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This easy baked rigatoni recipe is made with ground beef, marinara, and cream cheese melted right into the sauce. Layers of saucy noodles + melty mozzarella make this an easy weeknight casserole that can feed a crowd.
It’s me, the casserole queen.
Still real big on casseroles over here. Very much a believer that you just can’t beat the combo of pasta + sauce + cheese. And this baked rigatoni? It’s a classic with a little cream cheese twist!
We make your standard meat sauce with a pound of ground beef and a jar of marinara (I like Rao’s) and then we swirl in some cream cheese and let it get all melty. Just adds the perfect creamy touch to the meat sauce!
Toss some tender noods in there, layer it with some shredded mozzarella, and you have a baked rigatoni that gets the family excited.
This one isn’t fancy, but it’s also delicious enough to serve to guests – especially with a big green salad topped off with our homemade Italian dressing or a Caesar salad topped off with the best Caesar dressing!
3 Reasons You’ll Love This Recipe
- Creamy without being over the top. Cream cheese melted into the marinara adds extra goodness, but it’s just enough without overpowering the sauce.
- Perfect for guests without being fussy. There’s nothing fussy or fancy about this one, but it still bakes up into something delicious.
- It reheats like a dream. This rigatoni pasta bake is one of those rare dinners that’s just as good, if not better, the next day. I love a good leftover situation.
Ingredient Notes, Swaps & Tips:
Lighten it up. Neufchatel cheese (⅓ less fat cream cheese) melts just the same way if you want to cut back a little. Blended cottage cheese also works and adds protein!
Ground turkey or Italian sausage works great here. Swap in either one for the ground beef if that’s what you have on hand. Sausage will add even more flavor to the sauce.
No rigatoni? No problem. Penne, ziti, or even shells will all hold the sauce well. Just cook to al dente since it finishes cooking in the oven.
Sneak in some veggies. A couple handfuls of fresh spinach stirred into the sauce, or some diced bell pepper cooked with the onion, disappear easily into all that cheese. I’ve been on a big pea kick lately. I just stir them in frozen.
Feeding a smaller household? Halve the recipe and bake it in an 8×8 dish for about the same bake time.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How To Make Baked Rigatoni:
Brown the beef and onion, season it, and add the marinara, crushed tomatoes, and cream cheese. Stir to melt it all together.
Cook the pasta to al dente, drain, and stir into the meat sauce. Make sure to get every noodle coated in sauce.
Spread half of the noodles into a 9×13 dish, top with half of the mozzarella, and then finish it off with the rest of the noodles.
Sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top. Bake, covered, for 20 minutes and then uncovered for 15 minutes more.
Helpful Tip!
Storage & Freezing:
Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a 350 degree oven until warmed through.
Freezer (baked): Cool completely, then freeze in an airtight container or foil-covered dish for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Freezer (unbaked): Assemble the whole dish, cover tightly, and freeze before baking. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then bake covered for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes, adding a few extra minutes if it’s still cold in the center.
Make ahead: Assemble up to a day in advance, cover, and refrigerate unbaked. Bake straight from the fridge, adding 10 extra minutes covered.
Baked Rigatoni FAQs:
You’ll want to boil your pasta until it’s just al dente and then toss it in the sauce, layer it in the dish and bake for 20 minutes, covered. This gives the pasta time to finish cooking without drying out. Then remove the cover and bake for 15 minutes more to brown the cheese a bit and crisp up the top.
It’s what makes this recipe stand out from a basic baked rigatoni, so I don’t recommend skipping it, but Neufchatel (light cream cheese) or blended cottage cheese works fine if you want to lighten things up a little.
Serving Ideas
This baked rigatoni is hearty enough to be the whole meal, but a few sides round it out nicely:
- A basket of my quick dinner rolls topped with garlic butter or this air fryer garlic bread, because there’s no such thing as too much bread with pasta
- A big green salad tossed with homemade Italian dressing to cut through the richness
- Garlic parmesan Asparagus or a side of roasted broccoli for a little crunch and color
More Casserole Favorites
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Cream Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Ingredients
- 16 ounces rigatoni
- 1 pound lean ground beef
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 24 ounces marinara
- 15 ounces canned crushed tomatoes
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella divided
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 9×13 baking dish.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the rigatoni according to package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, add the ground beef, onion, and garlic to a large skillet over medium heat. Brown the beef, breaking it up as it cooks. Once the meat is partially broken up, add the Worcestershire sauce, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt and continue cooking.
- Cook until the beef is no longer pink and the vegetables have softened. Add the marinara, crushed tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and cream cheese to the beef mixture and turn the heat to low. Cook, stirring often, until the cream cheese has melted into the sauce.
- Once the pasta is al dente, drain the water and add the pasta to the meat sauce. Stir to coat.
- Spoon half of the pasta into the baking dish and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella. Spoon the remaining pasta over the top and sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes more, or until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese has melted.
- Sprinkle with a bit of parsley and serve hot.
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