Baked Rigatoni and Sausage

A classic baked pasta dish with rigatoni pasta and Italian sausage, packed with cheesy goodness, rich tomato sauce, and comforting flavors.

This baked rigatoni and sausage recipe comes together in about an hour and makes a great hearty meal for a big family, or a meal for two with plenty of saucy leftovers.

My trick to make sure my baked pasta isn’t soggy at the bottom of the baking dish is to make sure to drain all the ingredients and only pre-cook pasta to al dente.

People were saying baked rigatoni and sausage are better than baked ziti so I had to try it (although I still looove my ziti recipe).

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Amazing weeknight meal or a main dish for a dinner party.
• Minimal prep time and simple steps, no fancy equipment or techniques are required.
• Using only simple ingredients!
• Super flavorful and even picky eaters love it!

Ingredients Notes

• Rigatoni pasta – large pasta type that looks a bit curved and like a tube. They give enough to bite on and soak really well all the sauces into all the ridges, plus hold the shape great.
• Italian sausage (mild or spicy sausage). Mild sausage is also called sweet Italian sausage, so you can grab it if you see it. Spicy sausage or hot Italian sausage won’t be that spicy, as the acidity of added tomatoes will balance it. Buy ground sausage or remove it from the casings yourself.
• Aromatics: onion and minced garlic
• Marinara sauce to make the best Neapolitan-style sauce for pasta. Store-bought is fine.
• Canned diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, regular tomato sauce (not as good as chopped or crushed tomatoes), or homemade spaghetti sauce. They add some sweetness, and acidity, and make a great base for the sauce.
• Dried Italian seasoning
• Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
• Cheese blend: Shredded mozzarella cheese and Grated Parmesan cheese. Make the pasta stick together and nicely melt while baking. Save some extra Parmesan cheese for topping, you won’t regret it!

As you can see I don’t add salt, ground black pepper, or even use olive oil to cook meat. You can adjust the seasoning to your liking, though.

Kitchen Equipment

• Large pot or heavy-bottomed pot
• Skillet
• 9×13-inch baking dish or 12” cast iron skillet
• Aluminum foil
• Spatula or wooden spoon or slotted spoon

How To Make Baked Rigatoni And Sausage

1: Prepare Pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). 
2. Bring water in a large pot to boil, add kosher salt.
3. Cook the rigatoni according to package directions till al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain, add the noodles back to the empty pot, and set aside. 
4. Do not overcook pasta at this step as we will still bake it together with the sauce later. It depends on the brand, but usually, it takes about 12 minutes.

2: Cook Meat

1. Cook the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat until browned, breaking it up with a spatula.
2. Add onion and garlic, cooking until softened and golden brown, about 3-4 minutes. Try not to burn garlic, it will add a weird taste.

3: Work On The Sauce

1. Pour in the marinara sauce, and diced tomatoes and sprinkle in the Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer for 5-7 minutes.
2. Carefully transfer this sauce mixture to the pot with the cooked noodles. Stir well to coat the noodles evenly.

4: Assemble And Bake

1. Transfer the pasta mixture to a prepared baking dish.
2. Add the mozzarella and Parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the noodles.
3. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
4. Remove the foil, and bake for 10-15 minutes more. The cheese should be melted and bubbling.
5. Let rest for 5-7 minutes before serving.
6. Optional, top with finely chopped fresh parsley or cilantro, or fresh basil leaves. Serve with a light salad and homemade garlic bread.

Storage

Store baked rigatoni leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments or in the oven at 350F until the dish is warmed all the way.

You can also freeze leftovers for 3 months. Defrost overnight and reheat in the oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes.

To make ahead, simply precook everything, assemble the dish, and refrigerate for 2 days or freeze until ready to cook. Cook refrigerated casserole as instructed. Bake frozen rigatoni and sausage for 2 hours.

Substitutions & Variations

• Spinach is a classic add-on to the cheesy baked rigatoni and sausage casserole. Adds healthy nutrients and color.
• Swap rigatoni with penne or ziti.
• Swap tomato-based sauce with a white sauce based on the roux. You’ll need butter, flour, milk, and fennel or nutmeg.
• You can use different meat, simply cook it, drain excess fat with paper towels, slice it into thin pieces, and return the meat to the pan. You don’t have to strictly use Italian sausage either. Choose your favorite sausage for this recipe.
• Bulk it up with sweet bell peppers (of any color).
• The baked rigatoni recipe with ricotta cheese is another popular version of this dish. You simply stir ricotta with cooked pasta. You can replace ricotta cheese with cottage cheese too.
• Lasagna-style. You can repeat layers of sauce and the remaining pasta and bake.
• Add dry white wine to make an extra rich and flavorful sauce. You can use it to deglaze the pan after cooking the sausage.
• Change it up with a splash of heavy cream, add a little tomato paste, roasted red peppers, red bell peppers, use ground turkey or ground beef, add provolone cheese, whole tomatoes, use ziti pasta, or add fresh garlic.

Popular Questions

What Is The Difference Between Baked Ziti And Baked Rigatoni?

Rigatoni pasta is bigger in size than ziti and has ridges on the sides, that’s all.

What Temperature To Bake Rigatoni?

After many tests, I bake rigatoni in a preheated oven at 375°F (190°C). You can increase the temperature to 400F but it won’t speed up the process much.

Is It Better To Bake Or Pan-Fry Sausage?

The best way to make a meal with Italian sausage is to pre-cook it in a pan while breaking it down, and then you can bake it with pasta or casserole. You can also just pan-fry sausage.

If you love this Italian dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other Italian dinners, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Baked Pasta Dishes

Broccoli and Chicken Alfredo Casserole

Five Cheese Ziti al Forno

Dump and Bake Meatball Casserole

Baked Mac and Cheese

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