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Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Meat Sauce
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5 from 1 vote

Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Meat Sauce

A classic baked pasta dish that is quick enough for a weeknight, but tastes like you made it over the weekend.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Bake Time30 minutes
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Keyword: baked pasta, comfort food, pasta
Servings: 4 generous servings
Author: Rachel Lerro

Equipment

  • 1 Baking Dish roughly 9 x 13"

Ingredients

  • 1 lb rigatoni
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 28 oz canned tomatoes crushed or whole
  • 1 onion diced
  • 15 oz ricotta
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese grated, reserve 1/4 C for serving
  • olive oil
  • salt

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and diced onions together. Season with salt and pepper. If you have an excess of grease (it will depend on the fat percentage of your ground beef) you can drain some off. Add in the tomatoes, crush them if you’re using whole tomatoes. Cover and simmer for 20 mins on medium heat. Make sure to season to taste. 
  • While the sauce is simmering, get your oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) and also bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt your water and cook your pasta about 3/4 of the full cook time. These oversized rigatoni were labeled as taking 12 minutes to cook, so I only cooked them for around 8 minutes. Drain your pasta. 
  • Toss drained pasta with sauce and transfer to a large baking dish. Top with generous dollops of ricotta cheese, sprinkle with 1/4 C grated parmesan and a good drizzle of olive oil. 
  • Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F (175°C) for 30mins. Remove foil and broil till cheese is golden and bubbly. Remove from oven and let cool for 10mins. Then top with more grated parm and eat up!