Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Ground Beef
Easy Baked Rigatoni is a cheesy baked pasta with a rich and meaty sauce. This recipe is easy enough for a weeknight dinner, but fancy enough to make for dinner parties and holiday events.
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Servings:
Calories: 523kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rigatoni
- Olive oil (to coat)
- 2 lbs. ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion (diced)
- 4 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds (crushed)
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper (to taste)
- 2 24 oz cans marinara or spaghetti sauce
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13 inch casserole dish.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and boil about 1 minute less than the al dente package instructions. Drain, then place in the prepared baking dish.
- Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the beef, breaking it up with a spoon and spreading it over the pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, then stir and add the onion. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, another 6-7 minutes, or until onion is softened and beef is cooked through. Add garlic and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Drain off any excess grease.
- Stir in the parsley, fennel, and red pepper flakes. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.
- Pour in both cans of marinara sauce. Sprinkle with basil and oregano. Stir well and heat through.
- Pour the sauce mixture over the pasta in the baking dish, stirring to coat. Sprinkle with cheese, then bake for 23-27 minutes or until cheese is fully melted and starting to brown in places.
Notes
- Substitute Italian sausage for half of the ground beef if you prefer.
- This recipe also works with ziti, penne, or rigatoni pasta.
- If you love when some of the pastas get a bit crunchy, broil the dish for a few minutes before serving.
- Every jarred pasta sauce is a bit different, so I recommend tasting as you go and adding herbs and salt as needed and to your tastes.
- To make ahead: Make the sauce up to 2 days ahead of time and store in the fridge. Assemble the pasta up to 8 hours in advance and refrigerate, covered. Remove the pasta from the oven while you preheat the oven, then bake as usual, adding an extra five minutes to the time.
Nutrition
Calories: 523kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 87mg | Sodium: 886mg | Potassium: 803mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 799IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 200mg | Iron: 4mg