Baked Rigatoni with Sausage & Ricotta

There’s something about cheesy pasta bakes that I’ve always found absolutely crave-worthy. But, in my experience, they can be kind of a letdown, often dry & overcooked all at once. So I set out to create a recipe to satisfy my cravings for the perfect pasta bake, & that's how this baked rigatoni recipe came to be! I jokingly refer to it as "Better Than Baked Ziti" or "Baked Ziti 2.0," but every component has been really carefully crafted to create a pasta bake for the ages: Sauciness. This recipe starts with a quick & simple homemade meat sauce made of Italian sausage, loads of aromatics, tomatoes, & wine. There's enough of it to create a beautifully saucy plate of pasta – even after it bakes! – & you'll be surprised by how much richness it adds despite a relatively short simmer. Texture. Rigatoni is the ideal pasta here because its ridges & wide opening capture plenty of meat sauce. Try to look for mezzi rigatoni, & be sure to boil it just under al dente to ensure it doesn't overcook as the pasta bakes. Cheesiness. This baked rigatoni is layered with creamy ricotta & melty mozzarella for a lasagna-like effect (without the fuss of assembling a lasagna!) so each serving has an epic cheese pull – everyone at the table will be so impressed! It's really the perfect pasta bake, & I think you'll love it as much as we do. ♡ Happy cooking!

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet