I cannot resist any kind of baked pasta — the mix of crisp edges, creamy sauce, and bubbling cheese just does it for me. This baked rigatoni has all that! It’s like a deconstructed lasagna with an important twist: I skipped the red tomato sauce. Instead, I use chunky button mushrooms, caramelized shallots, and creamy ricotta cheese sauce. It feels a little indulgent, exactly what you want for a weeknight or even a Saturday night dinner.

A baked pasta dish with rigatoni, melted cheese, spinach, and mushrooms in a round white pan. A gold serving spoon and fork are in the pan, with a napkin and bowl nearby on a light surface.

For this pasta casserole, everything starts on the stovetop, then finishes in the oven. To be honest, I was going for a baked version of my stovetop mushroom-spinach pasta, but I was going for a dish that was gently creamy and super comforting. Just the simple step of cooking the shallots until they’re lightly caramelized (just shy of jammy) takes this recipe to the next level.

Let’s talk ingredients

An overhead view of bowls containing fresh spinach, uncooked rigatoni pasta, sliced shallots, sliced mushrooms, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded cheese, ricotta cheesesauce with pepper, and two garlic cloves on a gray surface.
  • Mushrooms: I like to use a 50/50 mixture of cremini and white button mushrooms, and slice them on the thicker side so they don’t shrink down to nothing.
  • Shallots: Yes, you can easily use a regular onion, but there’s something about shallots — especially when you let them cook until deep golden — that really adds something special to the whole dish.
  • Cheeses: With cheesy baked pastas, it’s easy to go overboard and upset the balance of pasta, vegetables and creamy sauce. If you’ve made my baked ziti with Italian sausage, you know I love a cheese blend that tastes rich without feeling heavy. Here, that means a combination of grated Parmesan and creamy, whole-milk ricotta. I plop this in big spoonfuls onto the spinach and mushroom pasta mixture, then sprinkle the top of the pasta with shredded mozzarella just before it bakes.

Step-by-Step (with my tips)

  • A white pot with slices of sautéed shallots and garlic, stirred by a wooden spoon. Surrounding the pot are bowls of fresh spinach and shredded cheese on a light gray surface.
    Cook thinly sliced shallots in olive oil until they begin to brown on the edges. Stir frequently so they don’t get too dark.
  • Sautéed mushrooms and shallots in a white pan, with fresh spinach and shredded cheese in bowls nearby on a gray surface.
    Add garlic and sliced mushrooms and cook until they soften.
  • A white skillet filled with sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and onions, being stirred with a wooden spoon. Nearby are uncooked rigatoni pasta, shredded cheese in a bowl, and a white surface background.
    Stir in a few big handfuls of spinach (about 8 cups) and let it wilt.
  • A white pan filled with rigatoni pasta, sautéed mushrooms, spinach, and onions, with a wooden spoon. Nearby are two bowls, one with shredded cheese and one with a creamy ricotta mixture.
    Mix in par-boiled pasta (I purposely undercook the pasta so it doesn’t become mushy).
  • A white pan filled with cooked rigatoni pasta, sautéed spinach, mushrooms, and dollops of ricotta cheese. A wooden spoon and a bowl of shredded cheese are nearby on a light gray surface.
    Scatter big spoonfuls of the ricotta on top.
  • A white pot filled with rigatoni pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and topped with shredded mozzarella cheese and dollops of ricotta. A wooden spoon and a white dish sit nearby on a light gray surface.
    Cover the top with shredded mozzarella and bake about 20 minutes, until melty and crusty on the edges. Yum!!

A baked pasta dish with rigatoni, melted cheese, spinach, and mushrooms in a round white pan. A gold serving spoon and fork are in the pan, with a napkin and bowl nearby on a light surface.
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Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Mushrooms

Karen Tedesco
This baked rigatoni delivers everything you want in a baked pasta — crisp edges, a creamy sauce, and bubbling cheese. It’s like a deconstructed lasagna with an important twist: No red tomato sauce. Instead, caramelized shallots, sautéed mushrooms and a creamy ricotta cheese sauce come together for a dish that feels a little indulgent — perfect for a weeknight or a Saturday night dinner.
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Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients
 

  • ½ pound rigatoni pasta, or other tubular shape
  • 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 cup thinly sliced shallots, or onion
  • 2 smashed and chopped garlic cloves
  • 10 ounces button or cremini mushrooms, thickly sliced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 ounces baby spinach
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Equipment

Instructions
 

  1. Preheat the oven to 400F.
  2. Bring a pot of water to a boil, then add a few big pinches of salt. Cook ½ pound rigatoni pasta for exactly half the amount of time directed on the package, about 7-8 minutes. Drain the pasta and set aside.
  3. Whisk 8 ounces whole milk ricotta cheese, ½ cup heavy cream, and ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese in a small bowl until smooth.
  4. Choose a large, deep skillet (12-inches) and place it over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and 1 cup thinly sliced shallots. Cook until the shallots begin to turn golden brown, stirring frequently. Add 2 smashed and chopped garlic cloves and cook until you can smell the garlic.
  5. Add the sliced mushrooms, a big pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook until they look tender and release their liquid 5-7 minutes. Put 4 ounces baby spinach on top of the mushrooms. Lower the heat to medium and cover the pan. Cook until the spinach leaves are wilted, which should take less than 5 minutes. Stir the spinach into the mushrooms.
  6. Add the cooked pasta and combine evenly. Spoon dollops of the ricotta cheese mixture in blobs over the pasta. Sprinkle 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese evenly on top. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes, until the cheese is melted, the sauce is bubbling, and the pasta along the edge of the pan is golden brown. Serve hot.

Notes

  • If you don’t have a skillet that’s large enough to hold the pasta, or isn’t ovenproof, you can transfer the mixture to a baking dish, then top with the cheeses and pop into the oven.

Nutrition per serving

Calories: 760kcal Carbohydrates: 62g Protein: 35g Fat: 42g Sodium: 663mg Fiber: 5g Sugar: 9g

Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.

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