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Creamy and Cheesy Rigatoni Pasta Bake

This Rigatoni Pasta is a saucy layered pasta dish baked to creamy, cheesy perfection. It's an easy weeknight dinner that stores and reheats well for lunch the next day.
Course dinner
Cuisine Italian
Keyword Italian food, pasta, pasta bake, rigatoni
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 8 -10 servings
Calories 527kcal
Author Tamara J.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Rigatoni pasta cooked and drained
  • 1 pound Ground beef cooked and crumbled
  • 3 cups Marinara sauce
  • 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
  • ½ tablespoon Garlic powder
  • ½ tablespoon All purpose seasoning
  • 2 teaspoons Sazon seasoning
  • 2 cups Ricotta cheese
  • 3 cups Mozzarella cheese shredded
  • 3 cups Colby jack cheese shredded
  • Fresh basil chiffonade (slice into long strips)

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit and spray a casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray and set it aside. 
  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a generous pinch of salt to the water to help season the pasta as it boils. Once the water begins to boil, gently pour the pasta into the water. Boil the pasta for about 10 minutes, until it is just under al dente. 
  • Drain the pasta from the water immediately, and set it aside. You do not want to over-boil the pasta because it will continue to cook in the oven when you bake it. 
  • Once the ground beef is cooked until there is no more pink showing, mix in the marinara sauce, and add in all of the seasonings including the Italian seasoning, the garlic powder, all purpose seasoning, and Sazon seasoning. Stir everything together until it is all fully combined. 
  • Mix about ¼ cup of the meat sauce in a bowl with the ricotta cheese, just to make it a bit smoother and easier to spread; then set it aside. 
  • Now begin to layer your pasta. Add about 1-2 cups of the meat sauce to the bottom of the casserole dish and spread it out in one even layer. Now add some of the rigatoni pasta, then spoon some of the ricotta cheese over the top of the pasta. 
  • Sprinkle on a handful of mozzarella cheese and colby jack cheese and spread it evenly over the top. Now spoon another layer of meat sauce over the top of the cheese, and repeat the layers of pasta, ricotta cheese, and shredded mozzarella and colby jack cheese until you have used all of your ingredients. 
  • Be sure to end the top layer with the shredded cheese. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place it in the oven. Bake the rigatoni pasta for about 30-40 minutes, or until the cheese is nice and melted and bubbly. 
  • Remove the rigatoni pasta bake from the oven. Top with fresh basil, and enjoy!

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 527kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 38g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 116mg | Sodium: 887mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g