Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printable)

Al dente rigatoni stood upright, stuffed with creamy cheese, baked in marinara for a golden finish.

# What You’ll 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

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease a 9-inch springform or deep round 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 - Combine ricotta, grated mozzarella, grated Parmesan, egg, basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Mix until smooth.
04 - Stand rigatoni upright tightly in the prepared baking pan to fill the entire space.
05 - Fill a piping or zip-top bag with the cheese mixture and pipe it into each rigatoni tube until full.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the filled pasta. Gently tap the pan to help sauce settle between the tubes.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan evenly over the top.
08 - Cover loosely with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
09 - Remove foil and bake an additional 10 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
10 - Let rest 10 minutes before releasing pan and slicing. Serve warm.

# Expert Hints:

01 -
  • It's a showstopper that makes people think you spent hours in the kitchen when you really didn't.
  • Every bite has creamy, cheesy filling without any of the fussiness of traditional lasagna layering.
  • The whole thing comes together in under an hour and tastes like you know your way around Italian cooking.
02 -
  • Don't cook the pasta all the way through, or the tubes will collapse and lose their shape as the sauce softens them further in the oven.
  • If your filling is too loose to stay inside the tubes, it means you need a bit more cheese or your egg might have been especially watery, so let it chill for a few minutes before piping.
  • Standing the tubes upright takes patience but creates that gorgeous honeycomb look that makes people gasp when they see it.
03 -
  • Use a springform pan specifically because it releases cleanly and presents your bake like the showpiece it is.
  • Let the bake rest those 10 minutes so the cheese sets just enough to hold together when you slice it without becoming rubbery.
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