Beef Rigatoni pasta bake is a super simple weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Made with ground beef, rigatoni pasta and a creamy tomato sauce all topped with lots of cheese.
Need an easy dinner to shake up your weekly menu? This beef rigatoni is just the ticket. Serve it up with a green salad and garlic bread or rosemary focaccia bread for a delicious meal for any night of the week. We also love this easy Fajita Pasta for a fast dinner.
How to Make Beef Rigatoni:
- Add olive oil to a large skillet with diced onion and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, or until onions are softened. Stir in lean ground beef, season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring to break up until meat is no longer pink and just starts to brown.
- Add tomato sauce, dried thyme and basil. Mix well.
- Stir in cream. Lower to simmer.
- Bring a pan of water to a boil and add rigatoni. Add 1 teaspoon salt and cook for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Drain pasta and stir into meat sauce. Top with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and pasta is browned around the edges.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Recipe Variations:
- Substitute a jar of pasta sauce for the tomato sauce and spices.
- Use Italian sausage in place of the ground beef or use half beef and half sausage.
- Mix in chopped baby spinach with the tomato sauce.
Easy pasta dinners to add to your weekly menu. Simple recipes that the entire family will enjoy! Caramelized onions and crispy bacon elevate this creamy and delicious macaroni and cheese to a tasty main dish or side dish to go with any meal. My favorite version of homemade mac and cheese. The white cheddar sauce is unbeatable and it's all topped with lots of crispy bacon. What's not to love? One of my go-to dinners when I'm craving comfort food. The creamy garlic sauce will have you coming back for seconds. This rigatoni is made with leftover roast beef for a hearty and delicious dinner. Just a few ingredients and you can have this simple pasta dish on the table in about 30 minutes. Love the easy cleanup too! Great for a quick and easy meal. Works great with leftover ham and the kids absolutely love this one. You won't believe how easily this soup comes together. The flavors are amazing and there's never one bite left when I make this for dinner. Easy Pasta Dinners
I'm always looking for easy ground beef recipes and this one is definitely a keeper. It is full of flavor, hearty and delicious. You might also like this Cottage Pie for a hearty ground beef dinner.
If you love this Recipe as much as I do, please leave a comment and a five star review, and be sure to help me share on Pinterest!
Beef Rigatoni
Beef Rigatoni pasta bake is a super simple weeknight dinner that the whole family will love. Made with ground beef, rigatoni pasta and a creamy tomato sauce all topped with lots of cheese.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided use
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 15 oz tomato sauce
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 16 oz rigatoni pasta
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella
- 2 oz finely grated Parmesan
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Cook diced onion and garlic in olive oil over medium heat, stirring often until onions are softened.
- Stir in ground beef and season with 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Continue cooking until well broken up and browned all over.
- Add in tomato sauce, thyme and basil and stir to combine. Mix in cream, lower to simmer.
- Preheat oven to 350°.
- In another pan, add water for pasta and bring to a boil. Cook pasta with 1 teaspoon of salt for 6 minutes. Drain and stir into meat sauce.
- Sprinkle pasta with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and edges of pasta are browned.
- Garnish with fresh parsley if desired.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
6Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 530Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 1509mgCarbohydrates: 42gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 20g
Nutritional calculations are estimated and may not be accurate.
Donna
Was delish and easy. I did not have the “proper” amount of suggested cheese so I basically covered the top with whatever I had on hand. Family loved it. Thanks