This hearty and delicious baked sausage ricotta pasta a is a wonderful meal, with tons of flavour and just enough cheese to satisfy!
I never tire of baked pasta and this baked sausage ricotta pasta is a favourite. With browned sausage and dollops of ricotta, all cooked in a quick tomato sauce. Add some crusty bread and a salad and you have a great dinner!
Ingredients and substitutions
A few notes about the key ingredients …
Sausage – you can buy loose sausage meat or sausage links (and remove the sausage from the casing yourself at home). Use mild Italian sausage or hot Italian sausage or a bit of both, as you like. To really change up the flavour profile, try chorizo sausage instead!
Ricotta – you only need a cup of ricotta, which can be expensive, so grab the smaller, half container unless you have more uses for the ricotta.
Recipe tips!
- I think I say this a lot, but it’s worth repeating for this dish. Seasoning is everything! Be sure to add salt and pepper to the ricotta mixture and to the tomato sauce in healthy doses. Salt really brings out the flavours here!
- Like most baked pasta dishes, the re-heated leftovers are almost better than when it’s freshly cooked. So make a big skillet and enjoy from the fridge.
Making ahead, storing and freezing
You can bake this pasta off ahead of time, refrigerate and the re-heat in the skillet in a 350F oven, loosely covered with foil until warmed through.
Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
This pasta will freeze well for up to 3 months.
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Get the Recipe: Baked Sausage Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 lb loose mild and/or hot Italian sausage, (or fresh sausage, removed from casing)
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1/2 small onion, diced
- 28 oz canned whole tomatoes , San Marzano recommended, hand crushed
- 6 leaves fresh basil, chopped or 1 tsp. dried basil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- Salt and pepper
- 2 1/2 – 3 cups dried rigatoni pasta
Ricotta mixture:
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 F. (regular bake setting/not fan assisted)
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. When boiling, add rigatoni and cook until al dente. Drain well.
- On the stove-top, heat a skillet over medium heat. Add loose sausage and cook, stirring regularly, until cooked through and browned in spots. Remove to a plate and set aside.
- To the same skillet, over medium heat, add the onion and cook, stirring until softened. Add garlic and cook an additional 30-45 seconds. Add the hand-crushed tomatoes, chopped basil leaves, red pepper flakes and a healthy sprinkling of salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer. Add sausage back to the skillet and cook a few minutes, to blend the flavours and warm the sausage again. Taste the sauce and add additional salt and pepper, as needed. If the flavours seem flat, it needs more salt! Turn off the heat and let stand until pasta is ready.
- While the pasta is cooking, prepare the ricotta mixture by combining all the ricotta mixture ingredients together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- When pasta is cooked, add it to the skillet with the tomato sauce and sausage. Stir to combine. Spoon dollops of the ricotta mixture randomly on top. Sprinkle with the shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, or until golden and bubbly.
Notes
More baked pasta recipes to love!
Hi! I’m Jennifer, a home cook schooled by trial and error and almost 40 years of getting dinner on the table! I love to share my favourite recipes, both old and new, together with lots of tips and tricks to hopefully help make your home cooking enjoyable, stress free, rewarding and of course, delicious!
Can I freeze before baking? And do I need to thaw completely before baking?
Thank you!
Hi Gina and yes, you could freeze it before baking. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight before baking.
Once more, it’s that good and easy. Substituted ground lean turkey and added Italian Mrs. Dash along with oregano, thyme, splash of red wine and no salt for a recovering open heart surgery patient. Excellent. This is a great recipe!!
So glad you enjoyed it, Julia! Thanks so much :)
Excellent easy recipe with loads of flavor. I added a couple of handfuls of spinach just for color. I’ve decided this will be my “go to” recipe, perfect to make ahead, for friends and family under the weather or any occasion a bit of comfort is needed in a pot….or just for myself. It’s that good!
So glad you enjoyed it, Julia! Thanks so much :)
Love the flavor so much but some of my noodles got hard in the oven as there wasn’t enough liquid to cover them. Should I add extra liquid next time?
Hi Mendy, it’s really personal preference some people (like me) see the crispy noodles as a feature and not a flaw of baked pasta. If you don’t share that fondness, then yes, try to cover them with sauce as much as you can.
This is a really tasty dish. Will make again. Also makes great leftovers.
So glad you enjoyed it, Sondra :) Thanks so much!
We are total foodies and we loved this recipe! We live on a sailboat and I loved how few dishes I could use to make this, too. Made it as written, but it’s versatile so we can modify as necessary.
So glad to hear, Laura :) Thanks so much!
Would love to make this but I don’t own a cast iron skillet. I have large fry pans. Could I start it in this and bake it in a 9 x13 baking dish?
Hi Chris and yes, you could, but it’s also possible that your large fry pans can go in the oven, too. Many of them can and are quite safe up to 400F. Either way, enjoy :)
Thank you Chris!! That was my Q.
Simply fantastic!
So glad you are enjoying it Kim :) Thanks so much!
Made this for the first time Whole family loved it and it made great lunch leftovers the next day. I ended up including the juice from the tomatoes and I’m glad I did. It was perfect! My pasta was very al dente when I put it in the oven, so it soaked up some of the juices. It’s gone into my recipe folder. Thank you!
So glad you enjoyed it, Catherine :) Thanks so much!
What size skillet do you need to fit all these ingredients?
Hi Jonathan, the skillet shown here is a 10-inch (top diameter). A 12-inch would work fine, as well.
I had one question on this one: do you use the whole can of tomatoes juice and all, or just the tomatoes themselves?
Thanks!
Hi Amber, I usually just pull the tomatoes out of the can and hand-crush them into the skillet. So I don’t add the juice per se, but if it seems dry at any point, I will add a bit as needed.
Hi. Just had to comment on this recipe. It is marvellous made as is. I did deglaze pan with red wine and added 1 1/2 cups marinara so suit the saucier preferences of family. It was gorgeous to look at. I have a pix but don’t know how to send. Have made many of your recipes over past couple of years. All winners. You have the best blog….
So glad you enjoyed it, Sherry :) Thanks so much!
Wow! Simply an amazing recipe! I’ve been making baked rigatoni for years and my husband has always enjoyed it. But… I just made this recipe and he said it’s been the best by far! I personally never enjoy my meals because I am full by the time I am done cooking from trying it, but I as well enjoyed it so much. Thank you for sharing it! :-)
So glad to hear, Lisa :) Thanks so much!