Baked Rigatoni with Sausage coats one pound of tube pasta in a creamy tomato sauce built from Italian sausage, onion, garlic, white wine, basil, and parsley. A short final bake melts 1.5 cups mozzarella over the 9x13-inch casserole. The verified recipe serves eight and records five minutes of preparation, 25 minutes of cooking, and 30 minutes total, with 714 calories per serving.
Baked Rigatoni with Sausage Ingredients
Main Ingredients: 1 tablespoon olive oil; 1 ½ lbs Italian sausage (mild or hot); 1 onion, diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; ⅓ cup dry white wine; 1 ½ cups crushed tomatoes (15-oz can); ½ teaspoon salt; ½ teaspoon pepper; 2 tablespoon fresh basil (or 1 tablespoon dried); ¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped (or 2 tablespoon dried); 1 cup cream (25% - 35% fat); 1 lb rigatoni (approximately 450 grams); 1 ½ cup mozzarella cheese, shredded.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Stuffed Chicken Parmesan Dish.
How to Make Baked Rigatoni with Sausage
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Cook Rigatoni: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni according to package instructions until al dente, then drain.
- Prepare Sausage: In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Remove the casing from the Italian sausage and add to the pan. Break up the sausage with a spatula and cook for approximately 5 minutes until fully cooked.
- Sauté Onion and Garlic: Add the diced onion and minced garlic to the pan. Sauté until the onion is translucent, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add White Wine: Pour in the dry white wine. Cook for about 5 minutes until it almost evaporates.
- Make Tomato Sauce: Stir in the cooked sausage, crushed tomatoes, salt, and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat for 10 minutes.
- Finish Sauce: Mix in the fresh parsley, basil, and cream. Stir thoroughly to combine.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Toss the drained rigatoni with the prepared sauce. Pour the mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish.
- Add Cheese and Bake: Top the dish with shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake in the preheated oven for 5–10 minutes until the cheese melts.
- Garnish and Serve: Garnish with fresh parsley and basil, if desired. Enjoy your meal!
For storage details after serving, the USDA leftovers and food safety guidance.
Why the Order Matters
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Boil one pound rigatoni in salted water according to its package until al dente, then drain. Heat one tablespoon olive oil over medium in a large frying pan. Remove casings from 1.5 pounds mild or hot Italian sausage, crumble it with a spatula, and cook about five minutes until fully cooked. Add one diced onion and four minced garlic cloves; sauté 2–3 minutes until translucent. Pour in one-third cup dry white wine and cook about five minutes until nearly evaporated. Stir in 1.5 cups crushed tomatoes, one-half teaspoon salt, and one-half teaspoon pepper. Cover and simmer on low for 10 minutes. Stir in one-quarter cup fresh chopped parsley or two tablespoons dried, two tablespoons fresh basil or one tablespoon dried, and one cup 25–35% cream. Toss sauce with drained pasta, pour into a 9x13-inch dish, top with 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella, and bake 5–10 minutes until melted. Garnish with parsley and basil if desired.
If you enjoy this recipe, you may also like Chicken Alfredo Bake.
Critical Visual and Timing Cues
Cook rigatoni only to al dente because it receives another 5–10 minutes in the oven. Sausage must be fully cooked during its approximately five-minute pan stage, with no pink pieces remaining. Onion and garlic need 2–3 minutes, then wine reduces separately for about five minutes until almost gone. Cover the tomato-sausage mixture during its low 10-minute simmer. Cream and herbs enter after that reduction, preventing fresh herbs from losing all character. Spread pasta evenly in the 9x13 dish and stop baking when mozzarella is fully melted; the short bake is not intended to dry or deeply brown the casserole.
Serving and Storage
Divide the hot casserole into eight portions and add optional fresh parsley and basil. Let it settle briefly if needed for clean portions, but serve while the mozzarella remains melted. Refrigerate leftovers promptly in a covered container because they contain meat, cream, and cheese. Reheat covered so rigatoni does not dry, uncovering only briefly if a firmer cheese top is wanted. The verified nutrition estimate is 714 calories per serving; carbohydrate, fat, and protein numbers are not recorded.
Practical Kitchen Notes
Italian sausage may be mild or hot, but casings are removed. Cream must contain 25–35% fat as recorded. Fresh and dried herb alternatives use different quantities: two tablespoons fresh basil or one tablespoon dried, and one-quarter cup fresh parsley or two tablespoons dried. Keep the fresh parsley garnish separate from the measured sauce amount if using it. Crushed tomatoes are recorded as 1.5 cups with a 15-ounce-can note. Dry white wine is reduced before tomatoes; do not replace it with unverified stock. The dish contains pork, dairy, gluten, and alcohol as written.
Details Worth Preserving
Use a pan large enough to crumble sausage and later hold the sauce. Salt pasta water separately; the one-half teaspoon listed salt belongs to sauce. Do not add ricotta, Parmesan, spinach, peppers, or additional tomato products because none appears in D1. Drain pasta without rinsing so sauce adheres. The method says to stir cooked sausage into the tomato stage even though sausage already remains in the pan; preserve the intended combined sauce without duplicating sausage. Maintain the 350°F oven and the distinct five-minute sausage, 2–3 minute aromatic, five-minute wine, 10-minute simmer, and 5–10 minute bake cues.
Recorded Recipe Tips
- For added flavor, use fresh basil and parsley instead of dried herbs.
- If the sausage releases excess fat during cooking, leave only 1 tablespoon for the sauce.
Conclusion
Baked Rigatoni with Sausage makes 8 servings in 30 recorded minutes, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time. Preserve every listed quantity and instruction for the intended result.
Frequently Asked Questions
- → How many servings does Baked Rigatoni with Sausage make?
It makes 8 servings and serves 8.
- → How long does Baked Rigatoni with Sausage take?
The recipe records 5 minutes of preparation, 25 minutes of cooking, and 30 minutes total, plus any separately stated baking, chilling, rising, resting, or cooling time.
- → Should rigatoni be fully softened before baking?
No. Cook it according to the package only until al dente because it finishes for 5–10 minutes in the oven.
- → Can mild sausage be replaced with hot Italian sausage?
Yes. The verified recipe permits either mild or hot Italian sausage, with the casing removed before cooking.