Description
Cheesy Baked Rigatoni – a cheesy and delicious baked rigatoni that is perfect for those cold, cozy winter nights!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (2 large cloves)
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- 32oz jar marinara sauce (I used Rao’s)*
- 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1/4 cup dry red wine (optional)
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 12 oz rigatoni noodles
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2–3 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- (optional) 1 zucchini, diced and 1-2 handfuls chopped spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook rigatoni according to package instruction, but ensure the noodles are cooked al dente or even a little less (they will continue to cook a little in the oven).
- Drain and drizzle with a little olive oil and toss; set aside.
- Meanwhile, bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat; add ground beef and move around pan until fully cooked. Drain excess grease.
- Add garlic and onion, move around until the onion has cooked down. Season with a little kosher salt and ground black pepper.
- Add in marinara sauce, basil, red wine and salt. Stir to combine. Taste and add additional salt, as desired.
- (optional) add in 1 small zucchini (diced) and a handful or two of chopped spinach. Stir to combine.
- Place pasta in prepared pan.
- Pour pasta sauce over the pasta; stir to combine.
- Cover with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Spray one side of a piece of foil with olive oil and place oil-side down over the pan.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes covered. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve immediately. Feel free to garnish with extra chopped basil.
Notes
- Marinara Sauce: if you can’t find a 32 oz jar you can simply use a 24oz jar + 8oz tomato sauce if you don’t want to open another jar of marinara. Just be extra generous with the fresh basil and kosher salt – taste as you go!
- Dairy-Free: feel free to make this with dairy-free cheese!
- Meat-Free: you can omit the ground beef altogether and just use the zucchini in its place.
- Italian Sausage: you could use Italian sausage instead of ground beef.
Keywords: baked rigatoni