Pasta Pie Recipe
Everyone will want a slice of this tasty pasta pie recipe and some will want a second! It's a meaty, cheese pasta bake with rigatoni made in a pie style.
Servings: 8
Ingredients
- 10 Ounces rigatoni Cook to al dente as per package instructions
For the sauce:
- 1 Pound ground beef
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ Cup yellow onion diced
- 3 Cloves garlic minced, large
- 14 Ounces diced tomatoes petite diced
- 28 Ounces crushed tomatoes
- 14 Ounces tomato sauce
- 2 Teaspoons dried basil
- 1 Teaspoon oregano dried
- ½ Teaspoon red pepper flakes crushed, optional
- ½ Teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
For the cheese filling:
- 15 Ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 Egg lightly beaten
- ½ Cup parmesan cheese grated
- 3 Tablespoons fresh basil chopped
- ¼ Teaspoon salt
- ¼ Teaspoon black pepper
For the topping:
- 2 Cups mozzarella cheese shredded
For the garnish:
- Fresh basil chopped
- Parmesan cheese freshly grated
Instructions
Make the sauce:
- Cook the ground beef in a large pot over medium-high heat, breaking it into smaller pieces. Cook until browned, then remove from the pan and drain any fat. Set the cooked ground beef aside in a separate bowl.
- In the same large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, for approximately 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook for an additional minute, stirring constantly.
- Add the diced tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and ground beef. Mix to combine, then add all the herbs. Bring the complete sauce to a low boil, then simmer on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Make the cheese filling:
- In a small mixing bowl, add the ricotta cheese, beaten egg, grated parmesan cheese, fresh basil, salt, and pepper and combine. Scoop the cheese mixture into a pastry bag without a tip or a Ziploc bag, then snip a small corner off the bag to help pipe this mix into each cooked rigatoni.
Prepare the noodles:
- Grease the inside of an 8-inch springform pan with some nonstick cooking spray. Tilt the greased springform pan on its side at a 45-degree angle (it helps to have it leaning against a heavy duty bowl or glass to accomplish this angle).
- Fill each rigatoni from one end using the pastry/plastic bag of ricotta filling. Stand the filled pasta in the greased springform pan, starting at the bottom (the end leaning on the table). Once all the noodles are filled and stacked in the springform, there will be a small space at the “top” of the pan.
- To even the noodles inside the pan and make room for cheese and sauce, make a small space in the center using your non-dominant hand while gently holding the filled noodles upright with your dominant hand and shifting the noodles out to fill the springform pan and any gaps.
- Place the springform pan flat on a parchment-lined baking sheet.
Finish the pie:
- Sprinkle a few tablespoons of mozzarella cheese over the filled pasta, and gently twist the springform pan back and forth to encourage the cheese to fill into the crevices.
- Pour 1 or 2 cups of the sauce over the pasta, and using the back of a spoon, push the sauce around to fill in between the pieces of pasta. Pour another 1 cup of sauce over the pasta and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
Bake the pasta pie:
- Loosely cover the pasta pie with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 15 minutes until the cheese is cooked through.
- Change the oven temperature to low broil and finish the pasta pie for 3 to 5 minutes until golden brown. Broil for a couple of minutes if needed.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before removing the springform sides. Slice and garnish with fresh chopped basil and grated parmesan.
- Serve with the remaining sauce.
Notes
Use grated not shredded parmesan: You must use grated parmesan for the filling and not shredded. If not, it might clog up the opening of your piping bag.
Fill the noodles before stacking: If you're curious whether stacking the noodles and then filling them is quicker, the answer is it might be or it might not be. Stacking them first makes it hard to see when the noodle is filled to the top. If you're using manicotti in place of rigatoni, it's best to fill them after stacking since they are so much wider.
Use a bigger pan: Feeding a crowd? You can use a bigger pan. Just use more of each ingredient to make up for it. Or just double the recipe and use two pans instead of one. Or use the one pan... twice!
Nutrition
Calories: 560kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 14g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 114mg | Sodium: 960mg | Potassium: 889mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 1074IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 419mg | Iron: 5mg
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