The result is delicious, and these baked rigatoni with ricotta really have nothing to envy to a classic pasta dish.
It’s a dish you can prepare in advance and then bake just before serving, and if there’s a portion left over, it will be just as tasty the next day. For Sunday, prepare this baked pasta and success is guaranteed!
The ricotta replaces the more caloric béchamel and adds creaminess to the dish. The sauce is just tomato, but flavored with onion and basil.
I prefer cow’s milk ricotta, but you can also use sheep’s milk and some cheese that melts during cooking, such as provolone, scamorza, or even simple mozzarella.
To achieve perfect baked pasta, the advice is to prepare plenty of tomato sauce and not let it thicken too much.
It’s equally important to undercook the pasta, as it will continue to cook in the oven.
Baked pasta with ricotta and tomato is great for Sunday lunch!
It’s quick to make, perfect for those with little time to spend in the kitchen, and if there’s any left, you can freeze it in portions for emergency meals.
In short, it really has no downsides, it’s a dish worth trying!
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very economical
- Preparation time: 25 Minutes
- Portions: 4/6
- Cooking methods: Electric oven, Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
- Energy 509.54 (Kcal)
- Carbohydrates 44.93 (g) of which sugars 1.49 (g)
- Proteins 23.31 (g)
- Fat 27.67 (g) of which saturated 14.42 (g)of which unsaturated 9.58 (g)
- Fibers 2.06 (g)
- Sodium 653.72 (mg)
Indicative values for a portion of 190 g processed in an automated way starting from the nutritional information available on the CREA* and FoodData Central** databases. It is not food and / or nutritional advice.
* CREATES Food and Nutrition Research Center: https://www.crea.gov.it/alimenti-e-nutrizione https://www.alimentinutrizione.it ** U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. https://fdc.nal.usda.gov
Ingredients for Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta
- 11.3 oz rigatoni (or your preferred pasta)
- 3.2 cups tomato puree
- 1 yellow onion
- to taste olive oil
- 7 oz fiordilatte (or provolone or scamorza)
- 10.6 oz ricotta
- 2.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano DOP
- to taste butter (to grease the baking dish)
- salt
- 4 leaves basil
Tools
- 1 Pot
- 1 Saucepan
- Colander
- Baking Dish
- Bowl
Sauce Preparation
Finely chop the onion and let it soften over low heat in the oil.
When it starts to brown, add the tomato puree, half a glass of water, and a good pinch of salt.
Also add the basil leaves.
Let it cook covered for about 15/20 minutes until the sauce thickens.
Meanwhile, pour the pasta into the pot of boiling, salted water and cook until al dente.
In the meantime, work the ricotta in a bowl.
Add a few ladlefuls of the sauce prepared earlier.
Mix, and if necessary, add more sauce and stir to blend.
Cut the fiordilatte and grate the Parmigiano Reggiano.
Drain the pasta al dente.
Mix the pasta with the sauce and ricotta, add the grated cheese and a little fiordilatte, and stir to combine well.
Grease the baking dish with butter and spread the sauce on the bottom.
Place half of the pasta in it, trying to form an even layer, and add half of the fiordilatte. Sprinkle with some Parmesan.
Then form the second layer of pasta and cover it with the remaining tomato sauce.
Cover with the sauce set aside and finish with plenty of grated Parmesan and the remaining fiordilatte.
Bake the pasta with ricotta and tomato in a preheated oven at 350°F for about 30 minutes, or until the surface is nicely gratinated.
Let the baked pasta rest for a few minutes so that you can cut nice compact slices, add some freshly grated Parmesan, and serve at the table.
Enjoy your meal.
Advice
In our house, we also like it reheated. I will tell you more, the next day it is always better, obviously, if it is left from the day before, once cold, it is stored in the fridge.
This pasta can be prepared a day in advance and left in the refrigerator until it is time to gratin it. It is also great if left over the next day, reheated in the oven at 350°F for about ten minutes.
You can also freeze it, keeping it for about 3 months. When you want to eat it, put it in the fridge the night before and heat it in the oven as previously described.
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Can I use provolone or scamorza instead of fiordilatte?
Yes, certainly.
