Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie

from 21 votes

Take traditional pasta to a whole new level with a family favorite recipe for Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie.

Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie on white serving plate with two glasses filled with wine and small wooden bowl with basil in background

Have you ever seen ordinary pasta look more extraordinary?

Just look at those tubes of tasty carbs standing at attention, filled with tangy marinara sauce and sporting a gooey, yet simultaneously crispy blanket of melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. It’s rigatoni pie perfection. And all that separates you from a big ol’ slice of this savory satisfaction is five simple ingredients.

Slice of Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie on white plate with basil garnish; Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie in background with two glasses of wine and basil beside it

This recipe is the definition of my mantra to keep things easy but impressive in the kitchen. I love a dish that looks and tastes like it took days to make but really didn’t tie you to your kitchen for more than an hour.

Perhaps the most laborious step to this eye-popping pasta pie is getting the rigatoni stacked in the pan. But once the noodles are upright, it’s mere minutes until this dish enters the oven.

Rigatoni standing up in 9-inch springform pan with marinara sauce being poured on top from measuring cup

When you’re ready to get saucy, you’ve got a trio of options to choose from:

Depending on your time constraints, you can go the homemade or store-bought route for any of the above.

Springform pan with rigatoni pie topped with shredded mozzarella and Parmesan

And the final step? A hearty sprinkling of shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheeses. And I mean hearty.

We need enough cheese to create a comforter of creamy dairy over those upright tubes-o-sauce. Baking the rigatoni pie first covered with foil ensures the gooeyness factor, while a final few minutes uncovered ensures that white cheese takes on a deep golden brown color and slight crunch around the edges.

We’re looking for a moon-like surface with craters of crunch.

Baked rigatoni pie in springform pan

Say it with me now: CRATERS. OF. CRUNCH.

Have I sold you yet on this updated take on simple spaghetti? Are we ready to graduate from piles of pasta to pies of pasta? I hear a resounding, “YES! Yes, Kelly. Take me to Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie nirvana!” Well, now you’re only a scroll away…

Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie on white serving plate with basil and two glasses in the background

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Main Course

Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie

Take traditional pasta to a whole new level with a family favorite recipe for Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie.
Author: Kelly Senyei
4.81 from 21 votes
Slice of Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie on white plate with basil garnish; Easy Cheesy Rigatoni Pie in background with two glasses of wine and basil beside it
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 10 minutes
Servings 10 servings

Ingredients 

  • 1 pound rigatoni pasta
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 1/2 cups homemade or store-bought marinara sauce
  • 2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  • Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is barely al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, transfer to a baking sheet and toss it with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
  • Grease a 9-inch springform pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Using your hands, stand each tube of rigatoni up in the pan in a single layer covering the entire base of the pan. 
  • Pour the marinara sauce on top of the rigatoni then transfer the pan onto a foil-lined baking sheet. 
  • Top the marinara sauce with the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan then cover the pan with foil.
  • Bake the rigatoni pie for 30 minutes then remove the foil on top and bake it another 15 to 20 minutes until the cheese is golden brown. 
  • Remove the pan from the oven and let the rigatoni pie cool for 10 minutes before releasing the sides of the pan and slicing and serving the pie. 
  • ★ Did you make this recipe? Don't forget to give it a star rating below!

Nutrition

Calories: 325kcal, Carbohydrates: 40g, Protein: 15g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 26mg, Sodium: 832mg, Potassium: 493mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 710IU, Vitamin C: 7.8mg, Calcium: 221mg, Iron: 1.9mg

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Recipe adapted from Food Network.


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Comments

  1. How do you get the damn rigatoni to stand up. Totally gave up and just made the old way laying down in A 9×13 help I really want to make this

    1. Hi Claudia! The trick is to cook the pasta until it is barely al dente (in other words, the pasta should still be firm). :)

  2. 5 stars
    Amazing recipe amazing and fish! I tried it today and it was a big hit! – thank you so much for sharing!!

  3. 5 stars
    I added ground Hot Italian Sausage (Partially cooked) to the top then layered the cheese on top of it. It added a great taste to it plus you have your meat with your Pasta. Thanks for the recipe

  4. 5 stars
    I love this recipe. Made it for the 2nd time tonight. It looks amazing when served, tastes amazing for a nice simple mid week dinner and surprisingly doesn’t take as long as you’d expect to put the pasta in place!

  5. 3 stars
    I made this but did an alfredo sauce, the flavor was great, just the cutting was a little off, sort of just clumped apart, def good for presentation to serve. I’m a private chef and baker, my customers would buy this just for the look

  6. I seen it done with string cheese put in the tubes and the sauce and meat and cheese on the top . I have not tried it yet how long would it take to cook it ?

  7. 5 stars
    Super easy to make. I waited for a day off of work to do this. But this is something I could’ve done after work. Good to know now!

  8. Made this twice now. Family love the ‘cake’ affect freezes well (double batch) Always goes down well Thank you

  9. 5 stars
    Made it for my kids last night, got tons of oohs, and aawwwsss, presientstion is everything, mine stood up perfectly. I love your site and all of your creative ideas!! Thanks for sharing!! And congrats on the new addition to the fam!!

  10. 5 stars
    I used a reading rack while stacking the pasta, put the pan in there, the pan filled quickly….

    Glen

  11. 5 stars
    Great idea, my compliments Kelly! For your creative followers, versatility is unlimited with this outstanding recipe.

  12. Do you have to stand the rigitoni upright? Couldn’t you just make a base of the pasta laying flat? I think it would take me 20 hours to stand them all up.

    Thanks!
    Tracy

  13. 3 stars
    Mine looked just like yours….until I cut it. The noodles did not stick together at all. Ended up with a pile of rigatoni and sauce with some cheese. The noodles were perfectly al dented but I really wanted the cool factor of the pie shape!

  14. 5 stars
    We are both into pasta like nothing else exists ! Thank you for this beautiful and creative idea !