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Home » Pasta » Baked Rigatoni Pasta Recipe

Published: January 22, 2020 Last Modified: January 22, 2020 By Sara 28 Comments

Baked Rigatoni Pasta Recipe

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Baked Rigatoni Pasta #pasta #dinner #italianfood #groundbeef #dinneratthezoo #casserole

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.

Baked Rigatoni Pasta #pasta #dinner #italianfood #groundbeef #dinneratthezoo #casserole Baked Rigatoni Pasta #pasta #dinner #italianfood #groundbeef #dinneratthezoo #casserole

A spoon serving up a portion of baked rigatoni pasta.

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.

Homemade meat sauce in a pan.

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.

Rigatoni pasta tossed with meat sauce.

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.

A pan of pasta in sauce topped with shredded cheese.

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.

A plate of baked rigatoni topped with melted cheese.

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

A spoon serving up a portion of baked rigatoni pasta.
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5 from 23 votes

Baked Rigatoni Pasta

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!
Course Main
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 35 minutes
Servings 8
Calories 601kcal
Author Sara Welch

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.

Nutrition

Calories: 601kcal | Carbohydrates: 51g | Protein: 35g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 726mg | Potassium: 863mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 680IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 189mg | Iron: 4mg
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    Comments

    1. Denise M Warner says

      July 18, 2021 at 6:40 am

      5 stars
      I added a can of crushed tomatoes, freshly chopped oregano and basil to the sauce.

      Reply
    2. Alta M Gorman says

      June 29, 2021 at 8:25 am

      Hello, could you tell me how much meat would i use if i am only having one meat instead of two? Also making for 60ppl. What would be the measurements?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 29, 2021 at 6:18 pm

        You’d use 2 pounds of one type of meat. You can change the number of servings in the recipe card and the ingredient amounts will automatically recalculate!

        Reply
    3. sonya says

      May 24, 2021 at 6:05 pm

      5 stars
      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

      Reply
    4. mimi says

      May 24, 2021 at 1:32 pm

      5 stars
      making this for rigatoni pasta day 😀

      Reply
    5. Cindy says

      April 19, 2021 at 6:37 am

      Can you make ahead of time and bake the next day?
      If so would the baking time be the same?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 19, 2021 at 7:22 pm

        Yes that’s fine, add 15-20 minutes to the baking time!

        Reply
    6. Tina Olson says

      February 8, 2021 at 2:32 pm

      Do you drain the meat after cooking it??

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 8, 2021 at 8:09 pm

        Yes drain it if there’s excess grease!

        Reply
    7. Carrie says

      November 30, 2020 at 8:47 pm

      5 stars
      Made this tonight and the whole family loved it! Your cooking directions were spot on which you don’t see very often, thank you!

      Reply
    8. Tim E says

      October 6, 2020 at 2:11 pm

      Baked it today. Quite delicious. Only tweek was a very little bit of brown sugar but boy it was a great recipe. Thanks.

      Reply
      • Mark says

        February 21, 2021 at 6:14 pm

        5 stars
        Made it today with Spicy Italian Sausage, it was great!
        I used a couple of different cheeses.

        Reply
    9. Tim Hill says

      August 10, 2020 at 7:41 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
    10. Wilbur T Brown says

      July 30, 2020 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      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 😁

      Reply
    11. Jacque Hooper says

      February 4, 2020 at 12:21 pm

      5 stars
      Served this for dinner last night and it has easily become a new family favorite dinner recipe! Looking forward to enjoying leftovers again, tonight!

      Reply
      • Dennis says

        March 1, 2020 at 1:37 pm

        I added fresh mushrooms

        Reply
    12. Florence says

      February 3, 2020 at 2:44 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect comfort food and good enough that I served it to guests! I had a salad and garlic bread and it was yummy!

      Reply
    13. Amanda says

      January 31, 2020 at 4:02 am

      5 stars
      My kiddos love baked rigatoni! The best comfort food.

      Reply
    14. Beth says

      January 29, 2020 at 10:23 am

      We loved baked rigatoni! So easy to put together and so good too!

      Reply
    15. Tiffany La Forge-Grau says

      January 28, 2020 at 11:09 am

      5 stars
      This rigatoni recipe is everything I would expect from a rigatoni. I would seriously love to make this.

      Reply
    16. Chrissie Baker says

      January 28, 2020 at 4:26 am

      5 stars
      Wow! What a mouthwatering dish! I am adding this to my dinner line up this week!

      Reply
    17. Erin says

      January 28, 2020 at 12:21 am

      5 stars
      This baked rigatoni looks absolutely delicious! Yummy!

      Reply
    18. Vikki says

      January 27, 2020 at 9:16 pm

      5 stars
      I just had to try this recipe because it sounded so delicious, and it was! Whole family loved it

      Reply
    19. Amanda says

      January 27, 2020 at 4:39 pm

      5 stars
      Such a delicious meal the whole family can enjoy!

      Reply
    20. Guido says

      January 24, 2020 at 10:30 pm

      5 stars
      I can’t wait to make this recipe this weekend. It looks delicious, thank you!

      Reply
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