rigatoni bake

This simple baked rigatoni is a cozy vegetarian pasta casserole with a creamy marinara sauce, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and a buttery garlic breadcrumb topping!

Simple Baked Rigatoni

(16 ounce) box rigatoni, mezzi rigatoni, penne, or ziti pasta

(24 ounce) jar marinara sauce ((about 3 cups))

(8 ounces) full-fat sour cream,

mozzarella cheese

(2 ounces) grated Parmesan cheese

salt black pepper,

breadcrumbs

salted butter, melted

garlic powder

Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes; chopped fresh parsley Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish; set aside.

Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water for about 1 minute less than the package directions for al dente (about 9 minutes). Drain; return pasta to the pot.

Stir in the marinara sauce and sour cream. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish.

Top with mozzarella and Parmesan.

In a small bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, melted butter, and garlic powder. Sprinkle over the top of the casserole.

Bake, uncovered, for about 20-25 minutes, until golden brown on top and bubbly. If the topping starts to get too dark before the casserole is heated through, just tent the dish loosely with foil.

Let stand for 5-10 minutes before serving. Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes, chopped fresh herbs, and extra Parmesan cheese if desired.

There’s something about cheesy pasta bakes that I’ve always found absolutely crave-worthy. But, in my experience, they can be kind of a letdown, often dry &amp; overcooked all at once. So I set out to create a recipe to satisfy my cravings for the perfect pasta bake, &amp; that's how this baked rigatoni recipe came to be!
I jokingly refer to it as "Better Than Baked Ziti" or "Baked Ziti 2.0," but every component has been really carefully crafted to create a pasta bake for the ages:

Sauciness. This recipe starts with a quick &amp; simple homemade meat sauce made of Italian sausage, loads of aromatics, tomatoes, &amp; wine. There's enough of it to create a beautifully saucy plate of pasta – even after it bakes! – &amp; you'll be surprised by how much richness it adds despite a relatively short simmer. 
Texture. Rigatoni is the ideal pasta here because its ridges &amp; wide opening capture plenty of meat sauce. Try to look for mezzi rigatoni, &amp; be sure to boil it just under al dente to ensure it doesn't overcook as the pasta bakes.
Cheesiness. This baked rigatoni is layered with creamy ricotta &amp; melty mozzarella for a lasagna-like effect (without the fuss of assembling a lasagna!) so each serving has an epic cheese pull – everyone at the table will be so impressed!

It's really the perfect pasta bake, &amp; I think you'll love it as much as we do. ♡ Happy cooking!

Baked Rigatoni with Sausage &amp; Ricotta

mezzi rigatoni (see Recipe Notes)

olive oil

sausage

bell pepper (yellow, orange

yellow onion, diced

cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated

Italian seasoning

teaspoon fennel seeds

red pepper flakes

cup tomato paste

dry, unoaked white wine

can crushed fire roasted tomatoes

tomatoes

flat leaf spinach

parmesan cheese (approx. 3 ounces), divided

whole milk ricotta

mozzarella cheese (approx. 16 ounces), divided

salt black pepper, to season

Boil the pasta

Generously season a large pot of water &amp; bring to a boil. Add the rigatoni &amp; cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is 2-3 minutes under al dente (“al dente” cooking time is typically included in package directions). Drain the pasta – do not rinse! – &amp; set aside. (Learn more ⇢ How to Cook Pasta Perfectly Every Single Time!)

Begin building the sauce – soften the veggies &amp; brown the sauce

Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot &amp; shimmering, add the bell pepper &amp; onion, seasoning with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened &amp; fragrant, 4-5 minutes. Add the sausage to the skillet. Let it brown for 2-3 minutes, then use a wooden spoon to break it apart into fine crumbles. Continue to cook &amp; crumble until the sausage is nicely browned &amp; rendered, 2-3 minutes more. Stir to combine with the softened veggies.

Cook the aromatics: 

Push the sausage &amp; veggies to the side of the skillet &amp; add the garlic, Italian seasoning, fennel seeds, &amp; crushed red pepper flakes (if using) to the skillet such that everything comes into contact with the hot surface of the skillet. Cooking until just fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

Build the tomato sauce: 

Stir the tomato paste into the skillet, stirring to coat the sausage &amp; veggies. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until deeply red. Deglaze the pan by slowly pouring in the white wine, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits that may have formed on the bottom of the pan. Once the wine is almost completely cooked off, add in the crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes (&amp; their juices), spinach, &amp; 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese. Stir to combine &amp; wilt the spinach. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low. Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, to thicken slightly &amp; build flavor. Taste &amp; adjust seasoning accordingly, then remove from the heat.

Baked rigatoni assembly

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, ensuring a rack is positioned in the upper third of the oven. Lightly spritz a large piece of foil &amp; a 9&#215;13 pan with nonstick cooking spray. Set aside. Add the rigatoni to the prepared tomato sauce, tossing well to ensure all of the pasta is coated. Transfer half of the pasta &amp; sauce to the prepared baking dish. Dot 1/2 of the ricotta over the surface of the pasta, then sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded mozzarella cheese over top. Repeat by building one more layer – pasta &amp; sauce, ricotta, mozzarella. Finish by sprinkling the remaining 1/2 cup grated parmesan over top.

Bake the baked rigatoni: 

Place the pan on top of a baking sheet then cover with the prepared foil. Once the oven is preheated, transfer to the oven &amp; bake 25 minutes, until the baked rigatoni is bubbling &amp; the cheese is melted. Carefully remove the foil &amp; turn the oven’s broiler on high. Broil the baked rigatoni about 5 minutes, keeping a close eye on it as it broils to make sure it doesn’t burn, until it’s as bubbly &amp; golden brown as you like.

Rest, slice, &amp; serve

Carefully remove the baked rigatoni from the oven. Allow to cool slightly, then serve topped with additional grated parmesan or finely chopped fresh herbs as desired. Enjoy!

Saw this a while ago and pinned it. I’m starting to think about my holiday cooking and I think it will the perfect dish (and easy) for serving as my first course for Christmas dinner. Thank you.

Looks incredible! I like the short rigatoni here - also a plus if you’re cooking for kids

Amazing recipe and easy to pull together! I used full size rigatoni and followed the instructions exactly. This is now my go-to :)

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/IvxRqaZC.mp4

Even better than baked ziti – Baked Rigatoni with Sausage & Ricotta! Toss al dente pasta in homemade meat sauce made by simmering Italian sausage with tomatoes, aromatic veggies, & wine. Layer with 2 cheeses – creamy ricotta & mozzarella for the best cheese pull – & bake until bubbling & golden. This easy baked rigatoni recipe is seriously cheesy, hearty, & total comfort food. Perfect for Sunday supper! Make ahead-friendly. 

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