My easy baked rigatoni is an incredible comfort food featuring al dente rigatoni pasta, pasta sauce with Italian sausage, and melted cheese! You can't go wrong with this simple rigatoni pasta bake because it's a delicious dinner that the whole family will enjoy! Once you try this cheesy baked rigatoni with Italian sausage, you'll want to make it every week!
Easy Rigatoni Pasta Bake
Nothing screams comfort food like a homemade pasta dinner, and this baked rigatoni is one of my family's absolute favorites. The perfectly al dente noodles are coated in a delicious meat sauce made with ground Italian sausage then topped off with cheese and baked in the oven, that's all there is to it!
This baked rigatoni pasta is always enjoyed by kids and adults alike and this recipe makes plenty, so it's great for serving a crowd! After all, who doesn't like saucy, cheesy, pasta?
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🥘 Ingredients
This recipe calls for all the expected ingredients when making Italian food. You do have some room to customize though, if you prefer your own pasta sauce or a flavored Italian sausage!
- Dry Rigatoni Pasta - 10 ounces.
- Olive Oil - 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil.
- Ground Italian Sausage - 1 pound.
- Garlic - 2 teaspoons minced garlic.
- Tomato Basil Pasta Sauce - 1 24-ounce jar.
- Petite Diced Tomatoes - 1 14.5-ounce can, drained)
- Italian Seasoning - 1 ½ teaspoons.
- Mozzarella Cheese - 2 cups shredded, divided into 2 portions of ¾ cup and 1 ¼ cup.
- Parmesan - ½ cup grated, divided into 2 portions of ¼ cup.
- Salt & Pepper - To taste.
- Fresh Basil Leaves (optional) - or fresh parsley, for garnish.
*Be sure to see the recipe card below for ingredients, amounts & instructions!*
🔪 Instructions
There may be a lot of steps but it's thoroughly broken down, you'll find once you get started that this recipe pretty simple! You will want a 9x13 baking dish, a pot for boiling pasta, a colander for draining, and a skillet.
- Prep. Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of salted water to a roiling boil and add 10 ounces of rigatoni. Cook as directed on the box, but stop 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the rest.
- Brown the sausage. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 1 pound of ground Italian sausage and crumble it as it cooks until fully browned. Drain any excess fat, then add 2 teaspoons of minced garlic and saute for just 30 seconds.
- Mix. After sauteing the garlic, stir in your reserved pasta water, 24 ounces of pasta sauce, 14.5 ounces of diced tomatoes, and 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning. Mix well.
- Season. In the now-empty pot, combine your meat sauce, drained pasta, and the first ¼ cup Parmesan. Season with salt & pepper to taste and stir to combine.
- Pour into dish. Pour your pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. *Try to make sure all of the pasta is covered in sauce or it can become dry while baking.
- Cover. Sprinkle the 1 ½ cups of mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan over the top. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of foil, arching it over the top so that it does not stick to the cheese.
- Bake. Pop it in the oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, garnish with basil or parsley if desired, and serve.
No Italian meal is complete without some crusty garlic bread! You could also start the meal off with something light like a caprese salad or some cream cheese stuffed mushrooms. Enjoy!
💭 Angela's Pro Tips & Recipe Notes
- Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you add the sauce for an extra kick. Or try my arrabbiata sauce or use spicy Italian sausage if you like it hot!
- If you can't find rigatoni, penne would make a fine substitute.
- Use fresh cheese! Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a fine powder to keep it from clumping and it doesn't melt as good as the freshly shredded stuff.
- To make baked rigatoni ahead of time, follow all the steps up to baking. Let cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed, but you may need to add 5-10 minutes when baking it from chilled.
- Storing: Keep leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave.
🍝 More Pasta Dishes!
- Cauliflower Ham Pasta Casserole
- Garlic Parmesan Angel Hair Pasta
- Prime Rib Pasta Bake
- Macaroni and Tomatoes
- Spaghetti Bolognese
- Frutti di Mare
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📖 Recipe Card
Baked Rigatoni with Tomato Sauce & Italian Sausage
Ingredients
- 10 oz dry rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (extra virgin)
- 1 lb ground Italian sausage
- 2 teaspoon garlic (minced)
- 24 oz tomato basil pasta sauce (1 24-ounce jar)
- 14.5 oz petite diced tomatoes (1 14.5-ounce can, drained)
- 1 ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 ½ cups mozzarella cheese (shredded)
- ½ cup Parmesan (grated, divided into 2 portions of ¼ cup each)
- each, salt & pepper (to taste)
- fresh basil leaves (or fresh parsley, optional for garnish)
(Note: 2x or 3x only changes the ingredient list)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C) and spray a 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook your rigatoni as directed on the box, stopping 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve ¼ cup of the starchy pasta water and drain the rest.
- Add the olive oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the Italian sausage. Crumble it as it cooks. Then, drain any fat from the pan and saute the garlic for 30 seconds with the meat.
- After 30 seconds, stir in the reserved pasta water, pasta sauce, diced tomatoes, and Italian seasoning. Mix until combined.
- In the now-empty pot, combine your meat sauce, drained pasta, and ¼ cup Parmesan. Stir, then season with salt & pepper to taste.
- Pour the pasta mixture into your prepared baking dish. *Try to make sure all of the pasta is covered in sauce or it can dry up while baking.
- Sprinkle the 1 ½ cups of mozzarella and the remaining ¼ cup of Parmesan over the top of the sauced pasta. Cover the baking dish with a sheet of foil, arching or 'tenting' it over the top so that it does not stick to the cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, garnish with basil or parsley if desired, and serve.
Notes
- Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes when you add the sauce for an extra kick, or use my arrabbiata sauce instead of the tomato pasta sauce.
- A hint of freshly ground fennel seeds are one of my favorite additions to any tomato-based Italian sauce. Yum!
- If you can't find rigatoni, penne or ziti would make a fine substitute.
- Use fresh cheese! Pre-shredded cheese is coated in a fine powder to keep it from clumping and it doesn't melt as good as the freshly shredded stuff.
Robert says
This worked exactly as written, thanks!
Floyd2k says
Hey! This was great for Thursday night which is usually Burger night.
Perfect. I added chopped fresh basil with the garlic. I also used the Italian Herb paste and then an Italian Herb Grinder (Course) on top.
Just wondering about the other 3/4 cup of Mozzarella (?).
Angela @ BakeItWithLove.com says
Hi there! Glad to hear that you enjoyed the rigatoni dish!
The mozzarella (all of it) is added in step #7 of the directions. Thanks for asking!