One Pan Rigatoni Sausage Bake

Loaded with cheese, sausage and pasta in a roasted garlic sauce, One Pan Rigatoni Sausage Bake is pure comfort food, and clean-up is super easy too!

I am so happy that it’s cool enough to make cheesy baked pasta dishes again! They’re warm, comforting, and perfect for bringing the family together around the dinner table. When I was younger, there were always at least two large pans brimming with baked pasta at family gatherings,  and you had to load your plate up because these went fast!

The only thing about baking pasta is that you usually have to boil the pasta first, then make the meat sauce in a separate pan, and then pile everything together in a baking dish. In other words, you have a mountain of pots and pans to wash when you’re done, and nobody wants that.

So to make things uber easy, I decided to cook everything in one pan first. That’s where the name of this dish comes from. I realize that technically you need a skillet and a baking dish for this recipe, but you only need one skillet to cook it. And actually, you can skip the baking if you want, but baking the pasta makes it so much better! And you can leave the leftovers in the baking dish, so really, you only need to wash one pan. Easy, right?

To make things even easier, I used Ragu Homestyle Roasted  Garlic sauce instead of making my own. This sauce is the real deal, friends. I’ve made several one-pan pasta dishes with these new Ragu sauces, and they never disappoint. Roasted Garlic is probably my favorite flavor, and it’s so perfectly seasoned that you don’t need to add anything else. Seriously.

I made this dish twice, and the first time, I jazzed it up a little by adding some red pepper flakes, onions and a little extra seasoning. The second time around, I kept it as simple as possible, and I only used the sauce.

You know what? My family actually preferred the second version! Really.

This baked rigatoni is not only easy to make, but it’s also fairly quick. It only takes about 20 minutes to cook in the skillet, and about another 20 to 25 minutes in the oven. So you’re looking at an easy, cheesy pasta dinner that’s ready in under an hour.

The key is to not overcook the pasta. Just cook it in the skillet until it just begins to soften up — before the al dente stage. It’ll finish cooking in the oven, and it will be perfect!

How to Make One Pan Rigatoni Sausage Bake

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One Pan Rigatoni Sausage Bake

Italian sausage, rigatoni and cheese are simmered in a hearty roasted garlic sauce then baked to perfection.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings 6 to 8 servings

Author Dee

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 15- oz jar Ragu Homestyle Roasted Garlic Sauce
• 2 1/2 cups uncooked rigatoni
• 3 1/2 cups water
• 4 cups shredded Mozzarella or Italian blend cheese
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
2. In a large skillet, cook the sausage until brown
3. Add the pasta, sauce and water, cover and cook over high heat, stirring frequently until pasta begins to soften (Don't overcook)
4. Remove pan from heat, add olive oil to a 13 X 9 baking dish
5. Spoon half the mixture in the pan, and top with 2 cups cheese
6. Spoon remaining pasta mixture over the cheese layer, and top with remaining 2 cups cheese
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until sauce is bubbling, cheese is melted and pasta is cooked

Recipe Notes

The sauce might seem runny at first, but it thickens up as it bakes

I hope you get a chance to try this one pan rigatoni sausage bake because it really is good eats! My family members, who are my test tasters, went crazy over this recipe. Even my picky eaters were happy!

So definitely try it, and if you need more easy dinner ideas, check out these recipes from Ragu.

Have a wonderful day!

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