Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Sausage & Ricotta

There’s something about cheesy pasta bakes that I’ve always found absolutely crave-worthy. But, in my experience, they can be kind of a letdown, often dry and overcooked all at once. So I set out to create a recipe to satisfy my cravings for the perfect pasta bake, and that's how this baked rigatoni recipe came to be! I jokingly refer to it as "Better Than Baked Ziti" or "Baked Ziti 2.0," but every component has been really carefully crafted to create a pasta bake for the ages: Sauciness. This recipe starts with a quick and simple homemade meat sauce made of Italian sausage, loads of aromatics, tomatoes, and wine. There's enough of it to create a beautifully saucy plate of pasta – even after it bakes! – and you'll be surprised by how much richness it adds despite a relatively short simmer. Texture. Rigatoni is the ideal pasta here because its ridges and wide opening capture plenty of meat sauce. Try to look for mezzi rigatoni, and be sure to boil it just under al dente to ensure it doesn't overcook as the pasta bakes. Cheesiness. This baked rigatoni is layered with creamy ricotta and melty mozzarella for a lasagna-like effect (without the fuss of assembling a lasagna!) so each serving has an epic cheese pull – everyone at the table will be so impressed! It's really the perfect pasta bake, and I think you'll love it as much as we do. ♡ Happy cooking!

Good

% Daily Values based on a 2,000 calorie diet

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