Baked Rigatoni | The Modern Proper (2024)

March 13, 2024

Rich tomato sauce, stringy, gooey mozzarella cheese, and crumbly crispy beef combine with perfectly al dente pasta in this hearty, easy-baked rigatoni.

Photography by Gayle McLeod

The Easiest & Most Delicious Baked Rigatoni Recipe

In little over an hour, you’ll have a bubbling, golden brown, saucy baked rigatoni with cheese. It’s simple enough to throw together in a pinch as you might even have all the ingredients at home. It would even make a great recipe for the kids to help with! This rigatoni pasta recipe is one of our best crowd-pleasing dishes - crumbly bites of sausage and beef sautéed with onions and garlic steal the show and will make your house smell absolutely delicious. If you love hearty, Italian meals like Baked Ziti, Chicken Tetrazzini, or our easy Easy Vodka Sauce, this easy, delicious, and quick pasta bake recipe is for you.

What Is Baked Rigatoni Made Of?

Baked rigatoni consists of a tomato-based sauce (we love a good marinara!), ground beef, lots of golden-brown cheese, and rigatoni noodles mixed together and popped into the oven! It’s our go-to when we have a crowd coming over at the last minute or on a rainy weekend with the family when we are all craving something comforting. In our baked rigatoni recipe, we use jarred marinara for a quick fix but if you have time, we suggest trying your hand at our homemade marinara sauce for a more elevated take. We also brown Italian sausage alongside the ground beef for a richer, deeper flavor.

How Long Do You Cook Rigatoni For?

In other words: How do you bake pasta without drying it out? There are two steps we like to follow to ensure our recipe for rigatoni isn’t overbaked or dry.

1. We cook our pasta al dente according to the package - this means that the pasta is almost fully cooked, but it still has a bite to it! By doing this, it’ll finish cooking in the sauce so it isn’t overbaked.

2. It bakes for 25 minutes covered and then the last 10-15 minutes, uncovered. This helps keep the moisture in and prevents drying out while still getting that golden brown cheesy crust we all love! And, use more sauce than you’d think – It might look like too much but, we promise, when combined and baked, the pasta will cook a little more in the oven and suck up a little sauce!

What Is The Difference Between Baked Ziti And Baked Rigatoni?

Well first, what is rigatoni? Rigatoni pasta noodles are medium size tubes with ridges. In comparison, ziti noodles are a bit longer, skinnier, and don’t have ridges down the side. They’re similar, but we like to use rigatoni for its ability to hold onto the sauce! You can always swap out ziti for rigatoni but make sure you check the cooking times. When it comes to baked ziti versus baked rigatoni, they’re both made from cheesy, tomato-based sauces with ground beef.

We Know You’re Wondering What To Serve With This Rigatoni Pasta Recipe!

While baked rigatoni is a satisfying dish that can be served by itself, pasta lends itself to light vegetable-forward dishes such as Caesar Salad, Maple Roasted Squash Salad (perfect during the fall!), Antipasto Salad, or even a Simple Italian Salad. We of course couldn’t forget the Garlic Bread to scoop up all that leftover sauce and cheese. Kids, and adults alike, will also go crazy over Homemade Mozzarella Sticks for a quick and easy appetizer. If you’re looking for another amuse bouche, Stuffed Mushrooms will be sure to impress and align with your menu. If you’re wanting to add another easy pasta dish to the menu, our Baked Mostaccioli or Manicotti are a great place to start.

How to Make Baked Rigatoni

Follow these four simple steps for the best rigatoni bake:

1. Cook the pasta al dente! Follow the directions on your pasta package! Don’t forget to salt the water. No need to add oil or butter – if you do, the sauce might not stick as well as we’d like!

2. Sautée! The heavenly smell of garlic and onions will travel through the house! Brown the beef and sausage to create deep layers of flavor. Once browned, add the sauce and the remaining few ingredients.

3. Mix it all together! Make sure every rigatoni noodle is properly sauced. Top with handfuls of mozzarella. Pro Tip: This is a great spot in the recipe for the kids to be involved in the cooking!

4. Bake! Covered for the first 25 then, uncovered for the last 10-15. Don’t forget to let it stand for at least 5 minutes – we know it’s hard to wait, but it’s so worth it. Serve it up to all your hungry family and friends!

Tools You’ll Need For Baked Rigatoni

• Large pot and/or Dutch oven

• Pasta strainer

• Wooden spoon or spatula

• 9x13 baking dish

• Sharp knife

• Cheese grater

• Measuring spoons & cups

Our Favorite Baked Pasta Recipes

Pasta is the perfect, filling, inexpensive meal AND it gets even better when you can toss everything into a dish, and pop it in the oven… voilà! Here are our favorites – simple enough for a weeknight, impressive enough for a weekend dinner party:

• Easy Stuffed Pasta Shells

• Baked Ziti

• Manicotti

• Baked Penne Alla Vodka

Impastabley Delicious!

Saucy, cheesy pasta goodness! What did you think of our baked rigatoni recipe? Snap a picture and tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!