Pasta comes in hundreds of different shapes and sizes. 🍝 Long. Short. Thin. Tubed. Curved. There are even many different colored pastas. Green, colored with spinach.🥗 Red, colored with tomatoes or carrots.🍅 There is even black pasta colored with squid ink. 🦑 (p.s. We’ll be using Rigatoni pasta with this recipe.)
While pasta is typically made from durum wheat flour, these days you can find many other gluten-free options. Brown rice pasta. Chickpea pasta. Quinoa pasta. And so much more…
With so many different options, I have still never met a pasta I didn’t like. 🤷♀️
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As you probably already know from the post title, we’ll be using rigatoni pasta for this recipe. Rigatoni, pronounced ‘rig-uh-TOE-nee’, are long tube-shaped pasta with a slight curve. Rigatoni are larger than penne and ziti. The outer ridges and shape of rigatoni helps to trap in the sauce and cheese. Yum!
BTW- Penne can make a good substitution if you don’t have rigatoni available.
For the full instructions and ingredient measurements, jump down to the full recipe by pushing the button above. Keep scrolling for step-by-step picture instructions.
Recipe and Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Start by cooking your rigatoni pasta according to the package directions. Do not overcook! Drain and set aside.
Wash all produce. Dice the onion and zucchini, slice mushrooms, mince garlic, and measure out the spinach.
In a large skillet (I like cast iron), heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion, zucchini, garlic and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes.
Move the veggies to the side of the skillet and add the ground beef. You can also use ground turkey, or completely omit the meat for a vegetarian version.
Cook the beef until browned.
Add the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. Next, add the herbs and seasonings. Be sure to taste and add more salt/pepper if needed. Adjust to your own preferences.
Cook for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to thicken. Lastly, mix in the spinach.
In a large lightly greased baking dish, mix together the pasta and sauce mixture.
Top with mozzarella cheese. Cover loosely with foil, and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 5 minutes.
Top with fresh basil and parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Best Ever Baked Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 1 lb Rigatoni Pasta uncooked
- 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese freshly shredded
- 4 oz Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
- 1/2 small Onion diced
- 2 cloves Garlic minced
- 8 oz Fresh Baby Bella Mushrooms sliced
- 1 small Zucchini diced
- 1 lb 85% Lean Ground Beef
- 1 can Tomato Sauce 15 oz
- 1 can Diced Tomatoes in Tomato Juice 15 oz
- 1 cup Spinach
- 1 1/2 tsp Basil dried
- 1 tsp Oregano dried
- 1/2 tsp Rosemary dried
- 1/2 tsp Thyme dried
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Cook and drain pasta as directed on packaging. Set aside.
- Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, mushrooms, and zucchini. Cook vegetables for about 5 minutes until tender. Move veggies to the side of the skillet and add the ground beef. Cook until browned. Add the canned tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add the seasonings and salt and pepper to your own personal liking. Taste test, add more if needed. Cook sauce for about 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken. Add spinach and stir to combine.
- Combine cooked pasta and the sauce mixture in a lightly greased large baking dish. Stir to evenly coat pasta with sauce. Sprinkle freshly shredded mozzarella cheese on top. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil (optional) and top with plenty of freshly grated parmesan cheese.
If you made this recipe please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a message in the comments below and don’t forget to share this recipe with your friends if you enjoyed it!
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Get the angled serving bowls pictured in this article on amazon!
