traeger paired with the steam created in the dome lid means we had tender and cooked ravioli without boiling a drop of water.
As the ravioli cooks on the Traeger Flatrock, the pasta cooks through until al dente, the filling becomes warm and melty and portions of the exterior become crispy. It’s a delightful way to cook pasta.
Sausage and zucchini cooking on the grill Combine all the ingredients and continue cooking
STEP-BY-STEP
- Preheat all three zones of your Traeger Flatrock Griddle to medium heat.
- Prep your ingredients– chop the veggies, slice the sausage links, etc.
- On one zone, begin cooking the ravioli, adding water to the griddle to create steam while cooking the pasta.
- In the second zone, begin sautéing the vegetables.
- Cook the onions in vegetable oil until beginning to be translucent.
- Then add the summer squash and cook until golden brown and soft.
- In the third zone, sear the ground sausage and begin cooking the slices of sausage.
- Using two spatulas, turn the ingredients frequently in each zone, until nearly cooked through.
- Begin mixing the three zones together, and then add the cherry tomatoes.
- Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, continuing to mix the ingredients as it cooks.
- Add water as necessary to continue to cook everything together.
- Season generously with Garlic Junkie seasoning.
- Sprinkle the pasta dish with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
- Transfer the Griddled Sausage and Ravioli from the Flatrock to a serving dish.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve hot.
ALTERNATE RECIPES/PRODUCT LINKS
- Using pasta shells, you can make these amazing stuffed Shotgun Shells on the Traeger
- Loaded baked mack n cheese on the Traeger
- For a fridge/freezer/pantry created dish, try this pantry cassoulet
- There is also an awesome recipe for baked macaroni and cheese in your Traeger in my cookbook, which you can pick up here.
Products used in this cook:
- Traeger Flatrock Griddle
- Traeger Flat Top Griddle Accessories (spatulas & steam dome)
- My Garlic Junkie seasoning from Spiceology
Did you make this recipe?
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share it on Instagram and tag me at @ThisJewCanQue
Griddled sausage and ravioli on the Flatrock
Equipment
- Traeger Flatrock griddle
- Steam Dome
- Spatulas
Ingredients
- 1 pound frozen or fresh cheese ravioli
- 1/2 pound ground Italian sausage
- 1/2 a smoked link sausage
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 1 each green and yellow summer squash sliced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 4 tbsp Garlic Junkie seasoning
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- Balsamic glaze
- Vegetable oil
Instructions
- Preheat all three zones of your Traeger Flatrock Griddle to medium heat.
- Prep your ingredients– chop the veggies, slice the sausage links, etc.
- On one zone, begin cooking the ravioli, adding water to the griddle to create steam while cooking the pasta.
- In the second zone, begin sautéing the vegetables.
- Cook the onions in vegetable oil until beginning to be translucent.
- Then add the summer squash and cook until golden brown and soft.
- In the third zone, sear the ground sausage and begin cooking the slices of sausage.
- Using two spatulas, turn the ingredients frequently in each zone, until nearly cooked through.
- Begin mixing the three zones together, and then add the cherry tomatoes.
- Cook until the tomatoes begin to burst, continuing to mix the ingredients as it cooks.
- Add water as necessary to continue to cook everything together.
- Season generously with Garlic Junkie seasoning.
- Sprinkle the pasta dish with parmesan cheese and chopped basil.
- Transfer the Griddled Sausage and Ravioli from the Flatrock to a serving dish.
- Drizzle with balsamic glaze and serve hot.
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