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Spicy Baked Rigatoni

Spicy Baked Rigatoni

Time

  • Prep: 15 min
  • Cook: 1 hr 45 min
  • Total: 2 hr 15 min

Servings: 8
Pan: Deep baking dish, about 4 quarts / 3.8 liters or larger
Serving: ⅛ of the bake

Ingredients

Meat and Mushroom Sauce

  • Ground beef: 454 g (1 lb) — 80/20 or 85/15
  • Italian pork sausage: 454 g (1 lb) — hot; casings removed
  • Baby bella mushrooms: 340 g (12 oz) — also sold as cremini; coarsely chopped
  • Olive oil: 2 Tbsp (30 ml) — divided between mushroom batches
  • Onion: 200 g (1 large) — finely diced
  • Garlic: 6 cloves — minced
  • Tomato paste: 30 g (2 Tbsp)
  • Dry red wine: 120 ml (½ cup) — or the same amount of water
  • Crushed tomatoes: 1588 g (56 oz) — two 28-ounce cans for the base recipe
  • Red pepper flakes: 2 tsp — adjust the cooked sauce to taste
  • Dried oregano: 2 tsp
  • Dried basil: 1 tsp
  • Bay leaf: 1
  • Fine salt: ½ tsp — to start; adjust after simmering
  • Black pepper: ½ tsp
  • Passata: up to 240 ml (1 cup) — optional; or plain canned tomato sauce, only if needed to loosen the sauce

Pasta and Assembly

  • Rigatoni: 283 g (10 oz) — dry; boil before assembling
  • Fine salt: to taste — for the pasta water
  • Olive oil: as needed — a little for the baking dish
  • Low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella: 454 g (16 oz) — shredded; divide equally between the filling and topping

Instructions

1. Heat the oven

  • Heat the oven to 375°F / 190°C, with a rack in the middle.
  • Lightly oil a deep baking dish of about 4 quarts / 3.8 liters or larger with olive oil.
  • Use the dish's lid for the covered bake only if both the dish and lid are oven-safe at 375°F. Otherwise, use foil. Remove the cover for browning.

2. Brown the mushrooms

  • Heat 2 Tbsp (30 ml) olive oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium-high heat.
  • Cook 340 g (12 oz) baby bella mushrooms in two batches, dividing the oil between them.
  • Let their released liquid evaporate, then continue cooking until they develop browned patches, about 12–16 minutes total. Transfer to a bowl.

3. Brown the meat

  • Brown 454 g (1 lb) ground beef and 454 g (1 lb) hot Italian pork sausage in the same pot, working in batches and breaking them into small crumbles. Allow about 15 minutes.
  • Transfer the meat to the mushroom bowl. Spoon off excess rendered fat, leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pot.

See: Browning Ground Meat.

4. Build the sauce

  • Cook 200 g (1 large) onion over medium heat for 6–8 minutes, until softened.
  • Add 6 cloves garlic, 2 tsp red pepper flakes, and 2 tsp dried oregano. Stir for 30 seconds.
  • Add 30 g (2 Tbsp) tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes.
  • Pour in 120 ml (½ cup) dry red wine, or the same amount of water. Scrape up the browned bits and simmer for 2–3 minutes.
  • Return all the meat and mushrooms to the pot. Add 1588 g (56 oz) crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp dried basil, 1 bay leaf, ½ tsp fine salt, and ½ tsp black pepper.

5. Simmer gently

  • Partly cover and simmer for approximately 25–35 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Keep the sauce loose and spoonable, without a pool of watery liquid separating from it. Expect roughly 9 cups of finished sauce for the base recipe, including all the meat and mushrooms; use the texture as your main guide.
  • If it becomes too thick, add passata or plain canned tomato sauce ¼ cup at a time, using up to 240 ml (1 cup) in total, only as needed.
  • Remove the bay leaf and taste for salt and heat.

6. Cook the rigatoni

  • While the sauce simmers, boil 283 g (10 oz) rigatoni in salted water until 2 minutes short of the package cooking time. Drain well.
  • The pasta finishes cooking during the bake. This recipe uses preboiled pasta.

7. Assemble

  • Shred 454 g (16 oz) low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella and divide it into two equal portions—8 ounces each for the base recipe.
  • Take the sauce off the heat. Stir in all the cooked rigatoni, then fold in half the mozzarella.
  • Transfer to the baking dish and scatter the remaining mozzarella over the top. The mixture should look generously sauced.
  • Leave about ½ inch below the rim after adding the cheese. The exact fit depends on your dish; put any extra in a small second baking dish. Do not press the lid onto an overfilled bake.

8. Bake and rest

  • These timings assume the sauce and pasta are still warm when assembled.
  • Covered: Bake with the oven-safe lid or foil for 25 minutes.
  • Uncovered: Remove the cover and bake for another 15–20 minutes, until the sauce bubbles through the center and the mozzarella has golden patches.
  • Check the center: It should reach 165°F / 74°C. If the top browns before the center is hot, cover loosely again and continue baking.
  • Rest: Let stand for 10–15 minutes before serving. The finished bake should remain spoonable and saucy.

Notes / Make-ahead / Variations

  • Mushrooms: Baby bella and cremini are the same mushroom sold under different names. Use either, and brown them until their released liquid evaporates before adding them to the sauce.
  • Meat, pasta, and cheese: The base recipe keeps the full 1 pound of beef and 1 pound of hot Italian sausage, with 10 ounces of dry pasta and 16 ounces of mozzarella. There is no ricotta, Parmesan, or egg filling.
  • Timing: Allow about 2–2¼ hours, including the rest. Extra browning batches can take longer; boil the pasta while the sauce simmers.
  • Scaling and capacity: Keep the same proportions and a similar depth in the baking dish. Larger batches may need multiple dishes; retain the headroom and check the center temperature rather than relying on the clock.

Storage & reheating

  • Refrigerate leftovers in shallow containers within 2 hours; the serving rest counts toward that time. Use within 3–4 days.
  • Reheat covered with a little extra tomato sauce until the center reaches 165°F / 74°C.

Nutrition

Nutrient Full Recipe Per Serving (⅛ of the bake)
Calories 6144 768
Protein 321.6 g 40.2 g
Fat 354.4 g 44.3 g
Carbs 387.2 g 48.4 g
Fiber 45.6 g 5.7 g
Sugars 103.2 g 12.9 g
Sodium 10288 mg 1286 mg
See nutrition details