Description
A hearty pasta bake with rigatoni stuffed with cheesy ricotta mixture and topped with seasoned ground beef and melted mozzarella.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb (16 oz) rigatoni pasta
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups marinara sauce (plus extra for topping, optional)
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 2 tsp dried parsley), for garnish
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
- Cook rigatoni in salted boiling water 1–2 minutes shy of al dente. Drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add onion and cook 3–4 minutes until softened. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.
- Add ground beef and cook until browned, breaking it up as it cooks. Drain excess grease if needed.
- Stir in Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and marinara sauce. Simmer 3–5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta, Parmesan, egg, and 1 cup mozzarella until combined.
- Spoon the ricotta mixture into a piping bag (or zip-top bag with the corner snipped). Pipe filling into each rigatoni tube.
- Spread a thin layer of meat sauce in the baking dish. Arrange stuffed rigatoni in a single layer (or slightly stacked). Spoon remaining meat sauce over the top.
- Sprinkle with the remaining 1 1/2 cups mozzarella. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes.
- Remove foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until cheese is melted and lightly browned. Rest 5 minutes, then garnish with parsley and serve.
Notes
- Cook pasta slightly underdone as it will finish cooking in the oven.
- Use a piping bag for easier filling of the rigatoni.
- Let the dish rest 5 minutes before serving for easier portioning.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe
- Calories: 610
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 850mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 14g
- Unsaturated Fat: 11g
- Trans Fat: 1g
- Carbohydrates: 52g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 32g
- Cholesterol: 145mg