Sweet Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers, and thick layers of cheese make this baked sausage rigatoni pasta recipe a family favorite.
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“I made this last night and we thought it was delicious! I made the recipe exactly but divided it into two portions, one for dinner (with a little leftover for lunch today!) and one to freeze for a future dinner!” -Amanda, FoodieCrush reader
This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods
A Quick and Easy Pasta Bake for Any Night of the Week
Crusty and melty. Officially speaking, these descriptions are opposites. But not when you’re talking cheesy baked pasta with sausage and ricotta, because then they go hand in hand.
This baked Italian sausage rigatoni is one that’s destined to become a family favorite, not just because it tastes incredible to everyone who eats it, but also because the cook in the kitchen is one happy chef because since the recipe is so easy to pull together thanks to a stash of DeLallo ingredients in the pantry.
Once again this year I’ve partnered with DeLallo Foods to create easy, family-friendly recipes, and I gotta say, they’re all winners through and through. Creating recipes using DeLallo products is honestly one of the most fun parts of this job.
DeLallo has such a wide variety of high quality products to fill the pantry, it makes cooking for any of night of the week a whole lot simpler than one would expect.
Enjoy!
Heidi’s Tips for Recipe Success
Don’t cook the pasta all the way the first time. The key to baked pasta is to undercook it when boiling it in the pasta water so it doesn’t get mushy as it bakes in the sauce.
Short and sturdy rigatoni makes for a superior pasta bake. Rigatoni is perfect for a chunky sausage sauce like this because the sausage sticks in all the nooks and crannies of the pasta.
Skip the low-fat cheeses. Whole fat ricotta and Provolone cheese will deliver the most moisture and flavor. The lower fat cheeses don’t hold a candle to the real deal.
Add extra cheese, as needed. I used a deeper casserole dish for this recipe, but if you use a shallower baking pan, you’ll want to add a few additional slices of provolone than what I call for in the recipe so that the whole top is covered in cheesy goodness.
What’s in This Recipe?
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
- Sweet Italian sausage — I used ground Italian sausage, but you can also purchase sausage links and remove the meat from its casings.
- Herbs and spices — Fennel seeds and fresh parsley add a little more Italian oomph.
- Roasted red peppers — DeLallo’s roasted red bell peppers packed in water add serious flavor to this sausage rigatoni bake. You can also roast your own red peppers, if you have the time and inclination.
- Marinara sauce — This recipe uses DeLallo’s jarred pomodoro fresco marinara (you could choose one of their other flavors if you’d prefer). It delivers the same rich flavors as my favorite homemade marinara sauce, which saves me time on busy nights.
- Rigatoni pasta — DeLallo’s rigatoni is my favorite because it’s made with semolina pasta to create a toothy bite. Other pasta shapes that would work here include shellbows, penne, cavatappi, and farfalle.
- Cheese — Ricotta, Parmesan, and provolone give this pasta its cheesy bite. Provolone gives an even better cheese pull than mozzarella and totally delivers in this recipe.
How to Make Baked Sausage Rigatoni in 5 Steps
- Boil the rigatoni until it’s al dente. Remember to generously salt the water so the pasta gets seasoned from the inside out.
- Make the sauce. Do this in a large saucepan so the sausage browns and doesn’t steam. Add the fennel seeds and onion and continue cooking until the onion is tender. Add the roasted red peppers and marinara sauce, then cook just until warmed through.
- Prepare the cheese mixture. In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, and fresh parsley.
- Layer everything together. Spoon half the rigatoni mixture into a large baking dish, then dollop half the ricotta mixture over top. Layer a few slices of Provolone over the ricotta, then repeat this process once more.
- Bake. You’ll know your pasta is done when it’s golden on top and the cheese is bubbly.
Want to see how to make this recipe? Check out the video below!
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Cheesy Baked Sausage Rigatoni Recipe
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 small onion , chopped
- 1 12 ounce jar DeLallo roasted red bell peppers
- 1 25 ounce jar DeLallo Pomodoro Fresco marinara sauce
- 1 16 ounce package DeLallo rigatoni
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley , chopped
- 6-8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375ºF. Prepare a 2 ½ or 3 quart baking dish with a drizzle of the olive oil.
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the sausage and the fennel seeds to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender. Add the roasted red peppers and the marinara sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with kosher salt. Cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Add the rigatoni to the sauce and stir well to combine.
- In a large bowl stir together the ricotta cheese, parmesan and parsley.
- Layer half of the rigatoni and sauce in the baking dish. Dot half of the ricotta mixture over the pasta and layer 3-4 slices of provolone over the ricotta. Repeat with the remaining rigatoni and ricotta and top with 3-4 slices of provolone.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.
Nutrition
FAQs
Yes, but just keep in mind that if you use something other than Italian sausage in this recipe your dish won’t taste the same as mine. However, ground turkey, hamburger, or plain sausage can be used in place of the Italian sausage if desired.
Most definitely! Garlic, mushrooms, and spinach would all be lovely additions to this sausage pasta bake. Just be careful not to add too many additional ingredients, otherwise your baked rigatoni won’t fit in one pan.
I haven’t frozen this baked rigatoni yet, but I believe it would work. You’d want to assemble it and then freeze before baking. When you’re ready to enjoy it, bake straight from the freezer at 350 degrees F for about 90 minutes.
Yes, any short, sturdy pasta will work in this sausage pasta bake. Think: penne, macaroni, and so on. Baked ziti is another favorite pasta dinner at our house!
Sides to Serve with Baked Rigatoni
More Favorite Baked Pasta Dinners
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This post is in partnership with DeLallo Foods. As always, thank you for reading and supporting companies I partner with, which allows me to create more unique content and recipes for you. There may be affiliate links in this post of which I receive a small commission. All opinions are always my own.
Melissa Hoover
Much too bland for my liking. Mozzerella instead of Provolone. McCormick’s Organic Italian Seasoning would have done the trick. It’s pretty much lasagna with rigatoni noodles. Experimentation is what makes Italian dishes sing!
Sunnie
I’d like to make this but my son is allergic to peppers…it seems like they are a key ingredient here – any suggestions for an alternative?
Hayley
Hi! You could easily sub sun-dried tomatoes. Hope that helps!
Joel A Soukup
Great recipe exactly as written. The second time I made it, I added a layer (12 oz.) of pre-cooked sliced Italian sweet sausage on top of the 1lb of ground already in there plus 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning to the cheese mixture. The results were also great, just a little heartier. Anyway, this one is definitely a keeper. Thanks for posting it!
Happy to hear you enjoyed Joel!
Sandi Jones
Quite tasty. I too found the pasta a little dry. Just a 1/2 cup or so more of sauce would fix it, I think. I didn’t include fennel seeds because I simply forgot to add them.
Julie
Best dish ever. A new family staple. Thanks
Victoria
Recipe looks amazing! Can you tell me how many people it will serve.
Thanks!
Amanda
I made this last night and we thought it was delicious! I made the recipe exactly but divided it into two portions, one for dinner (with a little leftover for lunch today!) and one to freeze for a future dinner! Thanks Heidi!
P.S. I did add a couple cloves of garlic. :-)
Ruth Crocker
I love this recipe and have made it many times for my family. It has been my go to recipe for taking meals to families that just brought home a newborn. Add a nice a salad and garlic bread…perfect!