Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printable Version)

Rigatoni tubes filled with creamy cheese, baked with marinara sauce for a golden, savory main dish.

# The Ingredients You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 lb rigatoni pasta

→ Cheese Filling

02 - 12 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 3.5 oz grated mozzarella cheese
04 - 1.75 oz grated Parmesan cheese
05 - 1 large egg
06 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh basil
07 - 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
08 - ½ tsp salt
09 - ¼ tsp black pepper

→ Sauce & Topping

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

# Step-by-Step Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform or deep round baking pan with olive oil and line the base with parchment paper.
02 - Boil rigatoni in salted water, cooking 2 minutes less than package directions for very al dente. Drain and toss with olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - Combine ricotta, grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl; mix until smooth.
04 - Stand cooked rigatoni tubes upright in the prepared baking pan, tightly packed to fill the entire surface.
05 - Spoon the cheese mixture into a piping bag or zip-top bag with the corner cut off and pipe into each pasta tube until filled.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over filled pasta, tapping pan gently to allow sauce to settle between tubes.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan over the sauce. Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
08 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
09 - Let cool for 10 minutes before releasing the pan and slicing. Serve warm.

# Additional Tips::

01 -
  • It's forgiving enough for a weeknight but impressive enough to set on the table when people are coming over.
  • Watching the pasta tubes transform into little golden cups filled with creamy cheese feels like a small magic trick you're performing in your own kitchen.
  • The leftovers taste even better the next day, and slicing it feels satisfying in a way regular pasta doesn't.
02 -
  • The pasta absolutely must be undercooked—if it's already tender when it goes in the pan, it'll turn to mush by the time the cheese is golden.
  • Those 10 minutes of resting time aren't just a suggestion; they're what makes it sliceable instead of a delicious, crumbly mess.
  • If your tubes start falling over while you're filling them, pack them in even tighter; they should be snug enough that they can't wobble.
03 -
  • Make the cheese filling the morning of if you're serving it later—it actually gets better as flavors meld, and it saves you stress on cooking day.
  • If your springform pan doesn't have a tight seal, set it on a baking sheet before filling; any sauce that escapes will drip onto the sheet, not your oven.
  • Leftovers reheat beautifully at 180°C covered with foil for about 15 minutes—the cheese softens again without breaking.
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