Description
Make this easy cheesy baked rigatoni pasta bake for a comforting, family-friendly dinner that comes together quickly. It is loaded with rich sauce and gooey mozzarella.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef or Italian sausage
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 (15 ounce) container ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for topping
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Cook the rigatoni according to package directions until al dente. Drain the pasta and set aside.
- While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook until browned. Drain off any excess fat.
- Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
- Stir in the marinara sauce, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, egg, and 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the meat sauce, and half of the mozzarella cheese. Mix gently until everything is coated.
- Spread half of the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Dollop the ricotta mixture evenly over the pasta layer.
- Top with the remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese and a little extra Parmesan cheese over the top.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly golden brown. Let it rest for 5 minutes before serving this hearty Italian pasta casserole.
Notes
- For a quick weeknight pasta dinner idea, you can use a high-quality jarred sauce to save time.
- If you want a creamy Parmesan pasta bake, stir 1/2 cup of heavy cream into the meat sauce before assembling.
- This is a great make ahead pasta bake; assemble the entire dish, cover it, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours before baking. Add 10 minutes to the bake time if cooking straight from the refrigerator.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Cook Time: 25 min
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 580
- Sugar: 10
- Sodium: 750
- Fat: 28
- Saturated Fat: 13
- Unsaturated Fat: 15
- Trans Fat: 0.5
- Carbohydrates: 55
- Fiber: 4
- Protein: 32
- Cholesterol: 75