AMAZING Pasta Bake Recipe | Rigatoni with Meat Sauce & Ricotta

ground beef

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground pork

Ground turkey is leaner, while ground pork is often less expensive.

red wine

🥗Healthier: grape juice

💰Cheaper: beef broth

Grape juice adds sweetness without alcohol, while broth adds flavor.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grana padano

Nutritional yeast is dairy-free, while grana padano is a less expensive cheese.

ricotta cheese

🥗Healthier: cottage cheese

💰Cheaper: cream cheese

Cottage cheese is lower in fat, while cream cheese is often cheaper.

Preheat a pan over medium to medium-high heat.

Add 1.5 tablespoons of cooking oil to the pan.

Sauté half of a small onion, one celery stick, and two finely chopped carrots until softened and the onions are translucent, adding a pinch of salt to help the process.

Add 1/4 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes and cracked black pepper to the pan.

Add 2 cloves of finely minced garlic and sauté quickly to avoid burning.

Add 1 lb of lean ground beef and 1 lb of mild Italian sausage to the pan, breaking the meat apart and cooking well.

Remove excess fat from the pan as needed, keeping some for flavor.

Pour in a 24 oz jar of marinara sauce and add 1/3 cup of water, swishing it around the jar to get any residual sauce before adding it to the pan.

Mix the sauce and bring it to a gentle simmer, covering with a lid and lowering the heat to simmer for about 15 minutes.

While the sauce simmers, bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.

Add 1 lb of rigatoni to the boiling water and cook for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Once the pasta is cooked, strain it and add it directly into the meat sauce, mixing to combine.

Add 15 oz of ricotta cheese to the meat sauce and mix well.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Add a handful of shredded low moisture mozzarella cheese to the pasta and meat sauce mixture and combine well.

Transfer the mixture into a baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese, spreading it evenly.

Bake in the preheated oven at 375°F for about 30 minutes until the cheese is crispy and bubbly.

Remove from the oven and let it set briefly before serving, garnishing with grated Parmesan cheese and chopped parsley.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens