This creamy cottage cheese rigatoni pasta recipe is quick, easy, and the ultimate comfort food! Blending cottage cheese into the sauce is a great way to add additional protein. Enjoy this hearty baked pasta dish with some crusty bread and this Greek cucumber salad!
While cooking dinner, I pulled the first box of pasta that I could reach and noticed it was rigatoni pasta. That's odd, when did I buy rigatoni? My go-to pasta dish is baked penne pasta so I usually buy penne pasta.
I decided to do a little digging and quickly learned that there aren't a ton of rigatoni recipes out there. As a result, I quickly switched from dinner cooking mode to blogging mode. This meant taking notes and pictures so I could recreate it.
For a last-minute dish idea, I gotta say, it was devoured rather quickly! I'm so glad that I took the time to write down the steps to prepare this dish so that I could share it with you!
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
- This pasta dish is easily customizable.
- If you have other types of pasta (ziti, penne) you can still make this recipe.
- This rigatoni pasta recipe makes enough to feed the entire family!
- Leftovers taste great & it's easy to reheat.
🛒 What You Need For This Recipe
🔖 Ingredients & Substitutions
- Meat: Ground beef, but you can also use ground turkey or Italian sausage. If using Italian sausage you will need to adjust the seasoning.
- Pasta: This recipe calls for rigatoni, however, if you need to, you can use penne or ziti.
- Sauce: I used my homemade pasta sauce, however, store-bought pasta sauce can be used.
- Tomatoes: A pint of canned tomatoes. Choose from crushed tomatoes or whole tomatoes, but whole tomatoes will need to be blended.
- Spices: I kept this recipe simple by only using salt and black pepper. We did serve the finished dish sprinkled with crushed red pepper flakes since we like it a bit spicy.
- Cheese: The cottage cheese is blended with some pasta sauce and mixed with the pasta. If you like cheesier casseroles, I highly recommend adding some fresh mozzarella balls. Other cheese options include shredded mozzarella, feta, or shredded sharp cheddar cheese. I also sprinkle this pasta with grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese.
- Vegetables: I only added bell pepper, onion, and garlic, however, if I was the only one eating this pasta, I would have added some chopped squash and sliced mushrooms. Feel free to add your favorite veggies!
- Oil: I prefer extra virgin olive oil but avocado oil can be substituted.
- Optional: Garnish with fresh basil or Italian parsley.
*A full list of ingredients can be found in the recipe card!
🍝 How to Make Cottage Cheese Rigatoni
Step 1: Blend whole tomatoes using a blender or food processor, then set aside. Next, blend 1 cup pasta sauce and 1-½ cups cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. Brush lasagna pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
Step 2: In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté ground beef, onion, and bell pepper until the beef is browned. Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Pour remaining pasta sauce and tomato puree into the pot. Season with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
Pro Tip: Depending on the type of pasta sauce you are using, the flavor of the sauce may need to be enhanced by adding red wine, fresh herbs (oregano, basil and so on) or even some parmesan cheese.
Preheat oven to 350℉
Step 3: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and rigatoni noodles. Give the pasta a quick stir, then cook until al dente (approximately 12 minutes). Stir a few more times to keep pasta from sticking to the pot.
Pro Tip: You don't want the pasta cooked all the way through because it will continue to cook in the oven.
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Step 4: Reseve a little pasta water and drain the rest. Pour strained pasta into baking dish. Add a splash of pasta water to cottage cheese mixture and blend to emulsify. Pour creamy cottage cheese sauce over noodles and mix to coat.
Step 5: Stir in remaining pasta sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese (if using). Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Pro Tip: This would be a good time to sprinkle the pasta with freshly grated parmesan cheese. You can also do it right after you pull it out of the oven or when you serve it.
🥗 Serving Suggestions
Serve this creamy cottage cheese baked rigatoni with freshly grated parmesan cheese and garnish with chopped fresh parsley or basil for a pop of color. This pasta will pair beautifully with cream cheese garlic bread or breadsticks.
Of course, we can't forget the salad! Choose from any of the following: Middle Eastern salad (yes, it's fine to mix cuisines!), zesty quinoa salad, or this Lebanese fattoush salad.
Looking for other rigatoni recipes? If so, check out this hearty roasted pepper pasta!
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
The difference between the two is the type of pasta used. Ziti pasta is thinner, longer, and has smooth walls, while rigatoni pasta is shorter, thicker, and has ridges along the sides. The ridges hold onto the sauce, making them ideal for baked casseroles!
Yes, ziti, rigatoni, and penne pasta can all be used interchangeably in most Italian dishes.
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- Although I listed additional cheese as an optional ingredient, it is highly recommended!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up 5 days.
- To reheat, cover a bowl of pasta with a paper towel and microwave for one minute.
🍽 Related Recipes
If you enjoy this rigatoni recipe, check out these related posts!
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below & a review in the comments section further down the page.
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📖 Recipe
Creamy Cottage Cheese Rigatoni
Equipment
- 1 Blender
Ingredients
- 1 pint canned or jarred tomatoes
- 1 quart pasta sauce
- 1½ cups cottage cheese
- 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (divided)
- 1 lb ground beef
- 1 medium onion (diced)
- 1 medium bell pepper (diced)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon sea salt (divided)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
Optional Ingredients
- fresh mozzarella cheese or grated cheddar (to mix into pasta before baking)
- grated parmesan cheese
- fresh herbs for garnish
Instructions
- Blend whole tomatoes using a blender or food processor, then set aside. Next, blend 1 cup pasta sauce and 1-½ cups cottage cheese until smooth and creamy. Brush lasagna pan with 1 teaspoon olive oil.
- In a large pot, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté ground beef, onion, and bell pepper until the beef is browned. Add minced garlic and stir until fragrant. Pour remaining pasta sauce and tomato puree into the pot. Season with salt, black pepper, and Italian seasoning, then simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350℉. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, then add 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and rigatoni noodles. Give the pasta a quick stir, then cook until al dente (approximately 12 minutes). Stir a few more times to keep pasta from sticking to the pot.
- Reserve a little pasta water and drain the rest. Pour strained pasta into lasagna pan. Add a splash of pasta water to cottage cheese mixture and blend to emulsify. Pour creamy cottage cheese sauce over noodles and mix to coat.
- Stir in remaining pasta sauce and fresh mozzarella cheese (if using). Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.
Notes
- Depending on the type of pasta sauce you are using, the flavor of the sauce may need to be enhanced by adding red wine, fresh herbs (oregano, basil and so on) or even some parmesan cheese.
- When you boil the pasta, you don't want it cooked all the way through because it will cook further in the oven.
- Although I listed additional cheese as an optional ingredient, it is highly recommended!
- Store leftovers in an airtight container and refrigerate for up 5 days.
- To reheat pasta, cover a bowl of pasta with a paper towel and microwave for 1 minute.
Kelly Methey says
This pasta is creamy and delicious! It’s pretty fast and easy too! That’s a perfect combination in my book. Thanks for another fantastic recipe, Hilda.
Hilda Sterner says
Thanks, kelly, so glad you liked it! Thank you for the review. 🙂
Shala Carter says
This looks lovely! I wonder if you could use tortellini in this or if it would fall apart?
Blessings!
Hilda Sterner says
Hi Shala, I'm sure tortellini would also work for this recipe. Thank you for your comment!