Pasta Al Forno (Easy Baked Rigatoni with Meat Sauce)

Hearty meat sauce, perfectly crisp rigatoni, and melty mozzarella come together beautifully in my Pasta al Forno! Easy to make and so comforting, this dish is perfect for cold nights and gatherings! This baked rigatoni with meat sauce can be made ahead of time and reheated, making it ideal for holidays!

Baked Pasta = Comfort

If you grew up in an Italian-American household like I did, it’s likely you associate food with comfort, and baked pasta, or Pasta al Forno, is definitely in my top 5, along with pasta fagioli, and meatballs with Sunday sauce.

There’s something about the crispy baked rigatoni and melted mozzarella that take me back to my childhood when things were simpler. Eating pasta al forno, or any baked pasta, really speaks to my inner child, and I hope that when my kids are grown, they feel the same way.

I love to serve my baked rigatoni with meat sauce on holidays, like Christmas and Easter, but it truly is so easy you can whip it up any night of the week!

Recipe Ingredients

All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.

• Pasta. I love using rigatoni for pasta al forno as it holds up well to the baking process, but any tubular pasta, such as ziti or penne, will work. In fact, Sicilians make a baked pasta called anelletti al forno, which uses ring-shaped pasta.
• Meat. I love a meat sauce for pasta al forno and use a combination of ground beef and pork. You can use any ground meat you’d like, such as Italian hot or sweet sausage, or even turkey or chicken.
• Cheese. Block mozzarella is best for baked pasta as it melts well. I’m also using grated Pecorino Romano. I don’t use ricotta in this recipe (I do for my baked ziti), but if you’d like to add it you definitely can! You could also use add some chunks of scamorza or caciocavallo if you like.
• Tomatoes. You can use canned whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes.
• Wine. I love the flavor and acidity a dry white wine, such as sauvignon blanc adds to meat sauce, but you can easily omit the wine and still have great results.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

How to make it

Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.

1. Cook the onion in a large pan over medium heat with olive oil.
2. Once the onion is translucent, add the beef and pork and cook until browned. Use a meat masher or spoon to break up the meat.

3. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant then add the red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.
4. Add the wine and turn the heat to high.
5. Once the wine reduces by half, turn the heat down and add the tomatoes. Bring to a lively simmer then lower the heat to low. Taste test and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce continue to simmer on low while you prepare the pasta.
6. Cook the rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water to 3 minutes less than al dente per the box instructions. Place 4 cups of the sauce in a large bowl and add the pasta along with the Pecorino and 3/4 of the shredded mozzarella and mix well.

7. Place a 1/4-inch thick layer of sauce on the bottom of a 9×13-inch baking dish and pour the pasta into the dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella and bake in a 375°F oven for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, or once the top is browned, remove the pasta from the oven. For more color on top, broil for 1-2 minutes, but watch carefully to prevent burning. Allow the pasta al forno to settle for at least 15 minutes before serving. Enjoy!

More baked pasta recipes

If you love baked pasta, give these other recipes a try!

• Stuffed shells
• Baked penne with sausage
• Italian-American lasagna