Cheesy Rigatoni al Forno with Sausage and Ricotta
This Cheesy Rigatoni al Forno is baked in a simple, delicious sauce and three cheeses! The flavors are very similar to lasagna, but it's SO much quicker and easier to make and it all comes together in one pan. It's a great make-ahead meal and the leftovers are divine!
Ingredients
- 12 oz. rigatoni pasta penne and ziti also work well
- 6 oz whole milk ricotta cheese about 3/4 of a cup
- 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning or dried oregano
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1 lb. Italian sausage, casings removed
- 1 28 oz. can whole, peeled tomatoes San Marzano are recommended!
- 1 14 oz. can crushed tomatoes
- 4 cloves garlic, minced the best garlic chopper!
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese, cut or torn into small chunks See Note 1
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese Parmigiono Reggiano or pecorino romano are also great!
- 1/2 tsp sea salt (to taste)
- red pepper flakes and fresh basil (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, stir together ricotta and Italian seasoning or dried oregano. Set aside.
- In a large pot of water, boil pasta to al dente -- about 2 minutes less than package instructions. Drain and set cooked pasta aside. Preheat oven to 400°F.
- While pasta is boiling, add 1 tsp of olive oil to a large oven-proof skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Add sausage and brown for 3-4 minutes. Use a wooden spoon to break up the meat into small pieces as it cooks. Drain grease, if needed. Pro tip: using a potato masher about halfway through cooking works great to get the meat nice and fine!
- Add crushed tomatoes, whole tomatoes and garlic. Use a spoon (or your hands!) to break up the whole tomatoes so there are no large chunks. Bring to a boil, then simmer sauce over low heat for about 10 minutes to allow the flavors to marry. Taste, and season with salt if necessary (See Note 2).
- Carefully stir in pasta, making sure it is well coated with the sauce. Make sure pasta is spread in a nice, single layer over the pan and that most of the pasta is covered with sauce. Note: If you don't have an oven-proof pan, you can transfer the pasta mixture to a baking dish at this point.Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese. Then dollop on ricotta mixture. Sprinkle on mozzarella cheese. If using fresh mozzarella, nestle the pieces into the pasta.
- Bake at 400°F for 15-20 minutes until bubbly. Optional: Broil for the last 2-3 minutes for nice, golden brown cheese! Allow dish to rest for 5 minutes before serving. Garnish with fresh basil and crushed red pepper flakes, if you like!
Notes
Note 1: 2 cups of shredded mozzarella works great, too!
Note 2: Canned tomatoes have varying degrees of saltiness, so it's important not to over salt until you taste the sauce :)
Nutrition
Calories: 707kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 42gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 101mgSodium: 1294mgPotassium: 230mgFiber: 4gSugar: 9gCalcium: 271mgIron: 3mg
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