What's for Dinner? - Toasted Ravioli

Toasted ravioli is a great tasting fun dish that you can use as an appetizer to a football game, a side dish at a dinner party, or a main dish served with pasta sauce and your favorite veggies.

A couple of weeks back, I was craving toasted ravioli.  I have no idea where the craving came from except that I saw a bag of ravioli at Wal-Mart one night and brought it home.  I have only had toasted ravioli one other time that I can remember, but I decided that I wanted to try to make some of my own.  I searched online and studied a couple of different recipes to get the idea of how I should go about making them (www.allrecipes.com is where I started).  One thing that I discovered is that the name "toasted" is a little deceptive!  The toasted ravioli should really be called fried ravioli!  Oh well, that did not keep us from making it.  Now, we have a new dish that the whole family enjoys.

Toasted Ravioli
1 package frozen ravioli
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1/4 tsp. garlic
1/8 tsp. salt
Dash of pepper
1/8 tsp.Italian seasoning
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
Oil for frying
Parmesan cheese

Place the ravioli on a tray about an hour to an hour an a half in advance to allow it to thaw.  When your ready to begin making your toasted ravioli, heat the oil in your fryer (or pan to) 400 degrees.  Mix the bread crumbs, garlic, salt, and Italian seasoning together in a bowl.  Beat the egg in a separate bowl and mix in the milk.  Dip each piece of ravioli in the milk/egg mixture and then roll it in the bread crumb mixture.  Fry the ravioli 5-8 pieces at a time, depending upon the size of your fryer for 2-3 minutes, flipping them half way through the cooking time.  Remove the ravioli when it is golden brown.  Place on a paper towel to drain.  Sprinkle tops with Parmesan cheese.

Tips:

1. The Italian seasoning is optional.  As a matter of fact, we only use a small 1/8 tsp. amount because our family is not crazy about a strong Italian seasoning flavor.
2. Tip for frying: If you do not have a thermostat and are not sure if your oil is hot enough, sprinkle a small amount of flour in the oil.  If it sizzles (fries), then you know that it is ready.  You want to make sure your oil is hot enough before you begin frying.  If the oil is not hot enough,  the coating will fall off the ravioli.    
3. Turn your oven to 175 degrees and keep your finished ravioli in a 9X13 pan in the heated oven to keep them warm while you are making the remaining ravioli.  
4. We usually purchase a bag of meat ravioli as well as the cheese ravioli.  (Half the family likes one, the other half likes the other!)  This recipe works well with both kinds.
5. You can make extra and use a toaster over to re-heat them and crisp them back up for a snack.
6. Serve the ravioli warm with your favorite jar of pasta sauce or ranch dressing for a dip.