Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printable Version)

Rigatoni tubes filled with creamy cheese baked under rich marinara, topped with melted mozzarella and Parmesan.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 lb rigatoni pasta

→ Cheese Filling

02 - 12 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 3.5 oz grated mozzarella cheese
04 - 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
07 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
08 - 1/2 tsp salt
09 - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

→ Sauce & Topping

10 - 24 oz marinara sauce
11 - 5 oz shredded mozzarella cheese
12 - 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1 tbsp olive oil

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform or deep round pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - Boil rigatoni in salted water for 2 minutes less than package instructions until very al dente. Drain and toss with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl, mixing until smooth.
04 - Stand rigatoni upright, packed tightly in the prepared pan to fill the space evenly.
05 - Fill a piping or zip-top bag with the cheese mixture and pipe it into each pasta tube completely.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the filled pasta and gently tap the pan to settle the sauce between tubes.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan over the top of the sauce.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
10 - Let rest for 10 minutes before releasing the pan and slicing. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It looks restaurant-quality the moment it comes out of the oven, which means you'll feel proud even if you made it casually on a weeknight.
  • The upright tubes stay creamy inside while the top gets gorgeously golden, giving you two textures in every bite.
  • It's a vegetarian dish that doesn't apologize for being hearty and satisfying—everyone at the table will be reaching for seconds.
02 -
  • Under-cooking the pasta by 2 minutes is non-negotiable—if you cook it fully, the tubes will split open or collapse when you stuff them and the filling will leak into the sauce.
  • Don't skip the parchment paper; without it, your beautiful bake will stick to the bottom of the pan and tear when you try to unmold it.
  • The cheese filling must be smooth and creamy, not grainy—if your ricotta looks watery or curdles when you mix it, your filling will seep out as it bakes.
03 -
  • If your kitchen is warm or you're nervous about the filling leaking, chill the piped tubes in the fridge for 15 minutes before pouring on the sauce—it gives the egg in the filling time to set slightly, creating a barrier.
  • Use a springform pan instead of a regular baking dish so you can unmold the bake and display it whole before slicing; the presentation is half the joy of this dish.
Return