Description
This Lasagna Casserole is a simplified and delicious take on classic lasagna, combining rigatoni pasta with a rich Italian sausage tomato sauce and creamy ricotta cheese mixture, baked to bubbly perfection with mozzarella and Parmesan cheese.
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 and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Set aside.
- Cook pasta: Cook the rigatoni pasta in salted boiling water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Prepare sauce: In a 4-quart saucepan over medium heat, brown the Italian sausage, breaking it into small pieces. Once browned, add the diced onion, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, black pepper, and kosher salt. Cook until the onion softens, about 4 to 6 minutes. Add the pasta sauce, bring to a simmer, and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- Make ricotta mixture: In a bowl, combine whisked eggs, ricotta cheese, kosher salt, chopped fresh parsley, grated Parmesan cheese, and 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese. Mix until well combined.
- Combine pasta and sauce: Add the prepared meat sauce to the cooked rigatoni and stir to combine thoroughly.
- Assemble casserole: Pour the sauced pasta into the greased baking dish. Distribute the ricotta mixture evenly in 6 dollops over the pasta. Gently stir some of the ricotta mixture into the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of mozzarella cheese evenly on top.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven at 350°F until the casserole is bubbling and the cheese is fully melted, about 45 minutes.
- Optional finishing: For a golden-brown cheese crust, switch the oven to broil and broil for 1 to 2 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.
Notes
- Use good quality cheese: freshly grate Parmesan and shred mozzarella from a block for best flavor and texture.
- Instead of spreading, dollop ricotta mixture in several spots; perfect layering is not necessary as random pockets work well.
- To achieve a golden-brown cheese topping, broil the casserole for 1 to 2 minutes at the end of baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 700 mg
- Fat: 25 g
- Saturated Fat: 12 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 25 g
- Cholesterol: 100 mg
