Baked Rigatoni

overhead picture of baked pasta in a casserole dish

This Baked rigatoni is classic comfort food but with a tangy surprise twist!

4.91 from 11 votes

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Course: Main Dishes

Cuisine: Italian

Prep Time: 1

Cook Time: 30

Total Time: 1 30

Servings: servings

Author: Jennifer Stewart

Ingredients

1 pound rigatoni noodles
2 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions chopped fine
2 cloves garlic sliced
60 ounces stewed tomatoes
30 ounces tomato sauce
6 ounces tomato paste
1 small bunch of fresh thyme or 2 tablespoons dried
2 pounds Swiss cheese shredded
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the sauce
In a large pot, sweat the onions in the olive oil over medium heat until clear. Add the garlic and thyme. Cook for another minute.
Add the tomatoes, sauce, and paste. Stir to combine.
Reduce temperature to simmer and continue to cook uncovered, stirring often, for an hour. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Prepare the rigatoni noodles.
Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil over high heat.
Once boiling, salt the water and add the noodles. Stir to separate any clumps.
Reduce heat to medium and cook the rigatoni noodles according to package directions, minus 2-3 minutes.
When cooked to "al dente," drain the noodles but do not rinse.
Assemble the casserole
Preheat the oven to 375F.
In a large bowl, combine the noodles, sauce, and 3/4 of the cheese.
Spread into a casserole dish.
Top with remaining cheese.
Bake at 375F for 20-30 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted.
Serve warm!

Video

Notes

Make it more hearty with a meaty sauce by adding Italian sausage, ground turkey, or lean ground beef to it.

If you don’t like the large chunks of tomatoes, feel free to puree the tomatoes before adding to the rest of the sauce.

Too much food? Make a whole batch and split it into two dishes and bake one and freeze the other. Save it for busy days.

Not a lot of time to simmer? Cut the simmer time in half by using a crushed tomatoes and add some Italian Seasoning.

Can’t find Swiss cheese? Use Fontina, Jarlsberg, or Gruyere.

Switch up the pasta and use rotini or shells. Be sure to cook it in a large pot of salted water.

Grate or shred your own cheese. Not only is it cheaper to buy a block of cheese than a bag of shredded, the pre-shredded has anti-caking powder which stops the cheese from melting.

If you like the nutty taste of Parmesan cheese, sprinkle some on after plating.

Like it spicy? Add a few red pepper flakes when simmering the sauce.

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