Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Baked Caprese Rigatoni
Tomato and basil make a bubbling dish of rigatoni especially appealing. Fresh tomato pieces soften into the sauce, with a melted cheese top waiting above the pasta. Give yourself a helping that catches some basil and a little of the browned edge along with the saucy noodles.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 10 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 8
- Ingredients
- 11 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Cuisine
- Italian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
- Dish type
- Pasta
A few quick notes
1. Keep garlic moving
Stir the onion and garlic during their saute so the garlic does not burn before tomatoes join.
2. Thicken the tomatoes slightly
Simmer the fresh and canned tomatoes until the mixture thickens a little before adding basil and pasta.
3. Keep basil for finishing
Stir only half the basil into the tomato mixture, saving the rest for the baked pasta.
Get to know the ingredients
Rigatoni
Cook the rigatoni according to its package, then drain it and set it aside before combining.
Fresh tomatoes
Dice the small fresh tomatoes before adding them with canned tomatoes to the softened onion and garlic.
Basil
Tear fresh basil or slice it into ribbons, dividing it between the sauce and final topping.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 8. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 3 steps completeMake room for Baked Caprese Rigatoni
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Basil above bubbly cheese
Broil until the cheese is melted and bubbly, then sprinkle with the remaining fresh basil before serving.
A little more help as you go
Add jarred sauce after mixing
Combine the cooked tomato mixture with the pasta before stirring in the jarred tomato sauce.
Sauce to your preference
Add more tomato sauce if desired when combining the pasta so it is as saucy as you like.
A few questions you might have
Can I use canned diced tomatoes?
Yes, crushed or diced canned tomatoes can combine with the fresh tomatoes in the sauce.
Does the cheese melt before the pasta is assembled?
Sprinkle the shredded cheese over the combined pasta in its baking dish before broiling.
Is the pasta baked from uncooked?
Cook and drain the rigatoni first, then combine it with the tomato mixtures before broiling.
When should I season the tomatoes?
Add salt and pepper after the fresh and canned tomatoes join the onion and garlic.
Can I use the skillet for the final broil?
The combined pasta can go into a baking dish or skillet before topping with cheese.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: pinchofyum.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
