When you’re yearning for a nice home-cooked dinner, who knows best!? Mom’s Baked Rigatoni Pasta will definitely do the trick! Rigatoni pasta surrounded by an amazing Italian sauce — that Mom knows like the back of her hand — all topped with melted mozzarella cheese, is truly the best when you need a “food-hug” from your momma! Gather your family, grab a loaf of French bread, and get Mom’s Baked Rigatoni Pasta on the table, pronto!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 pound 90% lean ground beef
- 1 pound mild Italian sausage, casings removed
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 (24-ounce) jar marinara sauce
- 1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
For the bake:
- 16 ounces rigatoni pasta, cooked
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 3 –In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil.
Step 4 –Add the ground beef, the sausage, the salt, and the black pepper to the oil and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the beef is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Step 5 –Add the onion to the meat mixture and cook until the sausage is browned and cooked through and the onion is softened, about 3-5 minutes.
Step 6 –Add the garlic to the meat mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Step 7 –Add the marinara sauce and the tomato sauce and bring the mixture to a simmer, while stirring frequently.
Step 8 –Simmer the meat sauce, stirring frequently, until it has just thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 9 –Add the cooked rigatoni to the meat sauce and stir to combine.
Step 10 –Evenly pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle it with the mozzarella cheese.
Step 11 –Cover the dish with foil and bake it for 20 minutes.
Step 12 –Uncover and bake until the pasta bake is bubbly and the cheese has melted and browned, about 15-20 minutes.
Step 13 –Transfer the pasta bake from the heat and sprinkle it with the parsley.
Step 14 –Let the pasta bake stand, about 5 minutes.
Step 15 –Serve.
