This baked rigatoni recipe is perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Simple and easy to make with just 4 ingredients, this dish is on the table in just 30 minutes. Packed full of flavor and a great comfort food dinner that the whole family will love.
If you are looking for a weeknight dinner that’s tasty and full of flavor but takes little time to prepare, you are in the right place! This baked rigatoni dish is quick to put together after a busy day and is a big bowl of comfort!
How to Make Baked Rigatoni with Pesto
-
Preheat oven to 400°F.
-
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
-
Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
-
Once al dente, remove from the water and drain, reserving 1/4 cup water.
-
Place in a large bowl while still hot and add the water (add enough to make it a bit saucy, but not too much), the pesto, and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.
-
Spray a 9×13 Baking dish with nonstick spray.
-
Layer half the pasta in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat.
-
Bake for 20 minutes or until melty and bubbly.
-
Serve the baked rigatoni garnished with chopped basil.
Quality Ingredients
With only 4 ingredients in this recipe, it’s important that they are high-quality!
I’m literally obsessed with all things Delallo!!! Their fresh and quality ingredients ensure that when you make your favorite Italian dishes at home, they’ll be restaurant quality each and every time. I’m so honored to be working with Delallo this year and I hope you’ll check out their line of amazing products!
For this baked rigatoni recipe I used:
- Delallo San Marzano Style Italian Tomatoes (Crushed): THE FLAVOR IS INSANE
- Delallo Simply Pesto (Basil): This is my go-to pesto for everrrrrrrything. Pesto is life!
- Delallo Rigatoni: Delallo Pasta is as close to homemade you can get without actually making it. It’s just simply delicious, quality, and top notch.
I love that these ingredients are all things you can stock up on and keep in your pantry to use any time, yet they taste super fresh. Amazing!
What is rigatoni pasta?
Rigatoni (pronounced rig-uh-TOE-nee) is a tube shaped pasta. It varies in size, but is larger than penne and ziti and has a slight curve to it. It has a ridged surface, which means that sauces and cheese cling to it, so every bite is flavorful. It originates from southern and central Italy and is very popular is Sicilian dishes.
4 Ingredient Baked Rigatoni
This deliciously flavorful dish only contains 4 ingredients so it’s simple and straight forward to prep:
- Rigatoni
- Pesto
- Crushed tomatoes
- Mozzarella cheese
- I also like to finish the pasta bake with some freshly chopped basil.
Use good quality ingredients and you will have an amazing tasty pasta bake on your hands in no time at all!
Serving Suggestions
This pesto baked rigatoni, by itself will be a hearty and tasteful meal, but you can also pair it with a fresh salad, vegetables or bread side dish. These recipes would pair perfectly with it:
- Best Caprese Salad Recipe
- Homemade Garlic Bread Recipe (BEST Garlic Bread)
- Grilled Lemon Butter Asparagus
Can you make this pasta ahead of time?
Pasta bakes are a great meal to prep ahead of time. You can prep the whole dish before baking it, then cover it and store in the fridge until you are ready to cook it.
Any leftovers will be good for about 3 or 4 days too, just keep them covered in the fridge. You can then reheat individual portions in a microwave or place the whole casserole back in the oven to reheat. If you recook it in the oven, cover it with foil so the top doesn’t brown too much.
Pesto Baked Rigatoni Recipe Tips
- Cook the pasta al-dente, don’t over cook it or it will become too soft once baked.
- Spray your casserole dish with non stick spray so for easy removal.
- Bake the pasta in a pre-heated oven for the best results.
Be sure to check out these other quick and easy weeknight meals!
- Honey Mustard Salmon and Potatoes Sheet Pan Dinner
- Chicken Alfredo Lasagna Roll Ups
- Pesto Cavatappi
- Best Steak Fajitas Recipe (Grilled Fajitas)
- Healthy Almond Milk Chicken Curry Recipe (Dairy Free)
- Baked Caesar Chicken Recipe (MELT IN YOUR MOUTH and only 4 Ingredients!)
Cheesy Pesto Baked Rigatoni
Email This Recipe
Enter your email and we’ll send the recipe directly to you!
Ingredients
- 1 lb Delallo Rigatoni
- 6.35 ounces Delallo Simply Pesto (1 jar)
- 1 cup Delallo Crushed Tomatoes
- 1/4 cup reserved pasta water might not use the entire 1/4 cup
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- fresh basil chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
- Cook the pasta according to package instructions.
- Once al dente, remove from the water and drain, reserving 1/4 cup water.
- Place in a large bowl while still hot and add the water (add enough to make it a bit saucy, but not too much), the pesto, and crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine.
- Spray a 9x13 Baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Layer half the pasta in the baking dish. Sprinkle with half the cheese. Repeat.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until melty and bubbly.
- Serve garnished with chopped basil.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
Haven’t tried this yet. It was listed in the “freezer meals” section but there is no direction at all about how to freeze. Someone even asked that question and it wasn’t addressed.
Hi Lori, the whole thing can go in the freezer before or after baking. If freezing before baking, let the dish thaw overnight in the refrigerator before baking according to the recipe. If freezing after baking, you can place the entire dish in the preheated oven and bake (covered) for about 45 minutes, or until warmed through.
Easy and inexpensive to make! I added mushrooms because I had some in the fridge ☺️ Will definitely cook this again.
Looks amazing!
We loved it! I did add a pound of cooked ground hot sausage because my boyfriend is a carnivore! Will be making this again!
Thanks for sharing, Patricia!
This was amazing. I did add 1/2 lb of beef and 1/2 of sweet Italian sausage. My household ranges in ages from six to 50+. Everyone love it!
That’s awesome! Thanks for sharing, Nichole!