Description
A comforting, crowd-pleasing pasta bake made with tender rigatoni, seasoned ground beef, rich marinara, and a trio of cheeses. It’s the ultimate make-ahead meal for family dinners, potlucks, or busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
- 16 oz rigatoni pasta
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tbsp minced fresh garlic
- 2 jars (24 oz each) marinara sauce
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Dried parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9×13 baking dish.
- Boil rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
- Once beef is fully cooked, drain grease. Add minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add marinara sauce and heavy cream. Stir well and remove from heat.
- Place half the pasta in baking dish. Add half the meat sauce and stir to coat.
- Drop spoonfuls of ricotta cheese over the pasta layer.
- Sprinkle half the mozzarella over ricotta.
- Add remaining pasta, meat sauce, and mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered for 25 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbling.
- Top with dried parsley and Parmesan cheese before serving.
Notes
- Don’t overcook the pasta initially since it will continue cooking in the oven
- Let the casserole rest for 5-10 minutes after baking for easier serving
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure ground beef reaches 160°F
- Mix ricotta with an egg for extra richness
- Cover with foil if the top browns too quickly during baking
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8 of recipe
- Calories: 485
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 890mg
- Fat: 22g
- Saturated Fat: 11g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0.5g
- Carbohydrates: 48g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 28g
- Cholesterol: 75mg
Keywords: beef rigatoni bake, pasta casserole, three cheese pasta, baked pasta with ricotta, comfort food pasta, family pasta recipe