Baked Tomato Sausage Rigatoni

Dinner doesn’t get much easier than this Baked Tomato Sausage Rigatoni. Dry rigatoni, Italian sausage, and veggies cook in the oven submerged in a marinara-chicken broth mixture. The dish is then finished off with some heavy cream and cheese. The pasta soaks up the liquid as it bakes until tender for incredible flavor – and no need for separate pots, so clean up is easy!

This baked rigatoni with sausage is a super easy pasta dish where everything gets cooked in one pan in the oven – there’s no need for separate pots to cook the rigatoni or the Italian sausage ahead of time, yet the pasta still ends up tender and al dente. I think it’s even more flavorful because it cooks right in the tomato sauce and broth, instead of plain salted water. I stirred in a bit of heavy cream, fresh parmesan, and spinach at the end for some creaminess and extra veggies. It’s so good!

Tips & Variations

• Make sure the pasta is submerged. Since the pasta is not cooked before baking, it’s important to ensure that all of it is completely submerged in liquid before baking and the casserole dish is tightly covered in foil.
• Use any Italian sausage. Any bulk Italian sausage works great in this dish, choose from sweet, mild, or spicy depending on your preference.
• Try it with ground beef. Ground beef can be used in place of the Italian sausage, if that’s what you have on hand. Sometimes I’ll even use a 50/50 mix of both ground meats for a variety in flavor.
• Make it vegetarian. To make a vegetarian baked rigatoni, simply omit the Italian sausage. You could swap it for another chopped vegetable, too.

Baked Tomato Sausage Rigatoni

5 from 1 Rating

This Baked Tomato Sausage Rigatoni is one of the easiest pasta dinners, with minimal prep, one pan, and incredible flavor.

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Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes minutes

Total Time 55 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 people

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces (4 cups) dry Rigatoni pasta
• 3/4 pound bulk Italian sausage
• 1 small red bell pepper , seeds and ribs removed, chopped
• 2 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 jar (24 ounce) marinara sauce
• 1 can (15 ounce) diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan
• 5 ounce bag fresh baby spinach
• 4 large fresh basil leaves , chopped

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick spray.
• Dump 4 cups dry rigatoni pasta in the baking dish.
  
• From 3/4 of a pound bulk Italian sausage, break off very small pieces and dot all over the pasta, then sprinkle with 1 small chopped red bell pepper.
  
• In a mixing bowl, combine 2 & 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth, 24 ounces marinara sauce, 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with its liquid, 1/2 teaspoon each coarse salt and pepper, a 1/4 teaspoon each garlic powder and onion powder, and 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes.
  
• Pour the sauce mixture evenly over the pasta, sausage, and bell pepper making sure it’s all submerged in the liquid.
  
• Cover tightly with foil and bake for 45 minutes until the pasta is al dente.
• Remove the foil and stir in 1/3 cup heavy cream, 1/4 cup grated parmesan, and 5 ounces fresh baby spinach.
  
• Loosely tent with foil and let stand for another 5 to 10 minutes until the spinach has wilted and the sauce has thickened.
  
• Before serving, top with fresh chopped basil and some shaved parmesan.
  

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 400kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 46mg | Sodium: 1023mg | Potassium: 756mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 2746IU | Vitamin C: 36mg | Calcium: 111mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and any changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are very important to you, I would recommend calculating them yourself.

Other Notes

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: baked rigatoni, tomato sausage rigatoni

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Serving Suggestions

With pasta, veggies, and meat right in one dish, this baked tomato sausage rigatoni can easily stand on its own as the entire meal. That said, I am a big fan of pasta with a simple side salad or caesar salad to start the meal. You can never go wrong with a side of breadsticks or crusty dutch oven bread either.

How To Store & Reheat Leftovers

• Fridge. Store leftover baked rigatoni in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. If I still have a decent amount of leftovers, I usually just cover the baking dish with foil and refrigerate it. Otherwise, store leftovers in an airtight container.
• Reheat. The entire baking dish of rigatoni can be reheated in the oven at 350F until warmed through. Cover it with foil to prevent it from drying out. Individual servings can be easily reheated in the microwave as well.

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