Give your holidays an Italian twist with this Cheesy Pasta Pie that’s a creative family favorite featuring rigatoni, marinara and all the cheese!
This post is sponsored by Barilla and Galbani Cheese, but the thoughts and opinions are my own.
If I had to choose only two foods to eat for the rest of my life, the first one would be pasta and the second one would be cheese.
And combine them together…you find perfection.
During the holidays, I can appreciate a turkey or a ham, but honestly, when it comes to a special occasion or a special day like Christmas, my taste buds call for Italian.
Thankfully, Italian food is some of the easiest to make and it can feed a huge family! No one gets upset either when you say we’re serving lasagne. NEVER.
And you can put all the veggies in and no one complains either. BECAUSE CHEESE.
So during the holidays we’ve started to go for a more Italian menu so it keeps us out of the kitchen and doing the stuff that really matters – like visiting with family, friends, and enjoying the time together.
But of course, during the holidays, you don’t just want something you can make and eat every day. You want something that makes an impression. Something that says, “this dish is so good and I am too.”
So with the help of a springform pan, you can use Barilla pasta and marinara to make a this very unique presentation on a baked ziti using rigatoni pasta. And like whipped cream on a pie, cover the top with Galbani fresh mozzarella for the ultimate cheesy bite! (This dish can be made vegetarian as well although I opted for a lean ground chicken.)
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Cheesy Pasta Pie
Cheesy Pasta Pie
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Give your holidays an Italian twist with this Cheesy Pasta Pie that’s a creative twist on a family favorite featuring rigatoni, marinara and all the cheese!
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 pound ground chicken, turkey or other protein
- 1 16 ounce jar Barilla Marinara Sauce
- 1 pound Barilla Rigatoni Pasta
- 1 package Galbani Fresh Mozzarella, sliced
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a saute pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic until fragrant.
- Add ground protein and brown. Add ½ jar of marinara to pan.
- While cooking, boil rigatoni until al dente (about 8-10 minutes.)
- Drain pasta and add other ½ off of marinara to pasta and toss.
- Spray a 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Place on a large baking pan with parchment paper.
- Arrange pasta vertically in the prepped pan. Pack the rigatoni tightly.
- Spread the meat sauce on top of the pasta.
- Lay sliced mozzarella across the top of the pie. Sprinkle parmesan cheese (optional.)
- Bake the pasta pie in the oven for 375 degrees F for 15-20 (until melted.)
- Place on serving plate, then remove springform ring and serve.
I make something very similar with ricotta cheese and we call it ziti casserole. It’s a huge favorite in our house.
Now THAT’S a pie! I have to make this for the family. They are going to devour this!
This looks AMAZING! I want to give it a try!
I have never seen pasta that was made like this. What a fun way to present and eat!
Wow! Not only is this recipe delicious but it’s clever and pretty too! My family will love it and be so impressed!
Oh munch gosh this is so pretty! Not too pretty to eat, though! Yum!
Now this is a delicious pasta idea. It looks really impressive too! I love clever pasta dishes like this.
This looks so good. Cheese and pasta are two of my favorite things, too.
I’ve wanted to make this for a while but I lost my spring form pan in a move and I haven’t gotten a new one yet. My kids would love it.
This looks amazing! I’ve always wanted to try out a recipe like this. Now I’ll save this so I can make it later!
Ok, now this looks really good! I know my kids would totally actually eat this for dinner.
What a cool idea. My kids would flip over this for dinner. I will have to try!
I need this in my life right now. It looks so delicious
This looks like a lot of fun for the kids. I know they will love it… and of course we will, too!
One of my favorites, but I lay pepperoni’s acrross the top and sprinkle parmesan cheese with a little red pepper
This sounds so yummy! You can’t go wrong with a good pasta dish. Even better almost every kid loves pasta.
You have really taken a simple pasta dish to the next level which your recipe. I love the way you’ve used pasta to create a delicious meal and as a decorative element to make this casserole truly impressive to look at.
This looks SO delicious! I’m definitely adding this to our holiday menu!
This looks absolutely delicious. I am loving all of that cheese.
We do enjoy pasta dishes at our house. I will have to make this one night for dinner.