Baked Rigatoni is a pasta dish that will be in your regular rotation because it is quick, full of flavor and your family will devour it.
Rigatoni is a type of tube pasta that is short, wide and cut straight giving it a cylindrical shape. It is similar to penne, however penne is cut at a diagonal to give it a pointy shape. Rigatoni comes from the Italian word “rigato” meaning rigid. This type of pasta is smooth on the inside but the outside is covered with ridges. The tube shape is great for encapsulating cheese and sauce to the max!
Baked Rigatoni
There is something about a pasta dish that just screams comfort food. I love the smell of baked rigatoni filling my home and enjoying the fact that it was so easy to put together. Simply boil the rigatoni and then set aside. Prepare the sauce by cooking two pounds of sausage with onion and garlic. Then, add a large 28 ounce can of tomato sauce and a can of diced tomatoes. Throw in some seasoning, stir the sauce into the pasta, put it in a 9x13 pan, cover with cheese and bake! It is easy peasy.
Baked rigatoni is a pasta dish that is covered in a meat sauce, lathered in cheese and then baked in the oven to perfection. This is a top choice to make when you are hosting guests because it makes plenty of pasta and is yummy to boot.
Ingredients
- Sausage: I think using sausage is so much better than just using ground beef. It adds SO much flavor. That being said you can use ground beef or half ground beef and half sausage.
- Onion and Garlic: easy ways to add lots of flavor to this dish. I love cooking the onion with the sausage; I think it increases the flavor.
- Tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes: this is the base for your homemade "sauce" the perk is this is just a dump and go sauce, very easy
- Petite diced tomatoes: adds a little bit of texture to the sauce
- Italian seasoning: a great spice blend to have on hand and adds so much flavor all from one jar of spices
- Rigatoni pasta: these are a medium sized tube pasta and perfect for this dish, not too bit and not too small
- Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese: the best part of a baked pasta dish, the cheese that melts on top
Recipe Instructions
- In a large skillet or pan add the sausage and the diced onion and cook.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add both cans of tomatoes and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cooked rigatoni pasta to the pan and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta and sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese evenly over the top of the dish.
- Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is a bit browned.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can use penne or ziti if that is want you have on hand but I will tell you that rigatoni is the premier choice here. It holds the chunky sauce and cheese better than other pastas do.
Since the pasta will be baked in the oven, I suggest cooking the pasta al dente which means it will have just a little bite left to it. You don’t want it to be overcooked and mushy. Cook it the shortest amount recommended or 1 minute less than advised.
Yes, but only if it's is obviously very greasy. If the pan doesn't have much grease on the bottom after the onion and meat are cooked, you don't have to work about it.
I like to serve pasta dishes with a fresh, green salad and a loaf of bread (like baguettes!). You can never go wrong with adding a vegetable as a side dish in my opinion.
How to freeze:
This dish is also a great choice to make ahead of time and refrigerate or even put it in the freezer. To freeze this pasta dish: prepare the dish but don’t bake it, wrap it tightly, and freeze. If it is covered properly, it will stay good in the freezer for up to 3 months. To cook, thaw in the fridge overnight and then bake as directed.
More Recipes
- One Pot Pasta Primavera
- Chicken with Tomatoes and Garlic Pasta
- Easy Roasted Tomato & Sausage Pasta
- Sausage and Pumpkin Pasta
If you’ve tried this Baked Rigatoni Recipe or any other recipe on Bless this Mess, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave me a comment below! I would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some pictures of it, share it with me on Instagram so I can repost on my stories.
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Baked Rigatoni
- Total Time: 50 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
Description
Baked rigatoni is a family favorite dinner that's so easy to make. You simple cook up some sausage and onion, add some canned tomatoes and seasoning, and stir all of that in with cooked rigatoni. Add that to a dish and top with cheese and then bake to perfection. We make this recipe often!
Ingredients
- 2 pound ground sausage
- 1 small onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 large can tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes (29 ounces)
- 1 can petite diced tomatoes with the juice (15 ounces)
- 2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked according to the package directions and drained
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella (8 ounces)
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, optional
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. and spray a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray and set aside.
- In a large skillet or pan add the sausage and the diced onion and cook, breaking up the sausage as you go, until the sausage is cooked through and the onion tender, about 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add both cans of tomatoes and Italian seasoning and stir to combine. Remove from the heat.
- Add the cooked rigatoni pasta to the pan and stir to combine.
- Add the pasta and sausage mixture to the prepared baking dish.
- Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the dish.
- Sprinkle the mozzarella evenly over the top of the dish.
- Bake uncovered for 25-35 minutes or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is a bit browned. Sometimes if the sauce is done and everything is hot but the cheese isn't quite browned enough to my liking, I'll put it under the broil setting on my oven for 30 second to a minute to crisp up the cheese just a little.
- Let the dish rest 5 minutes and then serve hot.
Notes
- You have lots of options when it comes to sausage. You can get ground sausage like Jimmy Dean's or sausage with casing (just remove the casing). You can use Italian sausage, normal breakfast sausage, hot or spicy sausage or just about anything that you like or have on hand.
- You can use any similar sized pasta in this recipe if you prefer.
- Prep Time: 20 min
- Cook Time: 30 min
- Category: main dish
- Method: bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: baked rigatoni, baked rigatoni recipe, easy baked pasta, baked pasta, baked pasta recipe, baked pasta with sausage
I know you are going to love this Baked Rigatoni. It has no shortage of flavor, it’s packed with protein, so easy to make and everyone will give it glowing reviews.
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