Easy Baked Rigatoni - Cheesy 45-Minute Dinner

Baked rigatoni is what happens when you stop stirring pasta on the stove and slide the whole thing into the oven instead. The tubes hold sauce inside them, the cheese goes golden on top, and the edges crisp where they touch the dish.

You boil the pasta for two minutes less than the box says. That sounds fussy. It isn't. Rigatoni keeps cooking in the oven, and pasta that goes in fully soft comes out mushy by the time the cheese melts.

Everything else is a skillet of beef and sauce and a bowl of ricotta and mozzarella. About fifteen minutes of work, then the oven does the rest.

About the Ingredients

1 pound (454 g) rigatoni

Ridged tubes hold sauce better than smooth ones. If you only have penne or ziti, use those and boil them the same two minutes short.

1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil

Any neutral oil works here. You only need enough to keep the beef from sticking to the skillet.

1 pound (454 g) ground beef

Ground turkey or Italian sausage both work. Sausage brings its own seasoning, so cut the salt in the sauce by half.

1 small yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup (160 g)

A shallot or half a red onion is fine. Cook it until it looks wet and glassy, not brown.

3 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 tablespoon (9 g)

Jarred minced garlic is about 1 teaspoon for every clove. Add it last so it doesn't burn and turn bitter.

24 ounces (680 g) marinara sauce

One jar or one homemade batch. If yours is unsalted, add half a teaspoon of salt with it.

15 ounces (425 g) whole-milk ricotta

Part-skim ricotta works but stays a little grainy. If the ricotta looks watery, drain it in a sieve for ten minutes first.

1 large egg

This is what keeps the ricotta layer from running. Skip it and the cheese slides to the bottom of the dish.

2 cups (226 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella

Buy a block and shred it yourself if you can. Pre-shredded cheese has starch on it and melts less smoothly.

1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan

Pecorino Romano is sharper and saltier. Use it and skip the salt in the ricotta mix.

1 teaspoon dried oregano

Crush it between your fingers before it goes in. Dried basil or an Italian seasoning blend also works.

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

Kosher salt is coarser than table salt. If you only have table salt, use a scant half teaspoon.

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Heat the oven and boil water

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 375 F (190 C). Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.

2. Cook the pasta short

Boil the rigatoni for two minutes less than the package directions, usually about 9 minutes for a 12-minute box. Drain it without rinsing and leave it in the colander.

3. Brown the beef

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it apart, until no pink remains and the edges are browned.

4. Build the sauce

Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft and glassy. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds, then pour in the marinara and simmer for 3 minutes.

5. Mix the ricotta layer

In a bowl, stir the ricotta, egg, half the Parmesan and the 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. It should look like thick cake batter, not crumbly cheese.

6. Layer the dish

Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Add half the pasta, then all the ricotta in dollops, then half the remaining sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat with the rest of the pasta and sauce.

7. Top and bake

Scatter the last cup of mozzarella and the rest of the Parmesan over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden in spots and the sauce bubbles at the edges.

8. Rest before serving

Take the dish out and let it sit for 10 minutes. The layers set in that time, and the slices come out clean instead of sliding apart.

How to Store Baked Rigatoni

Tips & Tricks

• Undercook the pasta by two minutes. Rigatoni that is fully tender on the stove turns soft and broken in the oven. Bite a piece at the two-minute-early mark and it should still have a firm center.
• Drain the pasta but don't rinse it. Rinsing washes off the surface starch that helps the sauce cling to the tubes.
• Watch the cheese, not the timer. Ovens run hot and cold. Pull the dish when the top is golden in patches and the sauce bubbles at the edges, which is usually 25 to 30 minutes at 375 F (190 C).
• Let it sit ten minutes before you cut it. Straight from the oven the layers slide apart. Ten minutes and the slices hold their shape.

Frequently Asked Questions

Delicious Variations

Spicy sausage version

swap the ground beef for hot Italian sausage, remove it from the casings, and add a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic.

Vegetarian version

skip the beef and use 8 ounces (226 g) of chopped mushrooms plus a second jar of marinara. Brown the mushrooms well so they don't release water in the oven.

White sauce version

replace the marinara with a jar of Alfredo and add a pinch of nutmeg to the ricotta. Bake it the same way at 375 F (190 C).

Pull the dish out when the edges bubble and the top is golden, and give it ten quiet minutes on the counter before you cut in. That rest is the difference between a clean slice and a pile. If you make it with sausage or mushrooms, that works too.

Easy Baked Rigatoni – Cheesy 45-Minute Dinner

Baked Rigatoni is a hearty pasta bake with ground beef, marinara and melted cheese, ready in 45 minutes and hot and bubbling from the oven.

15 minPrep time35 minCook time6Servings612 kcalCalories

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🧂 Ingredients

• 1 pound (454 g) rigatoni
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) olive oil
• 1 pound (454 g) ground beef
• 1 small yellow onion, diced, about 1 cup (160 g)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced, about 1 tablespoon (9 g)
• 24 ounces (680 g) marinara sauce
• 15 ounces (425 g) whole-milk ricotta
• 1 large egg
• 2 cups (226 g) shredded low-moisture mozzarella
• 1/2 cup (50 g) grated Parmesan
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pasta water

📋 Instructions

1. 1Heat the oven and boil water — Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 375 F (190 C). Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil.
2. 2Cook the pasta short — Boil the rigatoni for two minutes less than the package directions, usually about 9 minutes for a 12-minute box. Drain it without rinsing and leave it in the colander.
3. 3Brown the beef — Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, breaking it apart, until no pink remains and the edges are browned.
4. 4Build the sauce — Add the onion and cook for 4 minutes until soft and glassy. Stir in the garlic and oregano for 30 seconds, then pour in the marinara and simmer for 3 minutes.
5. 5Mix the ricotta layer — In a bowl, stir the ricotta, egg, half the Parmesan and the 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth. It should look like thick cake batter, not crumbly cheese.
6. 6Layer the dish — Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in a 9 by 13 inch baking dish. Add half the pasta, then all the ricotta in dollops, then half the remaining sauce and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat with the rest of the pasta and sauce.
7. 7Top and bake — Scatter the last cup of mozzarella and the rest of the Parmesan over the top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cheese is golden in spots and the sauce bubbles at the edges.
8. 8Rest before serving — Take the dish out and let it sit for 10 minutes. The layers set in that time, and the slices come out clean instead of sliding apart.

👨🍳 Chef's Note: If your oven runs hot, drop it to 350 F (175 C) and add five minutes. The cheese browns fast and the middle needs the time.

Servings: 6

Cuisine: Italian-American

Course: Main Course

Easy Recipes for Everyday Cooking15 minutes35 minutes60 minutes

Nutrition (per serving): 612 kcal · 38g protein · 62g carbs · 26g fat