Description
This Lasagna Casserole is a comforting Italian-inspired dish featuring rigatoni pasta combined with a savory Italian sausage tomato sauce and a creamy ricotta cheese mixture, all baked to bubbly, cheesy perfection. It's an easier alternative to traditional layered lasagna, delivering all the classic flavors in a simple casserole format.
Ingredients
Scale
Pasta
- 10 oz rigatoni
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
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ⅓ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- Preheat Oven: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish and set it aside for later use.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the rigatoni pasta in salted boiling water according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta well and set it aside.
- Prepare Sauce: In a 4-quart saucepan, brown the Italian sausage over medium heat, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Once browned, add the diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and kosher salt. Cook the mixture until the onion is softened, about 4 to 6 minutes. Then stir in the pasta sauce, bring the sauce to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes before removing from heat.
- Mix Ricotta Mixture: In a medium bowl, combine the whisked eggs, ricotta cheese, kosher salt, chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix well until all ingredients are evenly incorporated.
- Combine Pasta and Sauce: Add the prepared meat sauce to the cooked rigatoni pasta and stir gently to combine thoroughly.
- Assemble Casserole: Pour the pasta and sauce mixture into the greased baking dish. Distribute the ricotta cheese mixture evenly in about six dollops across the pasta. Lightly stir some of the ricotta mixture into the casserole to create pockets of cheese throughout. Sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
- Bake: Place the casserole in the preheated oven and bake until the pasta is bubbling and the cheese is melted, approximately 45 minutes.
Notes
- Use good quality cheese by freshly grating Parmesan and shredding mozzarella from a block for better flavor and a softer cheese texture.
- It can be challenging to spread the ricotta mixture evenly; multiple dollops placed in different areas work best to ensure pockets of cheese throughout the casserole.
- For a darker golden-brown cheese topping, switch the oven to broil for the last 1 to 2 minutes of baking, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 22 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9 g
- Trans Fat: 0.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 40 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 28 g
- Cholesterol: 90 mg
