Honeycomb Pasta Bake (Printable Version)

Rigatoni tubes filled with creamy cheese, baked with marinara and golden mozzarella topping.

# What You Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 1 lb rigatoni

→ 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 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
07 - 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
08 - 1/2 teaspoon salt
09 - 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

→ Sauce & Topping

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

# How to Make It:

01 - Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly 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 for 2 minutes less than package instructions to keep very al dente. Drain and toss with a small amount of olive oil to prevent sticking.
03 - Combine ricotta, grated mozzarella, Parmesan, egg, chopped basil, parsley, salt, and pepper in a bowl until smooth and homogenous.
04 - Place the cooked rigatoni upright, tightly packed, into the prepared pan filling the entire space.
05 - Transfer the cheese mixture to a piping bag or zip-top bag with a corner cut off and pipe the filling into each rigatoni tube until full.
06 - Pour marinara sauce evenly over the filled pasta tubes and gently tap the pan to allow the sauce to settle between them.
07 - Sprinkle shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan evenly over the sauce-covered pasta.
08 - Cover the pan loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes at 400°F.
09 - Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 10 minutes or until the cheese topping is bubbly and golden.
10 - Allow the bake to rest for 10 minutes before releasing the springform pan and slicing. Serve warm.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • Every bite delivers creamy, melted cheese because it's stuffed right into the pasta rather than mixed throughout.
  • The visual payoff is genuinely special—guests always ask what it is before they taste it.
  • It comes together faster than it looks, and everything can be prepped while the oven heats.
02 -
  • Undercooking the pasta is non-negotiable—pasta that's tender at the store will turn to mush by the time baking finishes, collapsing your whole structure.
  • Don't skip standing the pasta upright tightly packed; loose tubes topple and sauce runs underneath, leaving dry spots and a collapsed final dish.
  • The 10-minute rest after baking is when the bake sets firm enough to hold a clean slice—rushing this step results in it falling apart on the plate.
03 -
  • If tubes feel too tight to pack into your pan, stand them in loose groupings first to see the final arrangement, then add filling and nudge them closer together—this prevents frustration and keeps tubes upright.
  • Make the filling while the pasta cooks so everything is ready to assemble immediately; warm cheese pipes more easily and flows into tubes without resistance.
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