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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.
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
Made this after returning home from traveling for Thanksgiving. My boyfriend LOVED it. It will definitely be in our week day meal rotation. Thank you!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Friday! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! xTieghan
Could I use peeled San Marzano tomatoes and crush them up myself? They didn’t carry any crushed ones in the store
Hi Jennie,
Yes, that should be just fine for you. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This recipe is just soooo delicious – my kids get giddy when they know it’s for supper! It’s become a weekly fall/winter staple in our house. It is so full of flavour, and incredibly versatile – we often switch up the meat (pork sausage or ground beef) or use penne as the pasta. We’ve even done a Mexican inspired version using cumin seasoned sausage, chilli flavoured red sauce, and Montery jack cheese!
The 2 cans of San Marzano tomatoes, 2.5 cups water, and 1lb dry pasta is the perfect ratio for all-in-one-pot baked pasta! Comfort food at its finest.
Hey! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I hope you loved it! Happy Halloween Weekend! xTieghan
If I want to make ahead do I need it to come to room temp after refrigerating before I can bake?
Yes! xTieghan
Hi this came out great!
I have one question though you said to put shallots over high heat for 3 minutes, mine began to burn after ~2min. Should this be medium heat?
Also, I used red pesto as I didn’t have any basil pesto, was just as good!
Hi there! Yes, depending on the heat of your stove it may need to be medium heat 🙂 xTieghan
Just made this and it came out great! I didn’t have kale or fontina cheese so I omitted those.
This was so easy to prep and the flavors were out of this world! The pesto adds such a great richness and the tomato sauce wkth vodka was perfect. Absolutely delish on a cool fall evening with a loaf of bread and bottle of red wine. Will make it again for sure!
this is my go to freezer comfort-meal to make for friends when they need a pick me up or are celebrating a new baby! thanks for the great go to recipe 🙂 it’s always a favorite for everyone!
Hey Abby,
Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! Have the best weekend? xTieghan
This was delicious, thank you for the recipe! It was also very easy!
Hey Amanda,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am so delighted that it was enjoyed! Have a great week:) xTieghan
I made this with ground beef and spinach, it turned out well! Mine was pretty liquid-y but I think I chose the wrong baking pan. Overall would make again!
Hey Krista,
Fantastic! I am thrilled this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a go! Happy Friday:) xTieghan
So tasty and easy! Though there is a lot of cheese (too much for my kids) so I may skip the fontina next time.
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a go! xTieghan
Hi There!
I am hoping to make this ahead of time and wanted to get suggestions on freezing it. Should I completely cook, cool, and freeze, or assemble, freeze, and then cook?
Thanks!
Hey Liz,
I would assemble up until baking, freeze, and then bake from frozen. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi!! Can I make this recipe ahead of time?
Hey Nora,
Yes, I would make up until the point of baking, keep covered in the fridge, and then bake when you are ready to serve. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Hi! Can I make this ahead of time and bake when ready? How would you suggest doing so?
Thanks! Xo
Very easy recipe to follow – as are most of you recipes ? Very tasty only thing I would do next time is cut back on the tomato. It was a bit too saucy for my taste. Searching right now for the next recipe to try! Thank you
Hey Janet,
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try. I am so glad that it was enjoyed!! xTieghan
Made this tonight and it was 10/10!
Thanks so much Anna! xTieghan