Spicy Italian Baked Rigatoni

Italian sausage and a blend of deli meats are tossed with a homemade pasta sauce and rigatoni for a simple yet satisfying pasta dish! The baked rigatoni is comfort food for all of us, pasta lovers!

When you think of comfort dishes you can’t help but to picture at least one meal with pasta, right? This creamy cheesy delicious baked pasta dinner is a perfect blend of comfort and ease.

Made with all of the best meats and flavors we get an Italian-tasting dinner that’s really easy to throw together.

Serve up this easy-baked pasta recipe with your favorite green salads, garlic bread, or green beans for a filling and comforting meal. You really can’t go wrong with pasta night on the menu!

What Is Baked Rigatoni?

Baked rigatoni is rigatoni pasta tossed with a tomato-based meat sauce and cheese and baked until bubbly and golden. It is a filling meal that comes together rather quickly and can be adapted to suit any taste!

This dish is inspired by my spicy Italian pizza and my spicy Italian sub. Spicy Italian sausage and a surprising blend of deli meats make this baked rigatoni unique but so delicious! It’s not hard to see why we enjoy this dish around here so much!

Ingredients you’ll need for Baked Rigatoni:

• Rigatoni Pasta
• Italian Sausage
• Garlic
• Crushed Tomatoes
• Tomato Paste
• Dried Oregano
• Dried Basil
• Salt
• Deli Ham
• Pepperoni
• Soppressata (Dried Salami)
• Mozzarella

For the exact measurements needed, please see the recipe card below.

How To Make Baked Rigatoni

1. Prepare the rigatoni according to package directions.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
3. Add Italian sausage, cook, and crumble until no longer pink.
4. Stir in garlic and cook another minute.
5. Add chopped ham, pepperoni, and soppressata to the skillet and cook until the edges just begin to crisp.
6. Reduce heat and add the crush tomatoes and tomato paste. Season the mixture with herbs.
7. Toss sausage mixture with the rigatoni and 1 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese.
8. Pour into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.
9. Spread remaining mozzarella cheese over the pasta and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Variations and Substitutions

Pasta noodles. If you cannot find rigatoni, and pasta with ridges will work, i.e. ziti or penne. That said any noodle will work in a pinch, but the thicker pasta varieties will hold up better to being boiled and baked, meaning that you won’t have to worry about them becoming soggy and mushy.

Pasta sauce. Feel free to use your favorite pasta sauce in place of the homemade tomato sauce if you are short on time. Ragu, store brand, or whatever you have on hand will still turn out pretty tasty!

Ground meat. Ground turkey, chicken, or ground beef can be used in place of the Italian sausage. They won’t have as much flavor as Italian sausage but you can add in more seasonings and herbs if desired.

Add Ricotta. If you want to make rigatoni with ricotta cheese, dot the ricotta over the pasta before you cover the dish with the remaining mozzarella cheese.

Deli meat (salami pepperoni). Feel free to swap out the deli meat in this dish! Or omit them altogether.

What’s the Difference: Rigatoni vs Penne

The only difference between the two are the sizes and shapes. You can choose either one for this recipe and still have it turn out fine. I often use penne in a pinch but rigatoni is my favorite because I like the way the ridges help to grip onto the cheese and sauce.

Rigatoni arrabbiata

Arrabbiata is an Italian term meaning “angry” and is used to describe spicy foods. In our case, we are adding in pepperoni and salami which could add some heat to the dish depending on the varieties you buy.

If you want the dish to be a bit spicier, add in some red chili peppers or red pepper flakes to the sauce to really kick it up a notch. So if you want spicy rigatoni, this is how to do it.

Amatriciana sauce is made to be thick, flavorful, and packed with flavor usually from some added pancetta or bacon. If you would like your homemade pasta sauce to taste more like this then add in some cooked bacon pieces or pancetta. Yum!

Rigatoni alla norma

This is an Italian dish served with eggplant as the name translates to “pasta with eggplant.” It; s typical of Sicilian cuisine and adding in some eggplant to this recipe would be a great way to use up that fresh garden produce.

Rigatoni Fiorentina

You can make a modified twist to this dish by using a homemade florentine sauce. This sauce is usually made with a combination of heavy cream, white wine, butter, garlic, parmesan, and fresh spinach for a deliciously rich taste in every bite.

Rigatoni Pomodoro

Pomodoro sauce is a tomato based sauce very similar to marinara sauce except where the marinara sauce is runny and chunky, Pomodoro sauce is usually much thicker and more evenly textured.

Rigatoni Martino

This is a sauce for pasta made with a combination of sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, grilled chicken, and a pink sauce. It would add a wonderful Tuscan-flavored flair to this dish.

Baked rigatoni with ricotta

This recipe is not stuffed rigatoni but if you wish to make it more like that then you can fill each noodle up with a ricotta mixture before assembling in the baking dish and topping it with sauce. This is added work and effort but it will also make the meal feel more filling as well, which means a higher change of leftovers for later.

Baked rigatoni with sausage

We use ground Italian sausage in this recipe to give it a nice amount of flavor throughout the dish as the meat is already pre-flavored. You can swap it out for ground beef, pork, or ground turkey if desired. You can even just omit it entirely.

Gluten-free rigatoni

You can easily make this recipe gluten-free by choosing to use a gluten-free noodle variety. There are a lot of gluten-free noodle options available in the pasta section of your local grocery store. Simply make sure to read the ingredient label to make sure that there’s no gluten in it as it should be clearly marked.

FAQs

How to make rigatoni noodles

You can easily double this recipe and place it into 2 9×13 baking dishes. Cover the tops with foil and then store the pan inside of the fridge until closer to the party time. Let the pans rest on the counter for about 30 minutes as the oven preheats and then bake as directed. You should be able to get both 9×13 pans to fit side by side in your oven on the middle rack, but every oven is different so arrange them as needed.

Can You Make Baked Rigatoni Ahead of Time?

Absolutely! To make this baked pasta in advance, prepare the recipe as directed up the baking. Instead, cover the casserole with aluminum foil and refrigerate it until needed. When ready, preheat the oven to 350 and allow the pasta to come to room temperature until the oven is heated. Then bake the rigatoni as directed.

Can You Freeze Baked Rigatoni?

This pasta dish freezes beautifully! Prepare the recipe as directed except for the last step, Instead, cover the pasta with a layer of plastic wrap and then aluminum foil. Freeze the pasta for up to 2 months,

When needed, allow the pasta to come to room temperature while the oven preheats, then bake as directed.

You can also partially or fully bake the pasta first, and then freeze. Make sure the pasta is covered completely. Thaw the pasta then reheat in the oven,

Baked pasta can dry out easily. Adding extra sauce before heating can help solve this issue. Also, covering the pasta during reheating will help the pasta retain moisture that is typically lost during baking.

What To Serve With Baked Rigatoni?

Keep it simple! This dish has so much flavor all on its own. Try a simple loaf of bread (maybe with olive oil dip) or just a kale salad to round out your meal.

Continue to Content

Yield: 8

Spicy Italian Baked Rigatoni

Print

Italian sausage is tossed with a homemade pasta sauce and rigatoni for a simple yet satisfying pasta dish! The baked rigatoni is comfort food for all of us, pasta lovers!

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• ½ lb cooked crumbled Italian sausage
• 3 cloves minced garlic
• 1 28 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 6 oz can tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 3 slices deli ham, chopped
• 2 oz pepperoni
• 3-4 slices soprasseta chopped
• 2 cup shredded mozzarella, divided

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with non-stick spray and set aside.
2. Prepare the rigatoni according to package directions.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add Italian sausage, cook and crumble until no longer pink. Stir in garlic and cook another minute.
4. Add chopped ham, pepperoni, and soppressata to the skillet and cook until the edges just begin to crisp.
5. Reduce heat and add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste.  Season the mixture with dried oregano, basil, and salt. 
6. Toss sausage mixture with the rigatoni and 1 cup of mozzarella cheese. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.  Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese over the pasta and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly.

Nutrition Information

Yield

8

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 509Total Fat 19gSaturated Fat 8gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 11gCholesterol 51mgSodium 1689mgCarbohydrates 62gFiber 11gSugar 23gProtein 28g

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