Baked Rigatoni

Baked Rigatoni: Step by Step

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1. Heat the oven to 190°C / 375°F. Boil the rigatoni in salted water for 10 minutes, then drain.

   Mark done Start 10 min timer

2. Heat the oil in a large pan. Brown the beef for 8 minutes, add the onion for 4 minutes, then the garlic and tomato purée for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 8 min timer

3. Add the tomatoes, oregano and salt. Simmer for 30 minutes until thick.

   Mark done Start 30 min timer

4. Stir the ricotta and pasta into the sauce. Spoon into a baking dish and top with the mozzarella and parmesan.

   Mark done

5. Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more until golden. Scatter with basil.

   Mark done Start 20 min timer

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What Can Go Wrong

1. Cook the pasta short because it finishes in the oven.
2. Stir the ricotta through the sauce.
3. Cover with foil first to keep the pasta moist.

Common Substitutions & Variations

• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.
• Fresh herbs work in place of the dried oregano at roughly three times the quantity — a teaspoon of dried is about a tablespoon of fresh, chopped.

Good to Know About Baked Rigatoni

A Sunday dish for a table of six, and better on Monday. Baked rigatoni is a family centrepiece that feeds a crowd from one dish, and it improves overnight as the sauce soaks into the tubes.

Rigatoni is the right pasta because of its wide, ridged tubes. The sauce gets inside them and clings to the ridges outside, so every mouthful is evenly coated. Penne would work, but the wider tube holds more filling. Cook it for 2 minutes less than the packet says.

Stir ricotta through the sauce rather than dolloping it on top. Mixed in, it melts into a creamy pink coating that carries through the whole dish. Left in lumps, it can turn grainy and dry in the oven.

The ragu needs 30 minutes at a simmer, long enough for the mince to soften and the tomatoes to reduce. Use a mix of beef and pork for flavour. Top with mozzarella and parmesan, cover with foil for 20 minutes, then uncover to brown. The foil keeps the pasta moist while the cheese gets golden after.

To Go With It

Green salad · Garlic bread · Roast vegetables · Red wine

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta, Citrus Fennel Salad.

Leftovers

Keeps for 4 days in the fridge or 2 months in the freezer.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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