Baked Rigatoni With Mascarpone

By
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Jennifer Meier
Food writer, cookbook author, and recipe developer Jennifer Meier specializes in creating healthy and diet-specific recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 01/19/23
Baked rigatoni

Image 2014 Jennifer Meier
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 70 mins
Total: 105 mins
Servings: 8 to 10 servings
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
598 Calories
28g Fat
52g Carbs
34g Protein
Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 to 10
Amount per serving
Calories 598
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 28g 36%
Saturated Fat 12g 61%
Cholesterol 155mg 52%
Sodium 890mg 39%
Total Carbohydrate 52g 19%
Dietary Fiber 6g 22%
Protein 34g
Calcium 532mg 41%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

This creamy and cheesy baked rigatoni always turns out better, and it's easier to make than any lasagna I've cooked. The secret ingredients are mascarpone and, surprisingly, cottage cheese (instead of ricotta).

The idea of using cottage cheese came from my mom, who use to make lasagna with cottage cheese because she couldn't find good ricotta. Although high-quality ricotta is easier to find these days, cottage cheese is still perfect for this baked pasta. The result is a creamy, moist, cheesy and really flavorful dish.

This baked rigatoni recipe also calls for fontina, instead of the typical mozzarella. Fontina tends to have more flavor, especially the high-quality Fontina D'Aosta sold in cheese shops, and is a little less gooey and stringy than mozzarella.

Ingredients

  • 1 pound ziti (or rigatoni pasta)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Optional: 12 ounces Italian sausage links (fully cooked or raw, cut into 1/2-inch slices)
  • 2 large cloves garlic (finely chopped)
  • 14 to 15 ounces tomato sauce
  • 26 to 28 ounces tomatoes (finely chopped, such as the brand Pomi)
  • 1 teaspoon oregano
  • 1 cup basil (fresh and finely chopped)
  • 1 pound cottage cheese (ideally small curd)
  • 2 large eggs (whisked)
  • 1 1/2 cups Parmigiano-Reggiano (or Grana Padano, grated)
  • 8 ounces mascarpone
  • 8 ounces Fontina cheese (cut into 1/2-inch cubes)

Steps to Make It

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F.

  2. Bring 4 quarts of water to boil over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and the pasta. Cook, stirring a few ​times until the pasta begins to soften but is not cooked all the way through, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain pasta.

  3. Heat the oil in a 12-inch deep skillet or better yet a pot (less splattering of sauce). Add sausage and cook until nicely browned. Add garlic and saute less than a minute before adding tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, and oregano. Simmer rapidly for 10 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir in basil.

  4. In a medium bowl whisk together cottage cheese, eggs, and 1 cup of the Parmigiano.

  5. In a 13x9-inch baking dish, combine the pasta with the cottage cheese mixture. Stir well to combine. Add the mascarpone and 3/4 of the fontina cubes, again stirring well to coat all the noodles evenly.

  6. Add 3 cups of the tomato sauce, stirring well to blend the sauce in.

  7. Spread the remaining tomato sauce evenly over the top of the pasta. Sprinkle the remaining fontina and remaining 1/2 cup Parmigiano over the top.

  8. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.

  9. Remove foil and bake for another 40 minutes, until cheese is bubbling.

  10. Cool for 25 minutes before serving.