Description
A delicious Baked Rigatoni recipe with a rich marinara sauce, ground meat, and a cheesy topping.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 red onion, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 lb ground meat (e.g., ground beef, turkey, lamb, bison)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili flakes
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
- ¼–½ cup water, to rinse out the jar
- ¼ cup grated pecorino
- ½ cup mozzarella (save for top)
- 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons flour
- 1 ¼ cup milk (or plant-milk), more as needed
- ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- Generous pinch of salt and black pepper
- ¼–½ cup grated mozzarella (or melty vegan cheese)
Instructions
- Cook the rigatoni – bring salted water to a boil, simmer pasta for 7 minutes or to al dente, drain. If baking in the springform pan, spread out on a sheet pan to cool and do not coat with oil.
- In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat, saute onion for about 4 mins until softened. Add garlic and saute for one minute. Add meat, breaking it apart. Season with salt, pepper, fennel seeds, paprika, Italian seasoning, and chili flakes while browning the meat.
- Stir in tomato paste, then marinara sauce. Add ½ cup water to rinse out the jar. Cover and bring to a low simmer for 10 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in pecorino cheese. Adjust the salt, pepper, and spice levels as needed.
- Assemble – Place 1 ½ cups of the sauce in the 9-inch springform pan. Brush a light glaze of marinara over the sides of the parchment. Line up the pasta upright until filled, tapping to level.
- Spoon remaining marinara over the top, working it into the pasta, then tapping again to ensure the sauce gets in.
- Heat olive oil in a saucepan, whisk in flour and cook until golden, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in milk, bring to a simmer, whisking constantly. Add cheese, adjusting thickness with more milk if needed. Add nutmeg, garlic, salt, and pepper, whisking everything together.
- Pour this mixture over the rigatoni, smoothing it out with a spatula. Sprinkle with ¼-½ cup cheese, cover with parchment, then wrap tightly with foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then uncover and bake for 15-20 more minutes until golden. Carefully remove the edges of the cheesecake pan before serving.
Notes
- For a 9×13 pan, adjust the cooking time as needed.
- If your sauce is too acidic, a tiny bit of sugar or honey can help balance the flavors.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 450
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 20g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 25g
- Cholesterol: 50mg