Baked Sausage And Cheese Rigatoni

Sweet Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers and thick layers of cheese make this easy baked rigatoni pasta recipe a family favorite

Crusty and melty. Officially these descriptions are opposites. But not when you’re talking baked pasta, because then they go hand in hand. If there’s one thing better than pasta and sausage it’s pasta and sausage with melty layers of cheese baked through and crisped and crusted on top.

This Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni is one that’s destined to become a family favorite, not just because it tastes incredible to everyone who eats it, but also because the cook in the kitchen is one happy chef because since the recipe is so easy to pull together thanks to a stash of DeLallo ingredients in the pantry.

Rigatoni is perfect for a chunky sausage sauce like this because the sausage sticks in all the nooks and crannies of the pasta. For this recipe I used sweet Italian sausage and then gave it even a little more Italian oomph by cooking it with an extra dose of fennel seeds. The sauce gets a sweet bite with the addition of roasted red bell peppers.

Ricotta, Parmesan and provolone give this pasta it’s cheesy bite. Provolone gives an even better cheese pull than mozzarella and totally delivers in this recipe.

Baked Sausage and Cheese Rigatoni Recipe
Sweet Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers and thick layers of ricotta and provolone cheese make this baked rigatoni pasta a family favorite.


Ingredients
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
  • 1 small onion chopped
  • 1 12 ounce jar DeLallo roasted red bell peppers
  • 1 25 ounce jar DeLallo Pomodoro Fresco marinara sauce
  • 1 16 ounce package DeLallo rigatoni
  • 15 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
  • 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
  • 6-8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 2 1/2 or 3 quart baking dish with a drizzle of the olive oil.
  2. In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the sausage and the fennel seeds to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender. Add the roasted red peppers and the marinara sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through.
  3. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with kosher salt. Cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Add the rigatoni to the sauce and stir well to combine.
  4. In a large bowl stir together the ricotta cheese, parmesan and parsley.
  5. Layer half of the rigatoni and sauce in the baking dish. Dot half of the ricotta mixture over the pasta and layer 3-4 slices of provolone over the ricotta. Repeat with the remaining rigatoni and ricotta and top with 3-4 slices of provolone.
  6. Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.