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Baked Rigatoni is stuffed with zesty meat, tender noodles and plenty of cheese! Tremendous easy and extremely scrumptious, that is the final word consolation meals!
Flip this hearty dish into an exquisite meal and serve it with a few of my favourite sides: tacky garlic bread, asparagus with bacon and Italian chopped salad!
Baked Rigatoni
Baked Rigatoni is like taking one of the best elements of lasagna and spaghetti and placing them collectively. What you get is a magical hearty, tacky dish! Everybody loves baked rigatoni! With tons of cheese, zesty marinara sauce and tender noodles, it’s simply so good! That is actually a type of consolation meals that fills you up each tummy and soul! Baked rigatoni is a meal everybody loves to come back residence to and can readily devour.
Rigatoni is known as for the noodles usually used on this Italian dish. Rigatoni noodles are massive, spherical, and have ridges that assist to carry in all that saucy goodness. They’re a bigger hole noodle too which makes it great as will fill with the meaty sauce and cheese. Don’t get it confused with ziti which is smaller and doesn’t have ridges or penne which is lower on a diagonal. Baked Rigatoni makes a big quantity, so come hungry!
What You Want For Rigatoni
Superb elements on their very own, mix to create an unimaginable homecooked Italian dish. Try the recipe card for actual measurements!
- Rigatoni: Cook dinner the pasta al dente for greatest outcomes.
- Olive Oil: The right oil to cook dinner with for this Italian dish.
- Small Onion: Finely chopped, so as to add texture and a tasty punch of taste!
- Garlic: Minced so as to add scrumptious savory taste all through the rigatoni.
- Floor Beef: I went for lean floor beef.
- Floor Sausage: Utilizing Italian sausage provides a pleasant little bit of spice and taste.
- Italian Seasoning: An incredible mixture of spices and herbs.
- Salt and Pepper: Add to style.
- Marinara: Use your favourite jarred sauce and even higher make your personal, it’s so simple and scrumptious!
- Mozzarella: Use freshly shredded mozzarella over pre-shredded.
- Parmesan: Finely grated for an additional sprinkle of savory taste!
- Chopped Basil: That is elective however provides nice taste. I really like topping home made Italian dishes with recent herbs!
Making Baked Rigatoni Pasta
You cook dinner the meat and onions and sauce all in the identical pan. It makes cleanup a breeze! Baked rigatoni is the straightforward weeknight dinner you’ve been searching for.
- Prep: Preheat oven to 350 levels. Spray 9×13 inch baking dish and put aside. In a big pot carry water to a boil and cook dinner the rigatoni in accordance with bundle instructions.
- Saute Greens: In a medium sized saucepan over medium excessive warmth add the olive oil, onions and garlic. Saute till tender.
- Brown Meat: Add within the floor beef and sausage and cook dinner and crumble till now not pink.
- Simmer the Sauce: Add within the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper to style, and marinara sauce. Scale back warmth and let simmer.
- Drain Pasta: Drain the pasta after which return to the massive pot. Add the meat sauce to the pot and stir till mixed.
- Layer: Unfold half of the pasta within the backside of your 9×13 inch dish. Then layer with half of the pasta.
- Repeat: Layer with half of the cheeses. Repeat with remaining pasta and cheese.
- Bake: Cowl with aluminum foil after which bake for 20 minutes. Take away the foil and bake for a further 15-20 minutes or till bubbly.
Ideas For The Greatest Baked Rigatoni
Rigatoni is an easy dish, however you’ll be able to jazz it up with these few easy suggestions.
- Noodles: Rigatoni is the noodle of alternative for this casserole, however you need to use different noodles in a pinch. Attempt to use comparable kind of noodle. For instance rotini, penne, fusilli or massive shell pasta. Whichever noodle you utilize cook dinner the noodles al dente. This helps the noodles soak up the sauce.
- Recent Cheese: It’s best when you can shred your personal cheese, it can soften a lot simpler and style higher. Pre-shredded cheese usually comes with anti-caking brokers that forestall it from melting the identical and may alter the style.
- Meat: You should utilize further lean floor beef so it isn’t overly greasy. In case you discover you will have numerous grease within the pan after you cook dinner it. Take away the meat and drain the grease right into a can or one thing you’ll be able to throw away as soon as the grease has solidified. Don’t pour the grease down the sink. It’s dangerous to your pipes. Then again within the meat and proceed as directed.
- Add a bit Warmth: You may make your baked rigatoni a bit extra zesty through the use of a spicy Italian sausage, or you’ll be able to add crimson pepper flakes to style.
- Add Greens: It is a nice dish so as to add greens to or cover them in. Zucchini, mushrooms, peppers, carrots, or spinach.
Make Forward and Freeze!
That is a type of superb recipes you could make forward of time and it’ll really style higher after it has sit and the flavors have melded collectively.
- Make Forward: Make the baked rigatoni in accordance with instructions however don’t bake it. Tightly cowl and refrigerate for as much as 24 hours earlier than baking. Let the 9×13 pan sit for about 20 min earlier than baking.
- Freeze: If you wish to you’ll be able to even freeze the rigatoni earlier than it’s baked or after for as much as 3 months. In case you don’t bake it let it thaw in a single day within the fridge or on the counter for a couple of hours. Bake as directed, checking to verify it’s completed within the center. It could want extra time. You probably have baked it, merely thaw and reheat within the oven or microwave.
- Leftovers: This makes a big dish, so you’ll be able to feed a crowd or have leftovers. I’ve to say leftovers style even higher than when it’s recent. There’s simply one thing about Italian meals that’s at all times higher the second day. Leftovers may be stored within the fridge for as much as 5 days. Reheat within the microwave.
Extra Pasta Dishes to Fall in Love With
Pasta is among the greatest consolation meals there may be, it’s filling, and extremely versatile. Mix it with all types of various sauces and meats to create marvelous dishes! Pasta is available in all types of styles and sizes and is so enjoyable to cook dinner with. So whenever you want a pasta repair attain for a few of these divine recipes, they’re all delectable.
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Up to date on September 13, 2023
Energy: 906kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 58gFats: 46gSaturated Fats: 20gTrans Fats: 1gLdl cholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1144mgPotassium: 726mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 648IUVitamin C: 2mgCalcium: 530mgIron: 4mg
Vitamin info is mechanically calculated, so ought to solely be used as an approximation.