Baked Rigatoni

Baked rigatoni is a cheesy casserole with layers of meaty sauce, with ricotta cheese filling, topped with mozzarella cheese, parmesan, and rigatoni pasta.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword baked pasta casserole recipes, baked pasta recipes, rigatoni recipes

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1 10

Servings -12 servings

Calories 839kcal

Author Kathleen

Ingredients

Sauce:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ground beef 80/20
1 pound Italian sausage casings removed and discarded
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup onion chopped
3 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon garlic minced
2 (24-ounce) jars spaghetti sauce (reserve 1 cup)
1/2 cup heavy cream

Ricotta Filling:

24 ounces ricotta
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup mozzarella shredded
1 cup grated Parmesan

Pasta:

16 ounces rigatoni

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Butter an extra deep 9X13-inch baking dish; set aside. Do Not use a standard 13X19. You can use a 9X13-inch baking dish that has sides that are 3 inches high.
In a large Dutch oven, set over medium heat, add the beef (1 pound) and sausage (1 pound) and sprinkle with salt (1 1/2 teaspoons) and pepper (1 teaspoon). Brown the mixture, crumbling it into large pieces. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of drippings from the pot. If you don't have that amount remaining, add olive oil (2 tablespoons) to make up the difference.
Stir the onion (1 cup), and 3 teaspoons Italian seasoning then saute over medium-high heat until soft, about 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic (1 tablespoon) and continue to cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Return the beef and sausage to the Dutch oven. Add half of the marinara sauce (1 jar), and heavy cream (1/2 cup) to the onion and meat, turn the heat to low and heat through; set aside.
Meanwhile, bring another large pot of water, with 2 tablespoons of salt, to a boil. Cook rigatoni (16 ounces) al dente, according to the package instructions. Drain well, then return the pasta to the original pot off the heat. Stir in the remaining half (1 jar less 1 cup) of marinara sauce to pasta and combine; set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta (24 ounces), eggs (2), remaining 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, and nutmeg (1/4 teaspoon); set aside.

Assembly

Spoon about 1 cup of meat sauce at the bottom of the prepared extra-deep 13 by 9-inch Pyrex. Pour half the rigatoni in the baking dish. Spread all the ricotta mixture over the rigatoni then sprinkle half the parmesan, half the mozzarella, and half the remaining meat sauce.
Spread the remaining rigatoni, then the remaining meat sauce, mozzarella, and finally the Parmesan. Bake in the preheated oven, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until the cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbly.

Notes

Deep Baking Dish! This casserole’s volume will not accommodate a standard 9X13-inch Pyrex baking dish. Use an extra-deep 9X13 baking dish. Here’s the one I use. It’s a 9X13X3 inches dish, which is an inch deeper than the standard, with a 5.2-quart capacity.
- If you don’t have one, divide the casserole into 2 separate baking dishes. Spray the dish or dishes with nonstick cooking spray. Cleaning up will be quick and easy. If you don’t have an extra-deep pan, divide the pasta to fill the 9×13 pan and put the remainder in a smaller pan. You can freeze it for later!
- Place the baking dish on a rimmed baking sheet for easier handling and to catch any spills.
Al Dente Only: Make sure to cook the pasta al dente. Once assembled, the pasta will continue to cook, so we don’t want it to be mushy.
Homemade Sauce: If you’d like to use homemade sauce, I’m all for it! The best sauce you can use is my Sunday gravy. It’s simmered for 6-8 hours, so the flavor is unparalleled. It’s the most flavorful meat sauce you can make. If you’ve made this sauce or your Grandma made it, you know! If you’d like a really good homemade sauce that’s quicker to make, my marinara sauce is just the ticket!
How Much Sauce? The instructions call for using two jars of marinara, of which 1 cup is reserved. One jar is used for the meat sauce, and the other jar (less than 1 cup) is used to coat the rigatoni.
- It might seem like the meat sauce is too loose. Trust me, I tested this recipe multiple times to get it just right. When you follow my instructions, the al dente pasta will soak up the liquid to make a perfectly saucy casserole—not too dry, not too wet. Use the extra marinara for leftovers, as the pasta can absorb too much sauce overnight and may seem dry.
Rest It: When baking casseroles like lasagna or baked rigatoni, let the dish sit for 15 to 20 minutes after baking and removing it from the oven. The ingredients will firm up and settle, so serving will go perfectly. If served too soon, the dish will be soupy, and we don’t want that!
Red Pepper Flakes: You’ll notice that my recipe doesn’t include red pepper flakes. That’s because my husband hates spicy! Feel free to add 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon when you add the garlic.
Mushrooms: I often add mushrooms to this rigatoni pasta bake. Saute them until they’re tender and release their moisture. Add to the sauce or as a separate layer.

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