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This One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni is for nights when you’re craving Italian, but also need something simple and easy to prepare. Rigatoni pasta baked in a spicy tomato pesto vodka sauce that’s creamy and so delicious! The secret to this one-pot pasta? A little Italian chicken sausage and plenty of cheese on top. This is a terrific fall and winter dish to serve any night of the week. But is equally awesome for your next Saturday night dinner party. It’s delicious and looks pretty on any table…not to mention everyone LOVES a GOOD baked pasta. This dish will be your new go-to when serving family and friends.
Serious question for you all? Are you cooking for Thanksgiving this year? Are you lined up to bring a side dish to your family’s meal? Or do you have nothing to do with actually cooking the Thanksgiving Day dinner? I’m so curious to know because I feel like only about one and every five people are actually cooking on Thanksgiving. The rest are either attending a family gathering and bringing a side dish/dessert, or just attending and not worrying about the food.
Am I right? Or no? I ask because every November I always see so many Thanksgiving recipes, but never many recipes for all the other days within this cozy month. Bottom line…we all LOVE Thanksgiving, but we also have to eat some good meals leading up to T-day too!
And that’s where I come in. I’ve made it a point each year to not only share Thanksgiving dishes but easy dinners too. Dinners like this one-pot pasta that I love so much. It’s such a busy time, so keeping things simple (and delicious) is my current goal.
My family loves any and all pasta, but give them something saucy, a little spicy, baked, and cheesy too? That’s their meal!
My favorite part about a pasta dish though is its simplicity. And the fact that every person in my family will not only eat this recipe but really enjoy it too. When you have picky eaters this is music to your ears.
Here are the details.
Start off by making the sauce. It’s very important with this recipe to use a large pot, bigger than you’d think you might need. Because we are making the sauce and cooking the pasta together, you’ll need extra room. So be sure to use your largest pot available.
Next, the sauce. It’s made spicy with ground Italian chicken sausage, canned tomatoes, vodka (for best flavor), herbs, and pesto…to keep things creamy and cheesy too. Now I want to say, if Vodka’s not your thing, I totally understand. In this case, just swap the vodka for chicken broth or even just water. Either one will work totally fine and your sauce will still be great.
BUT, if you do drink or you’re ok with using alcohol for cooking, you must add vodka to your sauce. The vodka adds a sharp bite that helps to balance out the sweetness of the tomatoes. When used in small amounts, the vodka will boost and intensify the aroma of the sauce. The key is to slow simmer the sauce, which will release the flavors and cook out the alcohol. So yes, this is safe to serve to kids!
Moving along…
Since I wanted to keep it quick and simple, I set out to make this a one-pot pasta. What does this mean? Well, it’s simple, everything from making the sauce, to the boiling of the pasta is all done in just one pot on the stove-top before being transferred to the oven to finish baking. If you have oven-safe pots, you don’t even need to transfer the pasta to a baking dish.
Easy, right? YES.
Once the base red sauce has been made, simply add the water and dry pasta right into the red sauce. I know it may seem odd, but trust me, it works. Just bring the mix to a boil and cook until the pasta is al dente. Cooking the pasta together with the sauce only takes a few minutes and saves you from having to break out another pot. Not sure about you guys, but I am all about fewer dishes.
Once the pasta is cooked, simply top with cheese and bake. If you’re cooking with cast iron or stainless steel, you can bake the pasta right in this very same pot. If not, simply transfer the pasta to your favorite baking dish. Either option works just the same!
And about thirty minutes later you’ll have cheesy baked pasta ready for eating….and your kitchen will be semi-clean! But even more importantly, it’s going to smell like an Italian grandma’s house. It’s an amazing aroma, and trust me, this rigatoni tastes even better. Think saucy, but still heavy on the pasta, a touch spicy, with a good amount of seasonings and herbs. The pesto adds fresh flavor and creaminess, and all that cheese on top…well that’s the best part!
Oh, and I forgot to mention the shredded kale that’s stirred into the pasta as well. Delish, and the greens help to balance out all the cheese.
You see, you can’t go wrong with a baked pasta like this. My one tip? Make this dish fancy…ish and serve it topped with fried rosemary and a bottle of red wine. Perfect for these long November and December nights.
If you make this one-pot spicy pesto cheese baked rigatoni, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How To Video:
One Pot Spicy Pesto Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Servings: 8
Calories Per Serving: 668 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 shallot chopped
- 3/4 pound ground spicy Italian chicken sausage
- 4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 (28 ounce) cans crushed San Marzano tomatoes
- 1/2 cup vodka (chicken broth or water also work)
- 3/4 cup basil pesto homemade or store-bought
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary plus fresh rosemary for serving
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 pound dry rigatoni pasta
- 2 cups shredded kale
- 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
- 8 ounces mozzarella, torn
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. 2. Heat the olive oil in a large pot over high heat. When the oil shimmers, add the shallot and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken sausage and brown all over, about 5 to 8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, cook another minute. Slowly add the tomatoes, vodka, 1/2 cup pesto, oregano, rosemary, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Then add 2 1/2 cups water, the pasta, and kale. Increase the heat to medium-high. Bring the mixture to a boil. Stir frequently until the pasta is al dente, about 8-10 minutes. 3. If needed, transfer the pasta to a baking dish. Top with the fontina cheese, then drizzle the remaining 1/4 cup basil pesto evenly over everything. Add the mozzarella.4. Transfer the baking dish to the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the cheese has melted and is lightly browned on top. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with fresh rosemary. Enjoy!
Notes
You can find my homemade basil pesto recipe inside this post
This post was originally published on November 14, 2019
Made it tonight, another winner! Used spinach instead of kale, it was delicious. Definitely will make again, was perfect for a cold rainy day, so comforting and leftovers for tomorrow.
I am so glad this turned out so well for you Arlene! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Hi,
I cannot wait to make this. I love your recipes! I am about to buy your book for everyone I know for the Holidays. I have a quick question, I heard you can’t cook tomatoes in Cast Iron, is this true? Something to do with the acidity and the Iron? Oh, and one more question. What size Staub pan would you use here? I need to finally buy myself a Staub skillet of some sort, do you have one you recommend for my first? I have enough pots, I need a pan.
Thank you so much. Seriously you are the best out there!!
Hey Krista! All Staub cast iron is enamel coated, so you can cook tomatoes in their pans. Anything that is not enamel coated does run the risk of rusting when using tomatoes. For this recipe, I recommend an 8 quart or large pot. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
Is the pasta cooked all the way through and ready to eat before topping with cheese and putting in the oven? Cooking for someone who doesn’t eat cheese. Thanks!
Hi Kari, yes the pasta is cooked to al dente, but even if you are not using the cheese I would recommend baking this to finish the cooking fully and thicken up the sauce around the pasta. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
I haven’t made this yet but had a couple questions:
-do you have a preferred store bought pesto brand?
-does the pasta get overcooked after cooking in the sauce and then baking for 25 minutes?
HI Brielle,
I like DeLallo brand basil pesto.
I have not found the pasta to become over-cooked. If you follow the cooking time, I think you should have perfectly cooked pasta.
Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! xTieghan
On first glance I was planning to make this for my husband and boys but on a cold winter night last night I made this for Girls Night at my house. Everyone asked for the recipe and were thrilled when they found out the recipe is done in one pot!! I used Hot Italian Sausage (skins removed, cubed) for the meat and Penne pasta. Baked pasta at its best!
Hi Collie! I am so glad this recipe turned out so well for your Girl’s Night! So sweet!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
I’m planning to make this for thanksgiving. Can this be prepared in advance? Thanks!!
Hey Lara! It can be made ahead! See recipe for directions. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
It’s in the oven! Subbed mushrooms for sausage and ricotta for fontina.
I hope you love this Rebecca! Thank you! xTieghan
Any thoughts on what I could replace the sausage with to make this vegetarian? Thanks!
HI!! I would just omit the sausage and add in 2 cups chopped mushrooms. That will be so delicious!! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This was delicious! We use to cook our pasta in the sauce when we were camping I forgot all about that method, thank you for reminding me!
Awh what a sweet little reminder of those times! I hope you love this recipe Cindy! xTieghan
What a tasty Dish, we made it saturday for dinner. I have tried dozens of your recipes and they never disappoint. Was even better as leftovers this one is nice and cozy, and perfect as leftovers.
Thank you so much Evelyn! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was sooo good! Subbed the kale for spinach and will be enjoying the leftovers during the week. Loved how it was all prepped in one pot!
Thank you so much Neha! I am so glad you enjoyed this! xTieghan
I made this tonight to eat while we watch the Cowboys play! It was DELICIOUS and it made enough to feed an army. I did not add the kale, used chicken broth instead of the vodka (because I was out of it!), and used spicy Italian sausage instead of the chicken sausage. It was so flavorful and it got rave compliments from my friends. It was the perfect thing to eat on a cold Sunday night in November. I’ve made several of your pasta dishes and they are all SO yummy – thank you! Also, I just got your newest cookbook and I can’t wait to dive into it. xx
Hi Robin! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and I hope you LOVE the book!! Thank you so much! xTieghan
Made this exactly as written, absolutely perfect baked pasta dish! A keeper.
Thank you! I am so glad you loved this one! xTieghan
I loved this dish! It was so easy to put together and I loved that I only used 1 pot (my big Le Creuset Dutch oven was perfect for this). I’m a vegetarian, so I just swapped out Field Roast spicy Italian “sausages” for the regular sausage and it was perfect. Otherwise, I made it as is. The vodka added a nice bite too! Thanks so much for this great recipe. Xo
Thank you Sam! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
Wow…This was so delicious. I have NEVER cooked dry pasta in the actually sauce before. I was a little scared that it wouldn’t work properly. It turned out amazing, and now i’m wondering why I haven’t been doing this my whole life. Great dish. If I make it again I would probably leave out the cheese. Delish, but perfect on its own too.
I am so glad you loved this Ally! Thank you so much! xTieghan