This baked rigatoni layered with herbed ricotta and meaty marinara sauce is a dinner casserole worthy of sharing!
Baked rigatoni is one of those dishes I’ve been making forever. Back when Kevin and I were young and newly together, I had a number of pasta dishes in my repertoire I would make for friends.
I should say, mostly his friends because I was somewhat transient at the time. College was a hurdle for me because I was trying to put myself through a musical theatre school by waiting tables nights and weekends. In the end, it didn’t work out and I ended up losing my pell grant by working too much.
Let’s just say this was the blow of a lifetime. I had the talent to get into a conservatory but not the resources to stay. So, with my tail between my legs, I moved in with Kevin while he finished his theatre degree.
But at least I got to live vicariously through him while I figured out my next steps. And luckily, his friends (and the Mary Washington theatre department) didn’t mind me tagging along.
Because all of our friends were broke theatre students too (in other words hungry), pasta was an affordable choice . Kevin lived off campus so there was always room at the table and we welcomed the company. And frankly, I loved entertaining and cooking for a crowd.
There is something magical that happens when a group of friends sit down to eat together. And it goes further than the laughter and full bellies. Sharing a meal can be very intimate. The closeness of the experience provides an opportunity for sharing personal stories and getting to know each other in a deeper, more meaningful way.
Once I learned this truth, cooking became a tool to make friends. Sharing my love of food became a way to break the ice as we moved from place to place and job to job, easing the loneliness and making each new place feel like home.
Now that we are settled down, I’m learning that simply sharing recipes can be a way to make new friends across the globe, whether it’s here on Vintage Kitty or in a facebook group. Food is a way to break down barriers and satisfy our need for community, but it’s also how we preserve memories and cement cultural traditions.
What can I say? I’m a budding food anthropologist! And it’s my mission to make Vintage Kitty a place not just share recipes, but tell the stories behind them too!
To this end, I’m starting a new series called #myvintagerecipe that will cover my favorite family recipes as well as explore food stories from my friends, family and readers. My hope is that these stories will help us better understand how the food we eat plays a vital role in our personal lives and tells a larger story about the cultural impacts of food within our communities.
I’m hoping this new series will inspire readers to discover their food history and maybe even create some new traditions too!
In the spirit of friendship I’m bringing you this baked rigatoni recipe as the very first #myvintagerecipe feature. In ways, it’s a combination of the two dishes I’d make the most often back in the day… an herbed vegetarian lasagna and a sausage filled rigatoni bake.
This cheesy rigatoni casserole is like a classic lasagna with less fuss. It has a hearty meat sauce made with ground beef, Italian sausage and a jarred marinara for ease. On top there’s herbed ricotta covered with mozzarella. It’s cheesy, meaty, saucy and so comforting! It’s really nothing fancy, but for me this dish reminds me of friends and those early days when Kevin and I were starting our life together.
Our baked rigatoni serves a crowd so you can carry on the tradition of breaking bread with friends. The more the merrier, especially if you serve it with our Italian Salad and Fried Mozzarella Balls!
Do you have a food story you’d like to share? Contact us! We’d love to hear from you!
Rigatoni Bake with Ricotta and Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 box (1 lb) rigatoni
- 1 tb olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 large onion , diced
- 1 lb lean ground beef
- 1 lb loose italian sausage
- 2 -24oz jars marinara sauce
- 16oz whole milk ricotta
- 1 egg
- 1 bunch parsley
- 1 bunch basil
- 2 tb fresh oregano
- 1 16oz package whole milk mozzarella , grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F
- Fill a large pot with water, salt it generously and then bring it to a boil.
- Once boiling, add the rigatoni and cook to al dente (about 10-12 minutes) then drain thouroughly.
- Meanwhile, in a large Dutch oven, brown garlic and onion over medium high heat.
- Once the onions are golden, add the sausage and ground beef and break up large pieces with a wooden spoon.
- Cook meat until browned, then add marinara sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Place ricotta and egg in a food processor and pulse to combine.
- Add herbs to ricotta mixture and pulse until herbs are chopped then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Lightly oil a lasagna pan, and layer the bottom of the pan with half of the sauce.
- Evenly distribute the rigatoni over the sauce.
- Spoon remaining sauce over rigatoni and then dollop the ricotta mixture on the pasta.
- Finally sprinkle the top of the casserole with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered 45-60 minutes, until cheese is golden and the sauce is bubbling.
Notes
- We used Victoria marinara sauce
- The ricotta mixture can be made by hand too! Hand chop the herbs and whisk all the ricotta, egg and herbs together in a large bowl.
Nutrition
Love this casserole? Check out all our main course recipes!
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Aleta says
Wow, this recipe looks absolutely delicious. Like, I am actually starving over here now because of your gorgeous photography! Thanks for sharing :)
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks for reading Aleta!
Allison says
That golden cheesy top is calling my name! My family will love this dish.
Vintage Kitty says
Isn’t the cheesy, cruchy, gooey top the best?
Andrea says
I’m Italian and your delicious rigatoni (stunning photography btw!) bring me right back to Sicily! You just reminded me I need to make it more often, loved that you added ricotta cheese as well!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Andrea! I’m glad I did it justice!
Anne Murphy says
I used to eat baked pasta dishes like this all the time when I lived in a neighborhood with a great little local Italian American restaurant – so I never actually made any! Looking at this, I realize how much I miss that – and how much the family would enjoy it! Thanks!
Vintage Kitty says
That sounds like a wonderful neighborhood! I love Italian food!
Daniela says
This baked rigatoni looks absolutely delicious. And it’s so easy to make! I also love your focus on keeping traditions alive. I learned to cook from my grandma, and making her recipes is a way to feel closer to her now that we live really far away.
Vintage Kitty says
I used to bake with my grandmother so I know how special that experience was for you!
Sri Mallya says
Drooling over pics. Such a delicious dinner recipe. Can’t wait to try for my family.
Vintage Kitty says
Hope the family loves it!
Holly says
Mmm, mmm! That looks like one hearty and delicious meal! That herbed ricotta layer sounds so good!
Vintage Kitty says
Oh my it is! Think I need to make this one more time before before first frost. I’m going to be so sad when my herbs are frozen!
Donna says
Sharing food with friends is the best, we have started doing a theme night once a month where we pick a cuisine and everyone shows up with a dish to share. So fun. Loving how easy this is, and such a great option for feeding a crowd!!
Vintage Kitty says
That sounds like a fun way to get together with friends! Time with friends is really important for our happiness.
Aditi Bahl says
Baked pasta is my favourite.This recipe looks so tempting. Love the look and it looks delicious.Can’t wait to try this next.
Vintage Kitty says
Can’t go wrong with baked pasta!
Emily says
This really is my kind of meal. I love a good, comforting pasta bake. Looks delicious.
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Emily. It is so comforting, especially now the weather is getting chilly.
Heather says
These look amazing! Super easy and the best kind of comfort food. Love the easy list of ingredients and what a perfect recipe to always have on hand.
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Heather I hope this becomes a staple recipe for my readers.
Sam says
This baked rigatoni looks amazing! Nothing beats a nice bowl of pasta on a cold day. Pinning to try later!
Vintage Kitty says
Seriously! It just suddenly got cold here after being in the 80s. Now I can’t think of eating cold food. Pass me some hot, steamy casserole please!
Courtney says
This is absolutely delicious and your pictures are so beautiful!
Vintage Kitty says
Thanks Courtney! So glad you loved the recipe!
Pam Dana says
Wow – the flavor in this was amazing! So delicious! Thank you!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re welcome Pam! Happy you loved it!
Erin says
This is absolutely perfect for a cold night – so comforting!
Vintage Kitty says
It really is!
Anna says
This rigatoni is absolutely amazing! The cheesy baked top is irresistible!
Vintage Kitty says
Isn’t it? Thanks for the recipe feedback!
Julie Blanner says
My family loves this! So delicious!
Reida Wallace says
Just wondering if ricotta is last on top of the second placement of sauce or is it on top of noodles then the last half of the sauce is next.?
Vintage Kitty says
Half sauce, rigatoni, other half sauce, ricotta, mozzarella. Hope you love it!
Karen Gilmore says
Covid edition! Great recipe. Still five stars even without the required amount of fresh herbs. Rich flavor, hearty and satisfying!
Vintage Kitty says
That’s great to know! Hope you are doing well Karen!
Dave Gear says
I got this in the oven right now. It was so easy to make following your excellent directions. Beautiful pictures I might say as well. It has to be delicious with all that love in the pan. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re welcome Dave!
Annie says
Hi! Could you make this the night before and leave in the refrigerator until it was time to bake the next night? Thank you!
Vintage Kitty says
Probably? I think the only problem would be the herbs might turn brown. But since they are in the ricotta mixture it might be okay. If you try it, let me know how it goes!
Maari Bresler says
This recipe is definately my go to. I can’t believe how creamy it is. I made it for my friend last year. She and her husband were just raving about it. The fresh herbs make a big difference.
Thank you, thank you. This is delicious and really simple to make.
Julie says
I made this for Christmas dinner for my family and we loved it. Thanks so much for sharing this recipe!
Vintage Kitty says
You’re welcome Julie!
Megan says
Made this tonight but I have some food sensitivities so I made it work with what I could eat. Instead of gluten noodles I did a bow tie brown rice noodle. Instead of cows milk ricotta I used Buffalo milk ricotta and instead of cows cheese I use goat milk mozzarella and instead of pork I used Italian chicken sausage with kale.
It was ABSOLUTELY delicious!!
Vintage Kitty says
I’m glad the recipe was a success even with the substitutions. I know how hard that can be!
Justine Munera says
This rigatoni was very good!!!! And pretty simple to put together, I basically had all the ingredients on hand except the meat. Having leftovers tonight for dinner!!!