Description
A delicious and hearty lasagna casserole featuring rigatoni pasta, savory Italian sausage, rich ricotta mixture, and melty mozzarella cheese, baked to bubbly perfection. This recipe offers the flavors of classic lasagna in an easy to assemble casserole format.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 10 oz rigatoni pasta
Sauce
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 onion diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¾ tsp kosher salt
- 24 oz pasta sauce
Ricotta Mixture
- 2 large eggs whisked
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Dish: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the rigatoni pasta in salted boiling water following package instructions until al dente. Drain well and set aside.
- Make Sauce: In a 4-quart saucepan, brown the Italian sausage over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces. Once browned, add the diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and kosher salt. Cook until the onion is softened, about 4-6 minutes. Then add the jarred pasta sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Prepare Ricotta Mixture: In a bowl, combine the whisked eggs, ricotta cheese, kosher salt, chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix until fully combined.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Stir the prepared meat sauce into the cooked pasta until evenly coated. Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish.
- Add Ricotta Mounds and Top: Distribute the ricotta mixture evenly into 6 mounds on top of the pasta casserole. Roughly stir some of the ricotta mixture into the pasta. Then sprinkle the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F for 45 minutes until the pasta casserole is bubbling and the cheese is melted.
Notes
- Use good quality cheese. Freshly grate the Parmesan and shred the mozzarella from a block for better flavor and texture.
- The ricotta mixture can be difficult to spread evenly; multiple dollops placed in different areas work best, as perfect spreading is not necessary.
- For a golden-brown cheesy top, switch the oven to broil for the final 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 80 mg
