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Baked rigatoni is the kind of dinner that disappears before everyone sits down. Tender pasta gets folded into a rich meat sauce, dolloped with ricotta, then buried under freshly grated mozzarella and baked until the edges bubble. A jar of good marinara does most of the work.
More cheesy pasta dinners: Spinach Baked Ziti | Four Cheese Rigatoni | Million Dollar Spaghetti
Before You Get Started
Baked pasta goes wrong in two places: the noodles and the cheese. Get these three right and the rest takes care of itself.
- Undercook the pasta. It keeps cooking in the sauce for another 30 minutes in the oven. Pull it a minute before package al dente.
- Grate your own mozzarella. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and never melts the same. Freshly grated gives you the pull-apart top.
- Cover it with foil first. Trapped steam keeps the pasta from drying out. Uncover at the end so the cheese browns.
RECIPE WALK-THROUGH
How to Make Baked Rigatoni
See the recipe card below for full, detailed instructions
You’ll love this baked rigatoni recipe because we use high-quality, flavorful ingredients. A good jarred marinara, freshly grated cheese, and sweet canned tomatoes make the sauce taste homemade without extra time and effort.
Step 1: Prep and Boil the Pasta
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly spray a deep 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Bring a large pot of very generously salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions until just under al dente.
Drain the pasta, but don’t rinse it. The starch helps the sauce stick to each piece.
- Make sure the pasta still has a bit of bite. It will get softer as it bakes.
Step 2: Brown the Meat with Onion and Garlic
Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and drizzle with olive oil. Add the ground beef or Italian sausage, diced onion, and garlic.
- Meat choice: Italian sausage brings its own seasoning and gives the sauce more depth with no extra work. Lean ground beef is a more neutral, everyday option.
Cook until the meat is browned and cooked through, breaking it into crumbles as it cooks. Season with kosher salt, Italian seasoning, and freshly ground black pepper.
- Swap the protein: Ground turkey or ground pork both work here. Turkey runs leaner, so add a little extra olive oil.
- Sneak in vegetables: Sauteed mushrooms or diced green bell pepper go in with the onion. Fresh baby spinach can be stirred in at the end of the sauce step and wilts down to nothing.
Step 3: Build the Sauce
Add the marinara sauce and canned San Marzano tomatoes to the meat. Use a spoon to break up the whole tomatoes.
Let the sauce cook for about 4 minutes, then remove it from the heat. Taste and add more salt if needed.
- Why a jar plus a can beats two jars: The canned San Marzanos add body and a natural sweetness that keeps the sauce from tasting flat or one-note, and breaking them up by hand leaves texture that a smooth jarred sauce does not have.
- A good jar is the shortcut that makes this a weeknight dish. If you would rather make your own, my Homemade Marinara Sauce works beautifully here.
Step 4: Layer It Up
Stir the drained pasta into the sauce until every piece is coated. Pour half the sauced pasta into the baking dish.
Add spoonfuls of ricotta evenly on top, then sprinkle with half the parmesan.
Add the rest of the pasta, then top with the remaining parmesan and all the mozzarella.
- Freshly grated mozzarella and parmesan melt and taste better than pre-shredded cheese.
- No ricotta on hand? Leave it out. You lose some creaminess but the dish still works.
Step 5: Bake Covered, Then Uncovered
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Then remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbling.
- Why does the foil go on first? It traps steam so the pasta finishes cooking without drying out, and the uncovered finish is what lets the cheese brown.
To get a golden top, broil the dish briefly at the end. Watch closely so the cheese doesn’t burn.
Top with freshly chopped parsley or basil and serve.
- Baked rigatoni is one of dozens of make-ahead casseroles in my Best Casserole Recipes collection, sorted by protein and prep time.
What to Serve Alongside
Garlic bread is the move here, ideally something you can pull apart and use to chase sauce around the plate. A crisp green side salad with a sharp dressing balances all that cheese. Between the three, you have dinner covered.
Here are some from the site to try out:
- Cheesy Garlic Bread or Garlic Breadsticks
- Copycat Olive Garden Salad
- Caesar Salad
- Oven Roasted Vegetables
- Oven Roasted Broccoli
Storage Tips
Storage and Reheating Tips
- Storage: Store leftover baked rigatoni in an airtight container or wrapped tightly in the fridge for 3 to 5 days. Reheat single servings in the microwave until hot.
- Reheating: Reheating in the oven can dry out the casserole, so the microwave works best for leftovers. If the pasta seems dry, add a little marinara before reheating.
- Freezing: Assemble the entire casserole before freezing. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and aluminum foil, then freeze. Thaw in the refrigerator for 24 hours before baking as directed.
- Make Ahead: Assemble, cover, and hold in the fridge overnight, then bake straight from cold with 10-15 minutes of extra time on the covered baking stage.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use ziti or penne instead of rigatoni?
Yes. Both hold sauce well and bake the same way. Note that rigatoni’s wider tubes and deeper ridges trap more sauce, which is why it is the pick, but the recipe does not change.
Do I have to boil the pasta first?
Yes for this recipe. The sauce is not thin enough to cook dry pasta through, and skipping the boil leaves chalky centers. Cook the pasta to just under al dente so that it softens during the baking time.
How do you keep baked rigatoni from drying out?
Three things do the work. Enough sauce, the foil-covered first bake, and not overcooking the pasta before it goes in. Reheat individual portions in the microwave. Reheating the whole casserole in the oven dries it out.
Do I have to use ricotta?
No. It adds creamy, slightly salty pockets, and the dish still works without it. Cottage cheese is not a straight swap in texture, but you can use it as a substitute.
More Pasta Dinners To Try
Baked Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 1 pound dry rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage or lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion about 1 cup, finely diced
- 2 large cloves garlic pressed or minced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more for pasta water
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 (24 ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (28 ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
- 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups freshly grated mozzarella cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley and/or basil for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly spray a deep 9×13 baking dish with non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the rigatoni in generously salted water according to package directions, pulling it about a minute before al dente. Drain, but do not rinse.
- Heat a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the sausage or beef, onion and garlic and cook until the meat is cooked through, breaking it into crumbles as it goes. Season with the salt, Italian seasoning and pepper. Blot up any grease with tongs and a clean paper towel.
- Add the marinara and the canned tomatoes to the meat, breaking up the whole tomatoes in the pot. Heat through, about 4 minutes, then remove from the heat. Taste and adjust the salt.
- Add the drained pasta to the sauce and stir to coat.
- Pour half of the pasta into the prepared dish. Dollop with the ricotta and sprinkle with half the parmesan. Add the remaining pasta, the rest of the parmesan, and the mozzarella.
- Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Broil briefly if you want browned spots. Garnish with parsley or basil and serve immediately.
Notes
- Undercook the pasta. Pull it about a minute before package al dente. It keeps cooking in the sauce during the bake.
- Grate your own mozzarella. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in starch and will not melt as smoothly.
- Cover it, then uncover it. The foil traps steam so the pasta does not dry out. The uncovered finish is what browns the cheese.
- Swap the meat freely. Italian sausage brings the most flavor, but lean ground beef, ground turkey or ground pork all work. Turkey runs leaner, so add a little extra olive oil.
- Add vegetables if you like. Sauteed mushrooms or diced green bell pepper go in with the onion. Fresh baby spinach can be stirred into the finished sauce.
- Ricotta is optional. It adds creamy, slightly salty pockets. Leave it out if you do not have it, swap it for cottage cheese (it will have a different texture), or stir it into the sauce instead of dolloping for a richer, more uniform result.
- Use a marinara you actually like. Rao’s is worth seeking out for the ingredient quality and low sugar. San Marzano tomatoes are naturally sweet and low in acid, but any canned tomatoes will do.
- Store leftovers in the fridge. Keep them tightly wrapped for 3 to 5 days. Reheat individual portions in the microwave, since the oven dries the casserole out.
- Freeze it before baking. Cover the assembled dish tightly with plastic wrap and then foil. Thaw in the fridge for 24 hours and bake as directed.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.
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