This cheesy baked pasta is so satisfying to make and eat! Rigatoni pie has existed for several years on the internet, but recently blew up on TikTok when it started getting trending under the name honeycomb pasta, due to the shape the rigatoni make when they’re standing straight up and viewed from above. It’s the perfect vehicle for a whole pack of stretchy US mozzarella cheese from USA Cheese Guild, with its mild flavor being the perfect accompaniment to a rich meat sauce made with either ground beef or Impossible.
The process is super simple. First, cook the rigatoni, then coat it in olive oil and some Parmigiano. I like to make the pasta first that way I can use the same pot to make the meat sauce, which I’ve made with Impossible cooked with onions, garlic, and a store bought marinara sauce to make things easy. You could even use just your favorite store bought sauce without any ground beef or plant-based meat to speed things up.
Now comes the fun part – stand all of those rigatoni straight up in a springform pan to form the honeycomb pasta shape. As long as you don’t have trypophobia, this should be super satisfying to line all those rigatoni up. Now cover it in your sauce, pushing the sauce into the holes, and finally top with an entire pack of mozzarella. You can bake or air fry until the cheese is melty and golden brown on top before finishing with more parm and some chopped fresh basil or parsley. Then get ready for some cheese pulls before digging into your rigatoni pie!
This viral pasta dish combines meaty sauce, melty mozzarella and rigatoni into a fun pie or cake
Ingredients
- 8 oz rigatoni
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano Reggiano, more for garnish
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 8 oz ground beef or Impossible plant-based meat
- 12 oz of your favorite marinara sauce like Rao's, substitute with 14.5 oz canned tomatoes like San Marzano or Bianco and a pinch of Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 8 oz shredded mozzarella
- Chopped fresh basil or parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F (200C). If using an air fryer, you can wait to preheat it before you build your rigatoni.
- Cook pasta in a pot of well-salted, boiling water to 1 minute under al dente according to package instructions. Drain, then toss with 1 tbsp of the olive oil and the Parmigiano in a large bowl and set aside
- Heat the remaining olive oil over medium (you can use the same pot, just rinse the starch out), then cook the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute until aromatic.
- Add the ground beef or Impossible meat and use a wooden spoon to break it up and combine with the onions and garlic, raising the heat to medium high and cooking until well browned, about 8-10 minutes.
- Add the pasta sauce and simmer over medium for a couple of minutes until fully combined. For a more tender meat sauce, use the canned tomatoes and Italian seasoning and simmer for 20-30 minutes until the liquid has evaporated, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Build your rigatoni pie by adding a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of a 7 or 8 inch springform pan (if using a larger pan, multiply the ingredients accordingly). Use your hands to stand the rigatoni straight up, filling in all the gaps. Then cover the top with your sauce, using the wooden spoon to push the sauce into the holes before covering the sauce with mozzarella cheese
- Bake the rigatoni pie for 20-25 minutes or air fry for 12-15 minutes until the cheese is melted, golden brown and bubbly.
- Carefully remove the outside of your springform pan to reveal the rigatoni pie, then garnish with more Parmigiano and your chopped fresh herbs. Cut a slice like a pie/cake and enjoy.
Notes
If you make this recipe, I’d love to see the final product. Tag your stories and posts on Instagram with #IndulgentRecipes and @IndulgentEats so I can see them!
