9 Tips to Enhance the Flavor of Chef Boyardee Pasta

Keeping some Chef Boyardee pasta in your pantry is a good way to make sure that you always have something ready to eat. The original Chef Boyardee, Hector Boiardi, was an Italian immigrant who cooked for the president, landed high profile jobs at the Greenbrier Hotel and the Plaza Hotel, and ended up sparking the canned food industry to embrace Italian cuisine. Now, it’s hard to picture convenience versions of spaghetti and meatballs or ravioli without Chef Boyardee coming to mind.

But today’s version, the canned ravioli, spaghetti, and lasagna that is ready in just a couple of minutes, isn’t always the most exciting option for dinner. Fortunately, with a few extras, you can turn this ho-hum dish into something super tasty worthy of the famed chef Boiardi himself. But with these helpful hacks, you don’t need a culinary background to serve something that’s ready quickly and tastes great. From adding toppings that elevate the flavor to using the canned pastas to whip up casseroles and other one-dish meals, these are some favorite ways to turn a can of Chef Boyardee into tonight’s main course.

Need a little extra nutrition and flavor in your ravioli? Throw in a couple of scoops of frozen veggies for a one-dish meal that satisfies. This hack doesn’t add much prep or cooking time. But stirring in some frozen corn or broccoli is easy and adds that little something that a simple bowl might be missing.

This is also a fantastic way to use up leftover vegetables from the night before. Frozen ones are the easiest, but roasted leftovers from the fridge work just as well. You can even toss in some canned vegetables, which can be stored right alongside the Chef Boyardee. Just be sure to adjust the cooking time, making it a little higher for still-frozen options. You can put them over the top or incorporate the add-ins with the pasta. For something extra interesting, mix in a few different kinds.

If you have picky eaters, let them pick out their own vegetables to stir into a bowl of Chef Boyardee. You may find that your younger kids more enthusiastic about eating their veggies if they get to pick them out and they’re coated in rich tomato sauce.

Stuffed pastas like ravioli and tortellini are great ways to bulk up your soup because they add extra protein and heartiness. Use the Chef Boyardee ravioli pasta as the base for a flavorful soup that is easy to put together. Because the pasta is already cooked, you don’t need a lot of time to let the ingredients finish up. Just 15 minutes should be enough for all of the flavors to meld.

You’ll need extra broth and ingredients to punch things up. Italian sausage adds a lot of flavor, plus helps make the soup more substantial. Greens like spinach or kale should be added last so that they get just a little bit wilted but aren’t cooked all the way down. But like other soups, you can use what you have on hand. A generous sprinkling of parmesan cheese over the top is the perfect finishing touch. Make sure to let the soup simmer on the stove to incorporate all of the ingredients.

You can make soup with just about any Chef Boyardee pasta, but the mini raviolis work especially well. They stay together and are the perfect size for scooping with a soup spoon. Larger raviolis have a similar flavor, but can often come apart when you try to ladle them into your bowl. Spaghetti and lasagna tend to be a bit thicker, so you’ll have to thin out the sauce with plenty of chicken broth.

Use Chef Boyardee ravioli in place of cooked lasagna noodles for a quick and easy dinner dish. Large ravioli work best, but you can also incorporate spaghetti or mini ravioli if you prefer something more scoop-able. Just mix ravioli with diced tomatoes and Italian seasonings for a tasty base. Spoon ricotta cheese, mixed with an egg and shredded Italian blend cheese, next. You can create a thick or thin layer of the cheese mixture to suit your tastes. If you want a heartier version, add some Italian sausage, as well. Repeat this with more layers of ravioli and cheese mixture, finishing with a top layer of ravioli and a generous sprinkling of cheese on top.

Using Chef Boyardee in place of regular noodles doesn’t create quite the same layering effect but the taste is delicious. It also requires a fraction of the cooking, since you can put the canned version right into the casserole dish without any prep. If you prefer something that holds up better, drain some of the sauce out of the can before adding the ravioli to the lasagna. I like this hack so much that I even transform ravioli and other pastas into an easy lasagna using frozen ingredients, as well.

Chili crisp is the perfect topper for Chef Boyardee that brings in extra spice and crunch. Don’t be afraid to try different brands, since each one brings its own unique spin to this trendy condiment. Some are spicier than others, so start with just a little bit and add more if you want a bolder kick. When spooning the chili crisp over the top of your Chef Boyardee, make sure to stir the jar’s contents thoroughly first. You want to get the crisp for the added texture as well as spicy flavor.

If you don’t have chili crisp, you can also stir in red pepper flakes to incorporate some extra heat. It’s best to do this with the ravioli before you heat it in the microwave or on the stove. This lets the flavors meld better. You might even want to stir a little bit in, heat the pasta, then stir some more. The last thing that you want with either red pepper flakes or chili crisp is to get a bite with a lot of extra spice and another with almost none.

Spaghetti and meatballs are the perfect combo, but the ones included in the Chef Boyardee can aren’t the heartiest of options. Grab meatballs out of the freezer and combine with a can of pasta to give it a little something extra without spending any extra time on dinner. You’ll have a protein-rich version in just a few minutes. Like other hacks, this trick doesn’t take a lot of extra time or prep work. I like to use frozen meatballs that bring in tons of flavor, such as Italian-style meatballs, because they pair well with pastas like spaghetti and ravioli.

Look for mini meatballs if you want them to mix in well with the Chef Boyardee, or larger meatballs if you prefer a bolder statement. Adjust your cooking time based on the size of the meatball to ensure that it heats all the way through. If you want to go with homemade meatballs, you get the most control over the size and flavor of your final dish. But this takes more cooking skill, not to mention time, which isn’t what most people are generally looking to do when they pull out a can of Chef Boyardee.

Toasted ravioli are a regional specialty in St. Louis, Missouri but you can make them at home using Chef Boyardee ravioli as a shortcut. This hack works best with larger raviolis, but you can also whip up a mini version to serve as a fun appetizer.

Add some egg, coat them in breading, then put the raviolis in the oven or frying oil. The oven gets them a little crunchier, while hot oil adds a tasty crisp. If you want to add some extra flavor, stir in shredded cheese or Italian seasonings. You can even put a little zing of hot sauce in the batter. Serve with tasty marinara or another dipping sauce. People won’t even know that you started with a canned version of the tasty pasta.

It’s important to prep the raviolis by draining all of the liquid, rinsing the pasta, and drying them thoroughly. If not, they’ll end up too soupy to get a good exterior crunch. Once the ravioli are ready, set up an assembly lien to dip them in egg, cost them in a mix of panko and shredded cheese, and place them on a baking sheet. If you want a little extra flavor, opt for panko or breadcrumbs with Italian seasoning already added. In less than 30 minutes, you’ll be rewarded with a tasty snack.

The thick noodles in Chef Boyardee spaghetti are perfect to put in muffin cups along with cheese and meat. When baked, they create a muffin-like dish that is delicious and more portable. A generous sprinkling of cheese on top creates a good crust that adds a little bit of crunch.

The key with this hack is to completely drain the noodles. You don’t need to rinse all of the sauce off, but even a light coating is enough to bring in the taste of signature ingredients. Too much liquid and you’ll end up with a soupy mess instead of a neatly portioned muffin. Egg also helps keep them all together. If you want a boost of tomato flavor, spoon a little bit of extra sauce on top after they cook.

Chef Boyardee lasagna would also work, but the ravioli doesn’t sit just right in the muffin tin to get the same effect. For the most muffin-like shape, stick with spaghetti, which conforms to the tin as it cooks.

You can stir in bacon with your mashed potatoes to bring some savory, salty flavor, and Chef Boyardee pasta works in a similar way. Take inspiration from loaded mashed potato bowls and use the canned stuff as a topping. You can do the same thing to make loaded tots or fries. Just spoon a little bit of ravioli, spaghetti, or lasagna over the top of the potato base.

If you have leftovers, you can also get a second round of snacks when you make mashed potato balls. A little bit of the canned pasta, with minimal sauce, goes a long way. You don’t want to make the taters too runny or they won’t form into neat balls. You may even want to chop larger pieces of pasta, especially if you have the super stuffed raviolis on hand, into smaller chunks to better incorporate into the mashed potato ball.

There are plenty of inventive hot dogs from all over the country, so why not top your frank with a little savory pasta? You can use Chef Boyardee in place of chili as a topping for your hot dog. Just be sure to thicken the sauce or drain it slightly if it’s too runny. A generous sprinkling of shredded mozzarella or Italian blend cheese works well to turn a basic hot dog into a pasta-inspired favorite. If you want to upgrade the bun as well, I wouldn’t blame you.

When cooking your hot dog, put it over a grill for the best results. It forms a tasty base for the Chef Boyardee, which you can also warm up in a grill-friendly pot. If you’re staying indoors or just want to get something ready in a hurry, a microwave will also work in a pinch. I like the smaller noodles, such as the lasagna or bite-sized ravioli, but it all comes down to personal preference. The taste of any Chef Boyardee pasta over a hot dog will get your taste buds thinking they’re at a cook out, Italian-style.

With three young kids, Chef Boyardee is already a pretty regular staple in my house. But it doesn’t always wow the grown ups at the table, so I was excited to make new versions that elevated the flavor and experience of eating this convenience food. Starting with simple add-ins like chili crisp and meatballs, I taste tested each to find out how good it tasted and how easy it was to make.

I also tried some of my family dishes, like spaghetti muffins and lasagna, but with a Chef Boyardee twist. Many of these items are easy to make with traditional pasta and even faster when you use the canned stuff. Fortunately, they were also super tasty and customizable with extra filling and spices.

Ultimately, the best hacks were those that take your basic canned pasta to the next level without making dinnertime too complicated. After all, Chef Boyardee was all about making Italian pasta favorites budget-friendly and fast.