For a large gathering, try this delectable baked rigatoni. It is simple to divide into two pans, one for eating and the other for freezing unbaked.
| Prep Time: | 25 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 10 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 35 mins |
| Servings: | 12 |
| Yield: | 1 9×13-inch casserole |
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 pounds mild Italian sausage links, casings removed
- 2 (28 ounce) cans Italian-style crushed tomatoes, undrained
- 2 cups water
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
- 1 ½ (16 ounce) packages rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1 ½ cups freshly shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- aluminum foil
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add sausage; stir to break up lumps and cook until lightly browned and crumbly, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain and discard grease.
- Add undrained tomatoes, water, basil, oregano, and parsley to the pan; bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and cook, partially covered, for 25 minutes.
- While the sauce is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
- Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, rinse under cool water, and drain again. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
- Uncover the sauce and increase heat to medium. Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat.
- Add 2/3 of the sauce to the pasta; toss to combine. Stir in mozzarella cheese and 1 cup Parmesan cheese. Transfer to a 9×13-inch baking dish, pour remaining sauce over top, and cover with aluminum foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Uncover, sprinkle with remaining Parmesan, and bake until lightly browned, about 10 minutes longer.
- If you like it spicy, use 1 pound mild Italian sausage and 1 pound hot Italian sausage. For a healthier version, use turkey sausage.
- If freezing and baking later, increase the baking time by 30 minutes.
- If you don’t have fresh herbs, use dried instead: 2 teaspoons of dried basil, and 1 teaspoon each of dried oregano and dried parsley.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 580 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 54 g |
| Cholesterol | 63 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 32 g |
| Saturated Fat | 11 g |
| Sodium | 1326 mg |
| Sugars | 3 g |
| Fat | 26 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
This was very well received at our family dinner last night. I cut the recipe in half to serve 6 and we had one serving leftover. I used whole wheat pasta and half sausage, half ground beef. I will definitely save to make again! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
This was very good and easy to make. I chose to leave the sausage sliced instead of ground, but that was the only change I made. This easily fed 7 hungry teenagers.