Growing up I can still remember attending our annual church festival every summer. I always looked forward to the festivals; there were so many fun games to play. My dad’s favorite was the salami toss. For a dollar you received several chunks of potatoes. The object was to throw those potato chunks at the salami sausages that were hanging from a string. If you were lucky enough to hit one of those sausages with a potato chunk you got to take one home.
I remember these little cards you could purchase, you peeled them open and if you had cherries or other fruits that matched you could win some cold hard cash! There was the cake walk where you could win an entire cake, bake sale, and the pingpong ball toss. Toss a pingpong ball into a glass fish bowl and you became the proud owner of a goldfish. They put them in a clear plastic bag with some water, added air and tied a knot at the top of the bag. I always wondered what those fish were thinking while they were being toted around in that little bag.
I could always find my parents sitting at a shady table in the beer garden listening to the live music. When it was time for dinner we always sat down to a rigatoni pasta dish coated in a zesty red sauce served alongside a slice of roast beef and a side of garlic bread.
Enough reminiscing, let’s make this Rigatoni bake. This recipe is so much better than the Rigatoni served up at the church festival all those years ago. It’s all about the sauce and this sauce is to die for! You will have extra sauce that you can use with other pastas as well. I transfer some of the extra sauce into mason jars and give extra sauce to family and friends.
TIP: Freeze extra sauce in large zip lock bags to use later.
In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, and onion, over medium heat until meat is well cooked through and onions are soft.
Add sliced mushrooms and cook until softened.
Drain off excess fat and return to heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
Add sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Stir in wine and brewed coffee.
Simmer on the stovetop, covered, for about 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
MAKE AHEAD TIP: Sauce can be made ahead. After it has simmered on the stove, allow it to come to room temperature. Store covered in the fridge until ready to use.
In a large mixing bowl combine cooked rigatoni noodles, half the shredded Mozzarella cheese and enough sauce to coat the noodles and cheese.
TIP: Use extra sauce with any of your favorite cooked pasta. Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic bread to round out the meal. Sauce can also be used to make lasagna.
Transfer pasta into a 13×9 inch oven safe casserole dish.
Top pasta with remaining Mozzarella cheese.
Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
Cover casserole with foil.
Bake for 45 minutes until heated all the way through.
Remove foil and set oven to broil. Cook until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
Remove from oven and allow casserole to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve this Rigatoni bake with a crisp green Caesar salad. You can easily make your own dressing in just a few short minutes and it will taste a thousand times better than any of the bottled versions from the supermarket. Try this Rich & Creamy Caesar Salad With Crisp, Garlicky Toasted Croutons. I guarantee it’s the best Caesar salad you will ever eat!
An Italian meal is not complete without a side of garlic bread. Give these Quick & Easy, Extra Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks a try. Not only are they easy to make but they are delicious and the perfect accompaniment to this Rigatoni bake. Pop them in the oven while the Rigatoni rests and you will be rewarded with a delicious Italian inspired meal!
Give this meal a try, I promise you will not regret it! It feeds a crowd and it’s perfect for the holidays when you have a lot of peeps to feed. It can be made ahead of time so that’s one less thing to stress over during the holidays, right? This is fabulous!!!
Rigatoni Bake
Equipment
- 13×9 inch oven safe casserole dish
Ingredients
- 1 lb mild Italian sausage
- 1 lb ground beef
- ½ large onion, chopped
- 1 entire head garlic, minced
- 28 oz crushed tomatoes
- 16 oz tomato sauce
- 12 oz tomato paste
- 16 oz water
- ½ cup red wine
- ½ cup brewed coffee
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 lb rigatoni, cooked al dente
- 2 cups Mozzarella cheese, shredded
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven, cook sausage, ground beef, and onion, over medium heat until well browned.
- Add sliced mushrooms and cook until softened.
- Drain off excess fat and return to heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1-2 minutes.
- Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water.
- Add sugar, basil, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
- Simmer on the stovetop, covered, for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally.
- In a mixing bowl combine cooked rigatoni noodles, half the shredded Mozzarella cheese and enough sauce to coat the noodles and cheese.
- Transfer pasta into a 13×9 inch oven safe casserole dish.
- Top pasta with remaining Mozzarella cheese.
- Sprinkle with shredded parmesan cheese.
- Cover casserole with foil.
- Bake for 45 minutes until heated all the way through.
- Remove foil and set oven to broil. Cook until cheese is lightly browned and bubbly.
- Remove from oven and allow casserole to sit for 10 minutes before serving.
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