Thanksgiving is nearly upon us. That means a ton of turkey dinners are being planned and prepared. Mountains of leftovers will be consumed in the upcoming week. It’s a great time to be an American.

Celebrate your family and freedom and all that you have to be grateful for.

But don’t expect the family to love turkey leftovers every day for weeks. This simple ravioli is an easy meal to prepare when you are tired from work or shopping or just plain tired from cooking. The Italian flavor of tomatoes, garlic and olives is a nice change from stuffing and pumpkin pie.

Simple Ravioli Serving

Put this dish on the table one night and see how your family reacts. I’ll bet they dig in like mine does.

Simple Ravioli
1 (25 oz) package frozen Ravioli
1 med Onion
1 (4.5 oz) can sliced Black Olives
1 (14.5 oz) can diced Tomatoes
1 TB minced Garlic
1 TB Olive Oil
Dice onion and cook in olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Using large pot, prepare ravioli in hot water according to package directions. Add tomatoes, garlic and olives to the onions. Drain ravioli and return to pot. Pour tomato and onion mixture over ravioli.

Simple Ravioli

Make it a meal:  Serve with garlic bread and a small tossed salad. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.  For dessert, serve a bowl of ice cream, a slice of cheesecake or scoop of Italian ice.

Approximate Nutritional Value per serving: Servings per Recipe: 8, Calories: 462, Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 60mg, Sodium: 542mg, Total Carbs: 48g, Protein: 13g.

Variations: Toss in some sliced green and red peppers. Add some mushrooms. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top. Add some meatballs.

This is the sort of dish even a beginner cook can prepare. I have walked my teenagers through its preparation over the phone a couple of times. If you leave this recipe on the counter alongside the ingredients and a note pointing them to the freezer for the ravioli, you may find dinner on the table when you arrive home from work.

Simple Ravioli in a Pan

Easy and filling, this is also the sort of dish busy cooks like to keep in regular rotation on the menu. Since this recipe takes only about fifteen minutes to prepare, dinner can be on the table quickly after you get home. That’s especially nice when the calendar begins to fill up with school activities and other holiday events.

Leftovers store in the refrigerator up to a week and freeze for a month. Warmed up, the dish tastes as good as the first time you served it. Some members of my family have been known to eat the leftovers cold, straight from the fridge.

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