Since I don’t really have the time to be making ravioli from scratch, I was trying to think of ways to cheer up pre-made ravioli.  I drew inspiration from east asian methods of pan frying dumplings, and voila! was able to whip up this tasty dinner in just 15 minutes that you wouldn’t guess was from the freezer aisle.

You’ll need:  pre-made ravioli (I used Buitoni’s shrimp scampi ravioli since it was on sale for $2.50), 4 cloves garlic, 1/2 red onion chopped roughly, 1 riped on the vine tomato roughly chopped, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, 2 tablespoons EVOO, roughly chopped basil (or other herb), salt and freshly ground pepper, and grated cheese (optional).

Gently boil the ravioli for 6 minutes with a splash of EVOO in the water to prevent sticking.  Then combine butter and EVOO in large non stick pan.  When hot, add onions, garlic, and cooked ravioli (pat dry with paper towel first).  Make sure the ravioli is in a single layer so that it can sear evenly.  In about 1 minute, turn each ravioli over.  It should be slightly browned and crispy.  Add lemon juice, tomatoes, and chopped basil over top.  Generously season with salt and pepper.  After another minute, remove only the ravioli with tongs to plate.  Now toss around the remaining veggies with a flick of the wrist to integrate all the flavors for 30 seconds more, so that the onions and garlic are slightly charred.  Pour the veggies over the ravioli and sprinkle with grated cheese (parmesan ideally, but I used cojita since I had some on hand).