Description
Cheesy beef rigatoni bake delivers comfort straight from your kitchen, bringing hearty pasta and rich meat together in one satisfying pan. Melted cheese blankets tender rigatoni and seasoned ground beef, creating a dinner that’ll make your family crowd around the table with smiles.
Ingredients
Scale
Main Protein and Pasta:
- 1 pound ground beef
- 16 ounces rigatoni pasta, cooked al dente
Dairy and Cheese:
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup heavy whipping cream
Seasonings and Aromatics:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt and black pepper
- 24 ounces marinara sauce
Instructions
- Warm your oven to 375°F. Generously coat a large baking dish with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
- Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté ½ diced yellow onion until translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add 1 pound ground beef to the skillet. Cook thoroughly, breaking meat into small crumbles until no pink remains.
- Sprinkle 1 teaspoon each of Italian seasoning, onion powder, and garlic powder over the meat. Season with salt and pepper to your taste.
- Pour 24 ounces marinara sauce and ½ cup heavy whipping cream into the skillet. Stir and simmer for 5 minutes until sauce slightly thickens.
- Fold 16 ounces cooked rigatoni into the sauce, ensuring every pasta piece gets coated evenly.
- Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared baking dish, spreading it in an even layer.
- Scatter 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese across the top of the pasta.
- Bake at 375°F for 15-20 minutes until cheese melts completely and turns golden around edges.
- Rest the dish for 5 minutes before serving to let flavors settle and sauce cool slightly.
Notes
- Make sure to drain excess fat from the beef to prevent a greasy dish and maintain a rich, clean flavor.
- Choose a high-quality marinara sauce for deeper, more complex taste since it’s a key ingredient in this recipe.
- For a lighter version, swap ground beef with ground turkey and use reduced-fat cheese to cut calories without sacrificing flavor.
- If fresh herbs are available, adding chopped fresh basil or parsley on top just before serving will brighten the entire dish and add a fresh touch.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Baked
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian-American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 4
- Calories: 627 kcal
- Sugar: 7 g
- Sodium: 620 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 16 g
- Trans Fat: 0.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 36 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg