Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printable Version)

Rigatoni tubes filled with creamy cheese and baked under rich marinara, creating a comforting, golden dish.

# What You'll 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 baking pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
02 - Boil rigatoni in salted water until 2 minutes less than package directions for very al dente texture. Drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - In a bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth.
04 - Stand the cooked rigatoni upright in the prepared pan, tightly packed to fill the entire space.
05 - Fill a piping bag or zip-top bag with the cheese mixture and pipe into each rigatoni tube until fully stuffed.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the filled pasta, tapping the pan gently to allow sauce to settle between tubes.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan evenly over the sauce-covered pasta.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden.
10 - Allow to rest for 10 minutes before removing from pan and slicing. Serve warm.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It looks like you spent way more effort than you actually did, which is always a win when you're cooking for guests.
  • The upright pasta tubes trap the sauce and cheese filling inside, so every bite is creamy and flavorful instead of just a noodle with toppings.
  • You can prep the whole thing in advance and bake it when you're ready, making it perfect for weeknight dinners or entertaining.
02 -
  • Undercooking the pasta is non-negotiable—fully cooked rigatoni will turn to mush in the oven and you'll end up with pasta soup instead of a stunning presentation.
  • If your cheese filling is too thin, it'll run out of the tubes when you fill them; if it's too thick, piping it becomes a frustrating workout.
03 -
  • If you don't have a springform pan, any deep round baking dish works fine—you just won't get that perfect unmolded presentation, but it'll taste exactly the same.
  • Let the pasta cool slightly before standing it upright or the heat will make it more pliable and your tubes will fall over like drunken sailors.
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