Baked Rigatoni
Baked rigatoni, made with sausage! So much robust flavor and melted cheese! And the added benefit of hidden veg. A balanced meal in one pan.
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 590kcal
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 16 ounces Italian sausage (I used sweet; hot would work too)
- 1 fennel bulb roughly chopped
- 1 eggplant roughly chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 24 ounces tomato sauce
- 8 ounces mascarpone
- 8 ounces mozzarella shredded or torn
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of liberally salted water to a boil over high heat.
- Cook the rigatoni pasta for one minute less than the package directs.
- Drain the pasta and set aside (add a drizzle of olive oil, if desired, to prevent sticking).
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-high until shimmering.
- Break up the sausage and cook (stirring) until no longer pink (approx. 5 minutes).
- Add the fennel, eggplant, salt, garlic powder, and crushed red pepper, and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender (approx. 5 to 10 minutes).
- Pour in the tomato sauce and toss to combine.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Stir in the cooked pasta and transfer about half the mixture to an oven-safe baking dish.
- Top with dollops of mascarpone.
- Layer on the remaining rigatoni mixture, and sprinkle on the mozzarella.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and the sausage rigatoni is warmed through to the center (approx. 10 to 25 minutes).
Nutrition
Serving: 0.125casserole | Calories: 590kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 41g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Cholesterol: 94mg | Sodium: 1176mg | Potassium: 737mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 1028IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 231mg | Iron: 2mg