Rigatoni Al Forno with Three Cheeses and Sausage

Fall and winter to me means it's time to eat all the pasta! While I love my spicy vodka pasta, this rigatoni al forno is a baked cheesy pasta that I can't get enough of.

This is based on a typical Italian dish of pasta, tomatoes, cheese, and meat. After the sauce is made on the stove, it is baked to perfection!

What does 'pasta al forno' actually mean? It literally means baked pasta! I've made it with rigatoni but you can use other pasta shapes if you prefer. Think of this like a deconstructed lasagna!

Want even more comforting dinner recipes? Check out my salmon pasta with creme fraiche, pasta al pesto, baked pasta with vodka sauce, and gnocchi carbonara!

Ingredients Needed

• Onion and Garlic: this is going to be the base for the sauce. You can use a white onion, brown onion or even shallots.
• Italian Sausage: I used Italian sausages that were seasoned with fennel, but feel free to use a different sausage flavor! I like using ones that have been seasoned with herbs and spices to enhance the flavor of the sauce. You can also just use ground pork. If you're vegetarian you can use plant-based ground "meat".
• Rigatoni: it wouldn't be called rigatoni al forno without rigatoni! Feel free to swap it out for a different pasta shape, you'll want one that works well with a sauce like penne or a tube-shaped pasta.
• Bay Leaves: this is going to give a subtle flavor to the sauce as it simmers. Don't forget to take them out before you bake the pasta!
• Canned Crushed Tomatoes: I prefer to use crushed tomatoes but you can also use diced or whole tomatoes.
• Cheese: I'm using a trio of cheeses - mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta! The mozzarella melts beautifully on top of the baked pasta, while the parmesan adds a salty, sharp bite. The ricotta is going to make the topping super creamy. You can swap out parmesan for pecorino romano.
• Tomato Paste: this is a very thick paste, don't use tomato sauce or passata!

Step by Step Instructions

Step 1: In a dutch oven or a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once it simmers add the garlic and onion and cook for a few minutes, until fragrant. Add the sausage meat and let it brown.

Step 2: Add the chili flakes and ground pepper, stirring to break up the sausage meat. Add the tomato paste and cook until toasted.

Step 3: Add the canned chopped tomatoes, bay leaves and some salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat down to medium-low or low and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

Step 4: While the sauce is simmering cook the pasta according to package directions, but do 2 minutes less. Save a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Step 5: Take the bay leaves out of the sauce. Taste and adjust the meat sauce, adding more salt and pepper if needed. Add 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the pasta to the meat sauce and stir to incorporate. You may want to add some pasta water if the sauce is too thick.

Step 6: Pour this pasta and sauce into a 7x11 or 9x13-inch baking dish (or keep in the dutch oven if that is what you used to make the sauce!). Top with grated parmesan cheese, ricotta and the remaining mozzarella. Bake in an oven preheated to 350ºFahrenheit/175ºCelsius for 20-22 minutes, or until the cheese on top has melted and is golden brown.