Rigatoni Pasta Bake - About A Mom

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Rigatoni Pasta Bake

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Family meal time is so special to me. It’s a chance for us all to catch up, discuss current events, and of course enjoy some good food. I love making baked pasta dishes with tomato and meat sauce, and this Rigatoni Pasta Bake is one of my favorites. This post contains affiliate links. That means if you purchase something using these links, About a Mom earns a small commission.

I have to say this rigatoni pasta is one of my favorite dishes. Some of my other favorite pasta recipes are Italian Sausage, Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells, One Pot Loaded Veggie Pasta, and this Baked Spaghetti which is also great as a freezer meal.

Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Rigatoni Pasta Bake Recipe

This recipe will feed a hungry crowd, and is also great for leftovers. I know my family really likes it too, if the clean plates are any indication. It sure makes washing the dishes a lot easier when there is a stack of clean plates in the sink. But it is still hard to get the pan clean. The last thing I want to do after a family dinner, is scrub the pan. Using pan liners are a huge help. It cuts down on scrubbing dishes.

Need a great family-size casserole dish? This Corningware 4-Quart Casserole Dish is perfect for this rigatoni pasta bake and more.

Rigatoni pasta recipes are so perfect for a lot of people. I love how this recipe will feed my large family and still yield a few leftovers. It’s also very simple to prepare. I admit that on occasion I use already prepared sauce, but it’s so simple to make this sauce and it truly does taste a lot better.

This is a hearty meal. All you need to add is a salad and some crusty bread. If you’re like me, you’ll grab a bottle of Italian wine too. Need a great homemade salad dressing? Check out my zesty House Salad Dressing recipe. It is oh-so delicious and comes together easily.

Freezer Friendly Rigatoni Pasta

This is a lot of pasta. You could easily freeze half of this for a later time, or pop in the fridge for later in the week.

My family loves this pasta dish. Mmmm…

Rigatoni Pasta Bake Recipe

Rigatoni Noodles

Traditional rigatoni noodles are one of the larger pastas and are great for holding sauces. If you want something a little smaller, try the short rigatoni pasta. Tip: Be sure to cook your rigatoni noodles al dente, since you’ll be finishing this off in the oven.

Rigatoni Pasta Bake Recipe

4 votes

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Rigatoni Pasta Bake

Prep

Cook

Total

Yield 8-10 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. rigatoni pasta, cooked until al dente
  • 1 lb. ground beef
  • 2 links Italian sausage, casings removed
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 15-ounce cans tomato sauce 
  • 2 Tbsp. tomato paste
  • 1 tsp. garlic powder
  • 2 Tbsp. Italian seasoning
  • 1/2 teaspoon sugar
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Instructions

  1. In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
  2. In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Stir crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer 3 - 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. If the sauce seems a little thick, add a small amount of water. Gently stir pasta into sauce.
  3. Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle half the Mozzarella and Parmesan over the pasta. Repeat with a second layer.
  4. Bake in preheated 325 oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 - 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

Cuisine Italian

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Rigatoni Pasta Bake - Perfect for a Crowd

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Comments

  9. I made a lot of Pasta dishes when my 7 were at home and they too loved them. Now it’s only my youngest daughter home with me and she’s another Pasta lover. I love this recipe and like making dishes with left overs. Makes cooking every day so much easier. 🙂
    Carol L

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  14. I have always preferred pasta more when it is baked in a casserole as opposed to being put on a plate with sauce slathered on top.

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  17. There’s something so special about baking the pasta. When I was a teen, I used to babysit a family whose mom would make baked pasta. She made the mistake of saying I could help myself to anything I wanted. One taste of that baked pasta, and I couldn’t help gobbling it up. They never said anything about how I ate a whole casserole. I could that now with this recipe – it looks amazing. I never bother to do that extra step and bake it, but I’m going to next time, and that will be asap, with this recipe!!

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  18. I just love this recipe. That picture of Rigatoni pasta bake is looking very delicious and I just can’t hold myself to get hungry of this recipe. All the recipe instructions I’ll definitely follow to make out such pasta tonight in my home. Thanks for this awesome recipe.

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  38. I like the cheeses you used in this recipe. All of the ingredients sound tasty and the dish looks delicious! This might be a new family favorite for us!

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  44. This looks like delicius, “I’ve been working in the cold” type of food. I am going to find a way to substitute some of the dairy and have at it.

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  46. This looks amazing!! Can’t wait to make it tonight!! But I do have a question, the ingredients don’t say how much sugar…so I’m interested!! Thanks!!

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  49. This looks so good.You make your italian food with lots of cheese like I do.I’m going to make this soon.I know my son would love this.

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  54. This looks like a meal I can get behind.
    My husband is half Italian and well I am not.
    I have been wanting to make a meal for him that is one that he will enjoy and remember it as if it is from his childhood. This might just do it. Thank you very much.

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  57. This dish looks delish and easy to make….it is definitely something i will try very soon. But if i use ragu would it taste much different?

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  62. My family will love this, think I will make it Monday. We are expecting more snow and this looks like the perfect meal to cozy up with.

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  65. This sounds wonderful, but 1/2 of what size of parmesan cheese? I’m thinking a half cup, but …? I can’t wait to try it!

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  67. This is an amazing recipe and the sauce is to die for! Not to mention that it is SUPER easy! I will be making this again and again. Thank you.

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  70. I made this for dinner tonight and it was DELICIOUS!!! Followed the instructions to the T. Not bad for the first time making Rigatoni!

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  71. This dish looks so good. I wish I had all of the ingrediants in my house right now! I will be shopping tomorrow!!

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    • Absolutely! That’s the beauty of a pasta recipe. It’s easy to put your own twist on it. Please let us know how it turns out.

      Reply

  78. Why are people reviewing this recipe when they haven’t made it yet? Is’nt the whole idea of a review is to speak about the dish????? Has anyone made it and give feedback?

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  79. This was really good. Did tweak it just a bit by adding 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder. This is my new favorite go to dish. Thanks for sharing.

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  80. This looks delicious. I usually don’t care for rigatoni cuz it’s always so dry…not this. My question is because of the sugar, is it really sweet? I hate super sweet sauce. I’m gonna try it with mushrooms & onions.

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  87. Can you please post the exact measurements of each ingredient? All im seeing is how to put together the ingredients :s

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    • Hi Alicia! I am so sorry. I recently updated to a new printable recipe card and it seems some of my recipes got messed up. This one has been updated.

      Reply

    • I am so sorry, Robin. I recently updated to a new printable recipe card, and some of my instructions got messed up. It has been updated.

      Reply

  90. I made this tonight for a large family gathering. It was WONDERFUL! Lots of requests for the recipe. I was apprehensive about making a baked pasta dish as I’ve never had a good one. They always taste dry, over-cooked, or flavorless. Oh, not this one! Full of flavor, perfectly cooked, moist.

    Reply

  91. This looks really delicious, but I have a question. I really like Italian sausage, but I’m kind of weird. The seeds bother me. Is there an Italian sausage without seeds?

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  92. Everyone in the house loves anything Italian. I used the recipe but made a couple changes. I added mushrooms and about 5 minutes before removing from the oven, I topped it with black olives. No leftovers in this house. The men have hearty appetites.

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  94. Absolutely delicious! I’ve made this several times and it will remain a permanent fixture in my recipes. Excellent and simple! Thanks for sharing this awesome meal!

    Reply

  96. I made this last night and it was a HUGE hit. I substituted ground turkey for the ground beef and it still tasted delicious. I also used some red pepper flakes to make it a bit spicier.

    Reply

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