Baked Rigatoni with Sausage, also called Rigatoni al Forno, strikes the perfect balance between simple to prepare and irresistibly delicious. I’ve made this many times and refined the method to be both easy and flavorful.
If you prefer to skip the oven step, you can still make an excellent creamy sausage rigatoni on the stove — just cook the pasta to al dente, cube the mozzarella, and stir it in when you combine the pasta with the sausage, mushrooms, and sauce so the cheese melts into the hot pasta. That’s the quick weeknight version, but if you want the full pasta al forno experience, bake it and let the top get golden and bubbly.
So what does pasta al forno mean?
“Al forno” means “from the oven” in Italian — in other words, it’s baked. Pasta al forno refers to any pasta dish that’s finished in the oven, so rigatoni al forno is simply rigatoni that’s been baked. My version uses Italian sausage for extra depth of flavor; at home we usually just call it Sausage Rigatoni.
Do you bake pasta covered or uncovered?
It depends on the goal. For this dish we want to heat everything through, take off that last bit of bite from the pasta, reduce the sauce slightly, and melt the mozzarella. For those reasons we bake uncovered so the top browns and the sauce concentrates a bit.
Covering is useful when the pasta needs a lot more cooking in the oven, when there are many cold layers that need longer to heat through, or when baking from frozen—covering helps prevent drying and allows heat to penetrate evenly.
How long should I cook rigatoni?
For this baked recipe, cook the rigatoni slightly under al dente: about two minutes less than the package’s al dente time. For many dried rigatoni that’s roughly 10–11 minutes. If you want a stand-alone al dente rigatoni (not baked again), follow the package guidance — typically 11–13 minutes.
Can you freeze pasta al forno?
Yes. After assembling the dish, cover it tightly with foil and then plastic wrap and freeze for up to six months. When ready to bake, remove the plastic wrap but keep the foil on, and bake covered at 350°F for about 45 minutes. Once heated through, remove the foil and finish uncovered if you want a browned cheese topping.
If you love dishes like this baked sausage rigatoni, try these too:
- Short Rib Ragu
- Garlic Shrimp Pasta
- Bolognese Sauce
📖 Recipe
Baked Rigatoni with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound Italian sausage bulk or casings removed
- 8 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 32 ounces marinara sauce about 3.5 cups
- 0.5 cup heavy whipping cream
- 16 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese sliced
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350°F and bring a large pot of water to a boil.
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Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook for two minutes less than the box directions for al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
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Wipe out the large pot, then return it to medium-high heat. Add the bulk sausage and cook, breaking it up, until browned, about 6 minutes.
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Remove the sausage and leave 1 tablespoon of sausage grease in the pot. In batches, cook the sliced mushrooms in the grease over medium-high heat for 3–5 minutes until tender. Return the sausage and pasta to the pot with the mushrooms. Stir in the marinara, reserved pasta water, and heavy cream until everything is evenly coated.
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Transfer the mixture to a greased 3-quart casserole dish. Layer the sliced fresh mozzarella over the top.
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Bake uncovered at 350°F for 15 minutes, then broil 3–4 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly. Let rest a few minutes before serving.
Tried this recipe?
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I updated the photos and recipe here, but I kept some of the older images so you can see how it looked before.
