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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
Instead of spicy chicken sausage, could I use ground beef? Trying to use what is in my freezer! Thanks!
Hi Sarah,
Yes ground beef would work well! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
What pot do you use to make this a one-pot recipe?
Hi Meghan! I use a Staub 12 in skillet. I use another baking dish for staging in the photos! I hope you love this! xTieghan
I have made this a few times always using Veggie sausage as the only change. This time I was hosting a friend who does not drink and used pomegranate juice instead of vodka. I was a bit nervous but boy, was it so good!
So happy to hear that! Thank you Deb! xTieghan
We made this tonight. It is one of the best pasta dishes! Love how it’s all made in one pot but I did end up putting it in a baking dish for a better presentation. The flavor with the vodka is amazing so definitely recommend using vodka over chicken broth or water.
Thank you so much Jenny!! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
This is delicious! But I found it to be too watery after using the two 28 oz canned tomatoes, vodka and 2 1/2 cups of water. Any suggestions for next time?
HI there! Try using only 2 cups of water. That should fix the issue for next time. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you!! xTieghan
Made this tonight for my husband and boys and it was fantastic. My husband says he wants to eat this every night for the rest of his life and he’d be a happy man. A warm cozy pasta dish with layers of flavor. I especially loved the pesto added in. (I just used store bought pesto bc of time). This will now be one of my handful of go to pasta dishes.
Ok wow! That is so amazing to hear! Thank you for trying this Lindsay! xTieghan
You always make me look good, Tieghan! I made this tonight and my husband said if he had two more hands he would give it four thumbs up! Rich, hearty, cheesy and a nice warm kick at the end. It was easy to shop for, make and clean up! Thank you for yet another amazingly beautiful and delicious meal!
Aw that is so amazing to hear! Thank you for continuing to make my recipes, Martie!! xTieghan
Hello! This was amazing and so easy to make. I like to do lasagna for friends or family who have had a baby or need some extra help and usually I freeze it so they can eat it whenever. Could I do this with this recipe? And how? Thanks!!
HI Erin! This recipe works great to freeze! Prepare the dish through step 3, then transfer and freeze. Thaw and bake as directed. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Do you think I could make this ahead of time then put in to a baking dish and top with remaining ingredients and cheese and bake closer to dinner time? I’m.having family bday dinner and would love to prep as much ahead of time as possible.
Hi Kenna! Yes, of course! Prepping this ahead of time works wonderfully. You can even add the cheese to the top, then place in the fridge. Bring the dish to room temp before baking. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Is there any way to adapt this recipe to being a freezer meal? My wife and I are Snowbird and I like to leave freezer meals for my elderly father and for our college aged daughter. Thanks!
Hey Tom! You can easily freeze this after baking. JUst cover well, then thaw for a few hours on the counter before warming in the oven. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
This is the first recipe of yours I have made. It was delicious! My husband and sister loved it. I live in a rural area and could not find chicken Italian sausage so I used regular spicy Italian sausage. I could not find Fontina so I substituted aged Asiago cheese. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes.
I am so glad you loved this, especially as your first recipe of mine! Thank you so much Jonette! xTieghan
This is AMAZING. I used pork sausage since I couldn’t find chicken and substituted spinach for kale, but the taste was fantastic! Will definitely be making this again.
Thank you Annie! I am so glad you loved this recipe! xTieghan
I have made this twice with Vegetarian spicy breakfast sausage patties cut up and it adds a nice kick! I find I have to cook the pasta longer even to reach al dente but it is so good!
So happy to hear that! Thank you Deb! xTieghan
This was delicious with Beyond Meat Hot Italian Sausage! Thank you and Merry Christmas!
Amazing! Thank you so much! xTieghan
So Delicious!!! Made this tonight for my husband and our friends and they loved it! So so good.
Thank you so much Melissa! xTieghan