Rigatoni al Forno is a comforting baked pasta dish of perfectly cooked rigatoni that is generously coated in a savory meat sauce made with Italian sausage and layered with generous amounts of cheese.
Pasta al forno (baked pasta, by the way) is similar to a lasagna in taste but much quicker to make.
This versatile rigatoni bake is an excellent choice for feeding a large gathering, such as at a potluck, or as a quick solution for a busy weeknight meal.
Baked rigatoni earns the top prize for comfort food because it's loved by kiddos and adults alike, and that's always a slam dunk when you're trying to feed a family.
Finally, this pasta bake offers flexibility and convenience because the whole dish can be made ahead of time, or the sauce can be prepared in advance and the dish assembled and baked later.
Other easy and quick pasta dishes your family will love are this recipe for tortellini with chicken, spaghetti Napoli with a classic marinara sauce, and one-pan orzo with spinach and feta. And if you really love Italian sausage, you'll enjoy this creamy Italian sausage pasta.
If you enjoy creamy tomato-based pasta recipes, you'll enjoy this Italian pink cream sauce pasta with penne.
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Ingredients
Here is a summary of the ingredients you'll need to make Rigatoni al Forno:
Ingredient Notes
- Rigatoni: Rigatoni is a large, ridged tubular pasta, perfect for trapping chunky sauce.
- Crushed tomatoes: I love Mutti's crushed tomatoes, labeled 'finely chopped on the label.'
- Diced tomatoes: I used diced tomatoes from the brand Cirio.
- Italian sausage: You can buy sausage and remove the casing as I did, but you can also purchase ground sausage meat at the grocery store to make things quicker.
- Cheese blend: I chose a 4 cheese blend to make this pasta al forno, which consists of mozzarella, provolone (which adds a nice bite and intense flavor), gouda, and parmesan. I bought the shredded cheese to save time, but you can also grate the cheese yourself.
See the recipe card below for all the ingredients and measurements.
Substitutions
- Penne rigate: You can substitute penne rigate for the rigatoni; it's a smaller tubular pasta with ridges.
- Ziti: Ziti is similar to rigatoni but without the ridges and can be substituted in this recipe. If you use ziti, you will have made a Baked Ziti, as both recipes are very similar.
- Shredded cheese: Substitute mozzarella for the 4-cheese blend.
- Sausage: I used mild sausage, but spicy sausage would be delicious too. Substitute ground beef or ground pork for the sausage. You will need to add 25 minutes to the overall cooking time of the sauce if you choose ground meat over sausage. The ground meat will need longer to cook to develop flavor.
Variations
- Dried herbs: Add Italian seasonings, such as dried basil and oregano, for an extra flavorful sauce.
- Ricotta cheese: As a variation, add a few dollops of ricotta to the first layer of the unbaked rigatoni pasta. This is super delicious and my personal favorite!
- Omit the meat/sausage: Make this rigatoni bake vegetarian by skipping the meat. Make the sauce as written, and add extra veggies. I recommend diced zucchini, eggplant, and even chopped mushrooms for their earthy flavor.
How to Make Rigatoni al Forno
Step-by-step-Instructions
This pasta al forno is straightforward. Make the quick sauce, assemble and bake.
Heat oven. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook sausage. In a Dutch oven or large pot, add olive oil and cook the sausage over medium heat until golden brown. This should take 5-8 minutes. Note: if the sausage releases a lot of fat, remove the excess with a spoon and discard. Fat is good because it adds flavor. If the sausage is drowning in fat, this is an indication to remove some of it.
Add onion and garlic. Add the onion and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Add tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and salt. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, put the lid on, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.
Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to the package directions, but reduce the recommended cooking time by 3 minutes so that the pasta is al dente (to the tooth). Remember to adequately salt the cooking water. Drain and return to the same pot.
Add 1 cup of sauce to the casserole dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 3.5-quart braiser or 13-inch by 9-inch heat-proof casserole dish. Spread to cover the surface.
Add the remaining sauce to the pasta. Add the rest of the sauce to the cooked rigatoni and gently toss to coat the pasta.
Assemble and bake. Gently spoon half the pasta into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Add the remaining pasta on top and finish with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.
Serve. Sprinkle with fresh basil, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve.
Secret for Success
- Reduce the recommended cooking time of the pasta by 3 minutes.
Storage, Reheating, Make Ahead & Freezing
- Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat: Small portions reheat well in the microwave. Or reheat in the oven in a covered oven-proof dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until heated through.
- Make Ahead: To make ahead, assemble and refrigerate until ready to bake. Bake the covered dish at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30-45 minutes. Then, uncover and bake for 15-20 minutes until the cheese is slightly golden.
- Freezing: Assemble, cool, and freeze for up to 2 months. To bake, thaw the casserole in the refrigerator overnight. Then, follow the instructions provided above for baking. If the casserole isn't fully thawed, you might need to extend the baking time.
Recipe FAQs
Al forno is Italian for 'baked' or 'in the oven.' This term describes baked pasta dishes like lasagna and baked ziti, for example.
Yes, it closely resembles lasagna but requires significantly less time to prepare. Using sausage in the sauce, which cooks quickly and imparts abundant flavor, simplifies the process without the intricate assembly required for lasagna.
Italian bread is delicious to mop up any leftover sauce on your plate, as is garlic bread. My favorite side dish is a salad of leafy greens with a simple vinaigrette of extra-virgin olive oil and red wine vinegar, salt, and pepper. Sautéed rapini cooked with olive oil, garlic and red pepper flakes is also delicious as a side dish.
Sure you can. This meat sauce is delicious and can be enjoyed with your favorite pasta, and it's not necessary to bake the dish if you want to get dinner on the table even quicker.
Both are tube-shaped pastas with straight-cut ends, but they differ in size and texture:
Rigatoni is wider, with thicker walls and ridges down the outside (rigate means "ridged"). It's sturdy, holds up well in the oven, and the ridges and wide opening trap chunky sauce.
Ziti is narrower, thinner-walled, and traditionally smooth. It's a Southern Italian classic, originally made as long tubes broken by hand before cooking. Smooth sauce slides off it more easily.
You can swap one for the other in most baked pasta recipes. Rigatoni gives a heartier, saucier bite, and ziti a more tender one.
Recipe
Rigatoni al Forno (baked rigatoni with Italian sausage)
Equipment
- 2 large pots
- wooden spoon or spatula
- chef's knife
- cutting board
- measuring cups and spoons
- heat-proof casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 pound Italian sausage, casing removed and broken into ½ inch pieces
- ½ cup onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, I used tomatoes from the brand Mutti
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, I used tomatoes from the brand Cirio
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 pound rigatoni, I used pasta from the brand Delverde
- 2 cups shredded cheese blend, I used a 4 cheese blend consisting of mozzarella, provolone, gouda, and parmesan cheese
- ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut chiffonade-style (see notes below)
Instructions
- Heat oven. Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cook sausage. In a Dutch oven or large pot, add olive oil and cook the sausage over medium heat until golden brown. This should take 5-8 minutes. Note: if the sausage releases a lot of fat, remove the excess with a spoon and discard. Fat is good because it adds flavor. If the sausage is drowning in fat, this is an indication to remove some of it.1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, 1 pound Italian sausage
- Add onion and garlic. Add the onion and continue to cook for 2 minutes or until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.½ cup onion, 3 garlic cloves
- Add tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and salt. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, red pepper flakes, and salt, stir and bring to a boil. Once boiling, put the lid on, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20 minutes.1 (28 ounce) can crushed tomatoes, 1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, ¼ teaspoon coarse sea salt
- Cook pasta. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to the package directions, but reduce the recommended cooking time by 3 minutes so that the pasta is al dente (firm to the tooth). Remember to adequately salt the cooking water. Drain and return to the same pot.1 pound rigatoni
- Add 1 cup of sauce to the casserole dish. Add 1 cup of sauce to the bottom of a 3.5-quart braiser or 13-inch by 9-inch heat-proof casserole dish. Spread to cover the surface.
- Add the remaining sauce to the pasta. Add the rest of the sauce to the cooked rigatoni and gently toss to coat the pasta.
- Assemble and bake. Gently spoon half the pasta into the casserole dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Add the remaining pasta on top and finish with the remaining cheese. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes until the cheese has melted and is slightly golden.2 cups shredded cheese blend, ½ cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- Serve. Sprinkle with fresh basil, let rest for 5 minutes, and serve.2 tablespoons fresh basil
Notes
- To chiffonade basil, means to cut into ribbons. To do so, lay each basil leaf on top of each other and roll the leaves on the long end into a log. With a sharp knife, cut through the log into fine ribbons.
- Reduce the recommended cooking time of the pasta by 3 minutes.
- 16 ounces of dried pasta is equivalent to 1 pound.
Frances says
Such a heart warming recipe with a nice glass of red wine.
Donna Poirier says
Yes that’s a great combo 😊