Don’t know what to make for dinner? This delicious rigatoni al Forno is super easy to make and made in under 45 minutes!
There is nothing better than a bowl of baked rigatoni with some salad and cheesy garlic bread. This rigatoni al forno is perfect for a pot luck or a busy weeknight.
The kids will surely love this cheesy meal. I wanted to keep this recipe nice and easy so I used minimal ingredients.
Feel free to add some spicy sausage or swap out the beef for ground pork and veal. If you have some red wine at home, add about a quarter cup if you’d like and let it reduce by half before adding the crushed tomatoes.
When it comes to pasta al forno, the meat sauce is the most important element. If you have a delicious meat sauce then you have a delicious plate of pasta.
If you enjoyed this spicy chicken rigatoni then you’ll certainly love this rigatoni al forno.
Tips For Making Rigatoni Al Forno:
- Make sure to salt the boiling water generously with kosher salt before adding the rigatoni.
- Cook the rigatoni 2 minutes less than what the packaging instructions recommend. The rigatoni will continue cooking in the oven.
- Do not rinse the pasta.
- Make sure to add a pinch or 1 tsp of sugar to the meat sauce to help balance the acidity.
Rigatoni Al Forno Ingredients
- Rigatoni – I used a short rigatoni called mezzi rigatoni.
- Crushed Tomatoes – You may use jar sauce but I highly recommend using crushed tomatoes. I used 2 28 ounce cans.
- Mozzarella Cheese
- Ricotta Cheese
- Onions
- Garlic
- Red Crushed Pepper
- Salt
- Sugar
- Oil
- Fresh Basil
- Italian Seasoning
- Granulated Garlic
Recipe Variations:
- Switch up the pasta and use any kind you like. You may use penne, ziti, shells, macaroni, etc.
- Add some veggies. Mushrooms and eggplant would be great additions to this recipe.
More Delicious Pasta Recipes You’ll Enjoy:
Rigatoni Al Forno
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rigatoni
- 1 lb Ground Beef
- 1 Small Onion diced
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 2 tsp Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp Granulated Garlic
- 56 ounces Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 tsp Tomato Paste
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 1 tbsp Fresh Basil
- 1/4 cup Ricotta Cheese
- 4 cups Mozzarella Cheese
- 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese
- 1 tsp Red Crushed Pepper optional
- Oil
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat some oil in a an oven-safe large skillet over medium heat.
- Add the onions and cook until translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and red crushed pepper and cook for 20 seconds.
- Add the beef and cook until browned.
- Season with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and granulated garlic.
- Add the tomato paste and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, sugar, fresh basil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Cook the meat sauce for 15 minutes.
- Cook the rigatoni 2 minutes less than what the packaging instructions recommend.
- Add the cooked rigatoni to the meat sauce and stir well.
- Stir in 2 cups of mozzarella cheese and ricotta cheese.
- Check for seasoning and then add the remaining mozzarella cheese over the skillet and bake for 10 minutes uncovered.
- Broil for 1 minute or until the cheese is completely melted.
- Garnish with fresh basil, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Make sure to salt the boiling water generously with kosher salt before adding the rigatoni.
- Cook the rigatoni 2 minutes less than what the packaging instructions recommend. The rigatoni will continue cooking in the oven.
- Do not rinse the pasta.
- Make sure to add a pinch or 1 tsp of sugar to the meat sauce to help balance the acidity.
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