Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printer-Friendly)

Rigatoni tubes filled with a creamy cheese blend and baked with savory marinara and melted cheese.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 lb rigatoni

→ Cheese Filling

02 - 12 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 3.5 oz grated mozzarella
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 black pepper

→ Sauce & Topping

10 - 24 oz marinara sauce
11 - 5 oz shredded mozzarella
12 - 2 tbsp grated Parmesan cheese
13 - 1 tbsp olive oil

# Directions:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly 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 for 2 minutes less than package directions until very al dente. Drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - In a medium bowl, mix ricotta, grated mozzarella, grated Parmesan, egg, chopped basil, parsley, salt, and black pepper until smooth and uniform.
04 - Stand cooked rigatoni upright in the prepared pan, packing tubes tightly to fill the entire surface evenly.
05 - Transfer cheese mixture to a piping or zip-top bag with a cut corner; pipe the filling into each rigatoni tube until fully stuffed.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over filled pasta tubes. Gently tap the pan to distribute sauce between tubes.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese over the sauced pasta.
08 - Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 400°F.
09 - Remove foil and continue baking for 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
10 - Allow the dish to rest for 10 minutes before releasing the pan sides and slicing. Serve warm.

# Expert Suggestions:

01 -
  • It looks like restaurant-quality magic but tastes like someone who actually loves you made it in their home kitchen.
  • The cheese-stuffed tubes stay creamy inside while the top gets gloriously golden and bubbly.
  • You can prep the whole thing hours ahead and bake it fresh when guests arrive.
02 -
  • Cook the pasta al dente or even slightly under—it will continue cooking in the oven, and overcooked pasta tubes become mushy and collapse when you try to fill them.
  • The cheese filling needs an egg to stay together; without it, it'll be too loose and will leak out into the sauce as the pan bakes.
  • Don't skip the 10-minute rest after baking; it's the difference between a bake that holds together when you slice it and one that falls apart into a beautiful mess on the plate.
03 -
  • You can assemble this dish entirely the night before, cover it tightly, and bake it straight from the fridge—just add 5 to 10 minutes to the covered baking time since it'll be starting cold.
  • If your marinara sauce tastes too acidic or sharp, stir in a small pinch of sugar and let it simmer for a minute; it mellows beautifully without tasting sweet.
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