Baked Rigatoni With Sausage

🤍 Recipe Highlights

I have summarised everything that you will come to know and love (LOVE ❤) about this cheese baked pasta with sausage and ricotta recipe in the points below:

• Everyday ingredients: we use simply ingredients to make the recipe. They are each easy to get your hands on and available year round at your local grocery store.
• Comfort food: there is a hearty and satisfying feel to this pasta with sausage and ricotta dish. From the rich tomato sauce to the chewy pasta, juicy sausages and cheese topping we are ticking a lot of the winter comfort food boxes.
• Family friendly: if you love meals that everyone of all ages can enjoy together then you are in the right place! There is no 'too hot' or 'too spicy' flavors in the mix, so it is the perfect dish for both young and wise ones .😉👌

🥗 Ingredients

The photo below is to show you everything you need to make the baked rigatoni with sausage recipe. Please refer to the printable recipe card for specific ingredient measurements as well as detailed instructions.

As you can see the recipe calls for:

• Olive oil: we use a little olive oil to sauté the garlic and cook the sausage pieces and diced onion.
• Cheese: I like to use colby cheese for this recipe. It melts really well and has that 'cheese pull' effect.
• Salt and pepper: for seasoning.
• Ricotta: dolloped on top of the pasta for cheesy goodness!
• Garlic: either 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, chunky chopped garlic or minced garlic will work.
• Italian herbs: adds aromatic flavor to the tomato sauce.
• Worcestershire sauce: for a little oomph 😉👌.
• Beef stock cubes: crushed and sprinkled into the sauce for added depth of flavor.
• Tomato paste: thick and rich, helps us create the luscious pasta sauce.
• Onion: I use a medium brown onion.
• Crushed tomatoes: these add texture to the tomato sauce.
• Passata: also known as tomato puree. This is smooth and the basis for the sauce.
• Sausages: I like to use thick Italian sausages for this recipe. They have a bit more in them than regular beef or pork sausages.
• Rigatoni: a large tubular pasta that pairs well with sauce and cheese!

🍳 Instructions

Here are the step by step instructions to make the recipe. We start by preparing the onion and sausages. You will need a sharp knife and cutting board for the initial steps.

• Dice the onion (Photo 1)

👩‍🍳 How to Make Baked Rigatoni With Sausage

To make the baked rigatoni with sausage recipe dice the onion then use a small shark knife to remove the casing from each sausage and chop the meat into chunky pieces.

• Remove the sausage casings and chop (Photo 2)

Once you have prepared the onion and sausages, we start to cook them.

Place a large saute pan on the stove top and turn the heat to high.

Add the olive oil and garlic and let the garlic cook for a minute or so.

• Cook till browned (Photo 3)

Next add the sausage pieces, diced onion, salt and pepper. Cook this combination until the sausage pieces are cooked through (6-8 minutes).

• Cook the pasta (Photo 4)

When ready use a separate cooking element to cook the pasta according to package instructions in a large sauce pan of boiling salted water.

Then start to make the sauce in the same pan as the cooked sausage mixture.

To do this pour in the passata, followed by the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, beef stock cubes (crushed with your fingers) and Italian seasoning mix. Next use a wooden spoon to gently stir and combine.

🍽 Serving Suggestions

When it comes to serving your rigatoni sausage bake you will likely find it a filling and hearty meal that won't give you a lot of room for too many sides!

For small portions of the dish you may want a bread pairing in which case the Tortilla Garlic Bread, Garlic Ciabatta, Garlic Pizza Bread or the Turkish Garlic Bread will work well.

Or for a salad side try the Cherry Tomato Caprese Salad, Panzanella Salad or the Fresh Herb Salad 😉👍.

👍 How to Guide

How to Store

Let the dish fully cool. Once cool portion into sealed airtight containers. These can be refrigerated for 2-3 days and need to be reheated before being consumed.

How to Freeze

To freeze the leftovers, simply follow the step above and place the containers into the freezer. They can be stacked and kept for 3 months.

How to Reheat

To reheat refrigerated leftovers add them to a bowl and then cover with cling wrap. Reheat in the microwave on high for 1 minute increments (stir after each minute) until warmed through (total 2-3 minutes).

To reheat frozen portions of the dish allow them to fully thaw, then transfer them to a bowl and follow the method above to reheat. Frozen then thawed portions will take a little longer to reheat, so test to ensure they are consistently warmed through before consuming.

😉 Substitutions and Variations

Here are my sub ins and outs that you might be thinking about as you read the post and I will tell you if I think they will work or why they won't:

• For other sausage ideas try using beef, pork, lamb or chicken.
• For alternative pasta options ziti, penne or fusilli will each work well.
• You can garnish with fresh parsley if you don't have basil or want something different.
• Both diced tomatoes or crushed tomatoes will work well. Crushed tomatoes will have slightly less texture.
• If you want to omit the ricotta and simply do a grated cheese topping you can. Mozzarella and or a store bought cheese blend will also work if you are short on time.
• If you want to add additional vegetables to the dish you can sauté some diced carrot and or finely chopped celery when cooking the sausage and onion mixture.
• Or you can add a handful or 2 of fresh spinach leaves once you have combined the pasta and pasta sauce.
• If you are short on time you can use a grocery store bought marinara or a shelf or refrigerated tomato based pasta sauce.

💡 Tasty Tips

Here are my top tips and tricks that I want to share with you so that you master the recipe from the get go:

• You will need a large baking dish for the recipe and it doesn't matter if it is square, round or rectangular. It simply needs to be big enough to hold the recipe contents.
• If you don't have a large baking dish you can portion the recipe into 2 and use 2 smaller baking dishes .
• I like to grease the baking dish whilst I am cooking the pasta. That way once everything is combined it can simply be tipped into the baking dish. I do this with olive oil and a basting brush.
• You can preheat the oven at the start of the prep time ie when peeling the onion as it will then be ready to go once the dish is ready to be baked. this also allows the cook time to be an accurate guide.

🤓 Frequently Asked Questions

😍 More Easy Dinner Recipes

If getting dinner sorted is the top of your to do list then you need lots of ideas up your sleeve to keep things interesting. Here are some more recipes that will offer you diversity and a variety of flavor combinations:

• Chorizo Fried Rice
• French Onion Steak
• Dumpling Noodle Soup
• Slow Cooker French Onion Chicken
• Roasted Capsicum Pasta Sauce
• Fusilli Bolognese

It is time to get our Baked Rigatoni With Sausage on my friend! You can also find all of my dinner recipes or pasta recipes in the one spot.

Adrianne

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