Cheesy Sausage Rigatoni Recipes

FOUR-CHEESE SAUSAGE RIGATONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a 6-qt. stockpot, cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain; transfer to a bowl., In same stockpot, cook and crumble sausage with red pepper and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain. Add cream; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, Italian seasoning and pepper flakes. Cook, uncovered, over medium-low heat until sauce thickens slightly, 5-8 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan, goat cheese, egg and seasonings., Stir rigatoni into meat sauce. Spread 3 cups into each of two greased 11x7-in. baking dishes. Top each with half of cheese mixture, then half of remaining pasta mixture., Bake, covered, 25 minutes. Sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheeses are melted, about 5 minutes. If desired, sprinkle with basil. Freeze option: Prepare casseroles without mozzarella cheese and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese; freeze cheeses separately in resealable plastic freezer bags. Cover and freeze unbaked casseroles. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 350°. Bake casseroles as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°. If desired, sprinkle with basil.

EASY ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND RIGATONI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a large baking dish.
• Cook sausage and onion in a large skillet until meat is no longer pink and onions are translucent, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Combine spaghetti sauce, cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese, eggs, parsley, Italian seasoning, basil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add sausage and onion mixture; stir until well combined. Add pasta and carefully mix until well incorporated. Transfer to the prepared baking dish and cover.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 45 minutes. Remove from the oven, top with remaining mozzarella, and bake, uncovered, until cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°. Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain., In a large skillet, cook sausage, mushrooms and pepper over medium-high heat until sausage is no longer pink and vegetables are tender, breaking up sausage into crumbles, 8-10 minutes; drain. Stir in marinara sauce, Parmesan cheese and cream. Add rigatoni and toss to coat., In each of 2 greased 8-in. square baking dishes, layer one-fourth of the rigatoni mixture and one-fourth of the mozzarella cheese. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, until heated through and cheese is melted, 25-35 minutes. (Cover loosely with foil if tops brown too quickly.) Freeze option: Cool unbaked casseroles; cover and freeze. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 375°. Bake casseroles as directed, increasing time as necessary to heat through and for a thermometer inserted in center to read 165°.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the topping: Add the ricotta, basil, and salt to a small bowl. Stir together with a rubber spatula. Set aside.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season well with salt and cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large braiser or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage to the pan. Cook, stirring often and breaking apart the meat with the back of a spoon, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook to marry the flavors, about 3 minutes. Stir in the marinara and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fully combined. Add the pasta to the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well to coat. Add the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce slightly.
• Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the top. Nestle the ricotta mixture into the pasta and cover with some of the pasta. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

BAKED RIGATONI & SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add spaghetti sauce and wine., Drain rigatoni; add to sausage mixture and toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish; sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Freeze option: Freeze individual portions of cooled pasta mixture in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally and adding a little spaghetti sauce if necessary.