This baked rigatoni recipe is pasta tossed in a flavorful meat sauce, then topped with plenty of cheese and baked until golden brown. A super easy dinner option that’s great for feeding a crowd!
You can never go wrong with pasta as a hearty main course, whether it’s Cajun shrimp pasta, baked tortellini, or this simple yet satisfying baked rigatoni.
When I need to cook for a large group, I often make a big dish full of baked rigatoni pasta. It’s east to make, popular with both kids and adults, and can be easily customized to fit anyone’s preferences.
What is rigatoni pasta used for?
Rigatoni is a hearty, tube shaped pasta with ridges on the outside which help the sauce adhere to the noodles. Rigatoni is great for baked pasta dishes, and holds up well to thicker sauces such as cream sauces or chunky tomato sauces. If you can’t find rigatoni at your local grocery store, penne is a good substitute.
How do you make baked rigatoni?
Make baked rigatoni by first cooking up a combination of ground beef and mild Italian sausage. Make sure to break up the meat into small crumbles. Add an onion to the pan and cook it until softened. Saute a little garlic in that pan and add marinara and tomato sauces. When the sauce has simmered and thickened, toss some cooked rigatoni in the sauce. Pour the pasta and sauce into a baking pan and top it with mozzarella cheese. Bake the dish until the cheese is golden brown and melted. Serve the pasta with a little chopped parsley on top.
Tips for the perfect baked rigatoni
- Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
- Use a high quality marinara sauce. I like Newman’s Own which has a nice complex flavor.
- I use 90% lean ground beef – it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
- This dish can be assembled up to 6 hours before you plan to bake it. Store it in the refrigerator until you’re ready to put it in the oven. You may need to add a few minutes more to the cook time to compensate for starting with a chilled dish.
Baked rigatoni pasta variations
I typically make this recipe exactly as it’s written. However, you can modify the recipe to suit your tastes.
- Meat – Try using ground turkey, turkey sausage or diced cooked chicken instead of ground beef and Italian sausage.
- Vegetables – Add sauteed vegetables to the sauce such as mushrooms, spinach, zucchini or bell peppers. Olives, sun dried tomatoes or artichoke hearts are also fabulous in this dish.
- Cheese – Instead of mozzarella, try another cheese that melts well like provolone or fontina. You can also add a layer of ricotta in the middle of the dish.
Can you freeze baked pasta?
This dish can be frozen for up to 2 months. Tightly cover the top of your dish with foil, then cover everything with plastic wrap to get as tight of a seal as possible. You can thaw the dish, or bake it from frozen. If you bake from frozen, you’ll need to add another 20-30 minutes to the cook time.
This recipe is easy to make and will delight your family and friends. Give this dish a try the next time you are in the mood for some good old fashioned comfort food!
More pasta dishes you’ll enjoy
- Mushroom Pasta with Bacon
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Pasta Pomodoro
- Butternut Squash Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Baked Rigatoni Video
Baked Rigatoni Pasta
Ingredients
For the sauce
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound ground beef I use 90% lean
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage casings removed
- 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 8 ounce can tomato sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
For assembly
- 16 ounces rigatoni pasta cooked according to package directions
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese shredded
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.
For the sauce
- Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
- Cook the meat for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon. Add the onion to the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through and onion is softened.
- Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinara sauce and tomato sauce to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer.
- Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or until just thickened
For assembly
- Toss the cooked rigatoni with the sauce.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and top with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese is melted and browned.
- Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
sonya says
this was a big hit with my family, we loved it! the best thing is that it’s super easy, i’m 14 and more of a baker than cook, but i made this with little to no difficulty. the only thing i did different was add more cheese but i think that’s a personal preference lol
mimi says
making this for rigatoni pasta day 😀
Cindy says
Can you make ahead of time and bake the next day?
If so would the baking time be the same?
Sara says
Yes that’s fine, add 15-20 minutes to the baking time!
Tina Olson says
Do you drain the meat after cooking it??
Sara says
Yes drain it if there’s excess grease!
Carrie says
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it! Your cooking directions were spot on which you don’t see very often, thank you!
Tim E says
Baked it today. Quite delicious. Only tweek was a very little bit of brown sugar but boy it was a great recipe. Thanks.
Mark says
Made it today with Spicy Italian Sausage, it was great!
I used a couple of different cheeses.
Tim Hill says
Another wonderful recipe. The first I tried was the chicken noodle casserole and that is perfection. This is very easy to make, but I noticed that depending on the brand, not all rigatoni noodles look alike. I first bought store brand, but I didn’t like the shape so I went back and bought Barilla which is closer to the pictures here. My only variations were a small jar of button mushrooms and a small can of sliced olives in the sauce to give it a bit more variety. At first I thought there wouldn’t be enough pasta for the sauce I’d made, but it turned out well. This will be one I keep on the rotation. Thank you for another wonderful recipe. I look forward to trying others soon.
Wilbur T Brown says
Made this with the Italian sausage and ground beef. Used the Newman Marinara sauce and followed the recipe to the T. It came out pretty good for my first time. Added ricotta cheese and added so much more flavor. I love this recipe. Cook it once a month, my new spaghetti 😁
Jacque Hooper says
Served this for dinner last night and it has easily become a new family favorite dinner recipe! Looking forward to enjoying leftovers again, tonight!
Dennis says
I added fresh mushrooms
Florence says
Perfect comfort food and good enough that I served it to guests! I had a salad and garlic bread and it was yummy!
Amanda says
My kiddos love baked rigatoni! The best comfort food.
Beth says
We loved baked rigatoni! So easy to put together and so good too!
Tiffany La Forge-Grau says
This rigatoni recipe is everything I would expect from a rigatoni. I would seriously love to make this.
Chrissie Baker says
Wow! What a mouthwatering dish! I am adding this to my dinner line up this week!
Erin says
This baked rigatoni looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!
Vikki says
I just had to try this recipe because it sounded so delicious, and it was! Whole family loved it
Amanda says
Such a delicious meal the whole family can enjoy!
Guido says
I can’t wait to make this recipe this weekend. It looks delicious, thank you!