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–+ servings

Homemade Rigatoni al Forno

This super tasty Rigatoni al forno with the ground beef dish is so easy and quick to make for a busy weeknight dinner and ready to serve in about 30 minutes.
5 from 4 votes
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Course Dinner, Beef recipes
Cuisine Italian
Servings 8
Calories 480 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb extra lean ground beef
  • 1 lb rigatoni
  • 16 ounces sharp cheddar cheese half sliced and half diced. or shred them.
  • 2 cloves of garlic diced
  • 1 medium onion diced
  • 2.5 cup tomato sauce
  • 1 tbsp tomato paste
  • 1 tsp of Italian seasonings
  • ½ tsp red crushed pepper or to taste
  • 2 tbsp. of avocado oil
  • ½ tsp salt or to taste
  • ¼ tsp black pepper or to taste
  • Parsley and red crushed pepper for garnish
  • To cook1 lb of rigatoni you need to add 1 tbsp salt to 1 gallon of water and bring it to a boil

Instructions
 

  • To cook rigatoni, you need to add 1 tbsp salt to 1 gallon of water in a 5-quart pot and bring it to a boil.
  • Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
  • Place a skillet (I used a cast iron skillet for both sauteeing and baking) over medium-high heat and add oil to it. Add diced onion to it and let it brown for about 3 minutes.
  • Then add to it chopped garlic, tomato paste, and crushed red pepper. Stir around and let them come together.
  • In meanwhile, add rigatoni to the boiling water and let it cook for 8 minutes ( or 2 minutes less than the instruction on the pasta package). Pasta will finish cooking in the oven.
  • While waiting for the pasta to boil away, add ground beef to the skillet and sear it for about 8 minutes. Season it with salt and pepper. Use less salt than usual since cheese is a salty ingredient in this dish.
  • Then drain the pasta.
  • Lower the heat and add tomato sauce, and Italian seasonings to the skillet, and stir all around. Let them cook for 3 minutes. Taste the tomato meat sauce and adjust the seasonings to you're preferences.
  • Then, mix rigatoni and tomato meat sauce, and diced cheddar cheese.
  • Layer the rest of the sliced cheddar cheese over it and bake it on the middle oven rack for 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. You may turn on the oven broil for 1 minute in the end for a golden brown top. Watch closely, so it does not get burned.
  • Garnish it with parsley and red crushed pepper and serve it. Enjoy!
  • This Rigatoni al forno takes 20 minutes of active cooking,10 minutes baking in the 400 °F oven, and then 1 minute broiling to a golden brown.

Notes

Tips
  • Use a cast iron skillet. You can saute as well as bake in it. If your skillet is not big enough, bake it in a baking dish.
  • Make the sauce ahead. You can prepare the sauce and keep it in the fridge for 3 days in advance or freeze it for 3 months.
  • Freeze it. Or you may assemble everything and freeze it uncooked for 3 months. When ready to bake it, you may either defrost it in the fridge the night before cooking or add additional 25 minutes to baking time in the oven.
  • Use block cheese. Block cheese has fresh-tasting and you can either shred or slice it yourself. This way it will melt better than coated store-bought shredded cheese.
  • Make Rigatoni al forno aldente. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than instructed on the package. Pasta will finish cooking in the oven. This way it will not get mushy.
  • Salt pasta water. To cook 1 lb of rigatoni, you need to add 1 tbsp salt to 1 gallon of water in a 5- quart pot and bring it to a boil.
Substitutions and variations to this recipe
  • Make this dish spicy. I like this dish medium hot. Feel free to add more black pepper or red pepper flake.
  • Use pasta sauce instead. For a much quicker version of this dish, you may use pasta sauce. Just add more Italian herb seasonings to it to bring out more flavor.
  • Make this dish vegetarian. Substitute meat with cooked sauteed vegetables such as mushroom, and eggplant.
  • Add in vegetables. Carrots, celery, zucchini, broccoli, peppers, spinach, cauliflower, or broccoli rabe.
  • Make the sauce creamy. Add in some heavy cream or cream cheese.
Equipment
  •  10-inch cast-iron skillet 
  • 5-quart pot to boil pasta.
Storage and reheat
The leftover of this dish tastes even better! Store it in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days for maximum freshness, and heat it up in a microwave or stove top slowly.
You may freeze it in a freezer-safe bag for up to 3 months. Defrost it the night before in the fridge and then heat it up.
How to serve it
Serve with fresh spring garden salad, sauteed veggies, or fermented vegetables.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 480kcalCarbohydrates: 25gProtein: 35gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 107mgSodium: 925mgFiber: 3gSugar: 4g
Keyword Rigatoni al forno
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