You can never go wrong with pasta as a hearty main course, whether it’s Cajun shrimp pasta, baked tortellini, or this simple yet satisfying baked rigatoni.
Baked Rigatoni Pasta Ingredients
To make you baked rigatoni you will need olive oil, ground beef, Italian sausage, onion, garlic, marinara sauce, tomato sauce, rigatoni, mozzarella cheese, parsley, salt and pepper. If you are going to feed a large group, this pasta goes great with appetizers like mozzarella sticks or peperonata. You could also have a salad like caprese salad or Italian salad. Baked rigatoni is perfect for an Italian food feast!
How Do You Make Baked Rigatoni?
Make baked rigatoni by first cooking up a combination of ground beef and mild Italian sausage. Make sure to break up the meat into small crumbles. Add an onion to the pan and cook it until softened. Sauté a little garlic in that pan and add marinara and tomato sauces. When the sauce has simmered and thickened, toss some al dente cooked rigatoni in the sauce. Pour the pasta and sauce into a baking pan or casserole dish and top it with mozzarella cheese. Bake the dish until the cheese is golden brown and melted. Serve the pasta with a little chopped parsley on top.
Tips For The Perfect Baked Rigatoni
Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well. Use a high quality marinara sauce. I like Newman’s Own which has a nice complex flavor. I use 90% lean ground beef – it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy. This dish can be assembled up to 6 hours before you plan to bake it. Store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to put it in the oven. You may need to add a few minutes more to the cook time to compensate for starting with a chilled dish.
Baked Rigatoni Pasta Variations
I typically make this recipe exactly as it’s written. However, you can modify the recipe to suit your tastes.
Meat – Try using ground turkey, turkey sausage or diced cooked chicken instead of ground beef and Italian sausage. Vegetables – Add sauteed vegetables to the sauce such as mushrooms, spinach, zucchini or bell peppers. Olives, sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts are also fabulous in this dish. Cheese – Instead of mozzarella, try another cheese that melts well like provolone or fontina. You can also add a layer of ricotta cheese in the middle of the dish. Feel free to grate some parmesan cheese over the top when you serve the pasta. Spicy: You can add some red pepper flakes to the sauce or sprinkle red pepper flakes over the top before the pasta is served for a little spice.
This recipe is easy to make and will delight your family and friends. Give this dish a try the next time you are in the mood for some good old fashioned comfort food!
Baked Rigatoni Video
