Four Cheese Stuffed Baked Rigatoni with Spinach Alfredo Sauce
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Baked Rigatoni is stuffed with four cheeses & herbs, then covered in a cheesy spinach alfredo sauce for a creamy, delicious pasta recipe!
This dish is creamy, cheesy amazingness all combined in one pan that will take you straight to flavor-town!
I can honestly say that this is one of the best recipes I’ve ever made! I’ve made it dozens of times since it first appeared on the blog in 2013. And it ranks right up there with some of my all-time favorite recipes, like Coffee Crusted Tri Tip and Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies!
I made this dish last week and literally could not put my fork down after the first bite. It is melt-in-your-mouth cheesy heaven on a fork. If you’re a fan of cheese, this is the dish for you! Did I mention the cheesiness of this dish? So cheese-ily amazing!
What you’ll need
- For the spinach alfredo sauce:
- Butter
- Baby spinach
- Garlic cloves
- Milk
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Asiago cheese
- For the four cheese stuffed rigatoni:
- Rigatoni pasta – this wide, tube-shaped pasta is perfect for filling with a mixture of cheeses.
- Mozzarella cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Asiago cheese
- Ricotta cheese
- Fresh basil – dried basil can be used in place of fresh basil. Instead of 1/4 cup fresh basil, you’ll want to use 2 tablespoons dried basil.
- Dried oregano
- Dried parsley
Step by step instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
Once the butter is melted, add the spinach.
Saute for 2-3 minutes then add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
Next add the milk, salt, pepper, parmesan, ricotta and asiago cheeses.
Whisk well and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes while preparing the pasta.
Begin by boiling a large pot of water and cooking the pasta for approximately 10 minutes or just before al dente.
In a small bowl combine the mozzarella, parmesan, ricotta and asiago cheeses with the basil, oregano and parsley.
Fill a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with with the cheese herb mixture. If you have a piping tip that’s the easiest way to do it. If not, simply cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.
Pipe the cheese mixture into the rigatoni pasta noodles.
Cheesy filled pasta, my favorite!
Pour half of the Spinach Alfredo Sauce into the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish.
In a circular motion, add the filled pasta noodles to the pan.
Pour the remaining sauce on top.
Grate on a little extra parmesan cheese, if you’re feeling cheese crazy! (As obviously I was when preparing this dish!)
Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Then dig in to the creamiest baked pasta dish you’ve ever eaten!
Tips and tricks
- Do NOT use “stand and fill” Ziplock bags for piping the cheese mixture into the rigatoni. The bottom of the bag has a fold that allows it to stand for filling. This will inhibit you from being able to make a clean cut in the corner of the bag to pipe out the cheese filling.
- If rigatoni can not be found, you can use ziti pasta. But just know that it will be slightly smaller and harder to fill. You could also use manicotti, which are much larger than rigatoni, but delicious when filled and cooked in a creamy sauce.
- I do NOT recommend freezing this stuffed rigatoni recipe. Because the base of the sauce is milk, it will separate when frozen and unfortunately means that this pasta dish will not freeze well.
- Leftovers of the stuffed rigatoni can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The leftovers can be reheated in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Or on a plate in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
More pasta recipes to try
Looking for more great pasta recipes? You’re going to love these delicious dishes!
- Pasta Boscaiola – Creamy Mushroom & Bacon Pasta
- Buffalo Chicken Baked Pasta
- 20 Minute Enchilada Pasta
- One Pot Pasta Carbonara
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Four Cheese Stuffed Baked Rigatoni with Spinach Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
Spinach Alfredo Sauce
- ½ cup butter
- 3 cups baby spinach
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 cups milk
- 1 tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 ½ cups parmesan cheese, grated
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup asiago cheese, grated
Baked Four Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni
- ½ lb rigatoni pasta
- 2 tbsp mozzarella cheese, finely shredded
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, finely grated
- 2 tbsp asiago cheese, finely grated
- 2 cups ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Prepare the sauce by melting the butter in a large pot over medium-high heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the spinach.
- Saute for 2-3 minutes then add the garlic and sauté for an additional minute.
- Next add the milk, salt, pepper, parmesan, ricotta and asiago cheeses.
- Whisk well and simmer on low for 15-20 minutes while preparing the pasta.
- Begin by boiling a large pot of water and cooking the pasta for app. 10 minutes or just before al dente.
- In a small bowl combine the mozzarella, parmesan, asiago, ricotta, basil, oregano and parsley.
- Fill a pastry bag or Ziploc bag with with the cheese herb mixture. If you have a piping tip that’s the easiest way to do it. If not, simply cut a small hole in the corner of the bag.
- Pipe the cheese mixture into the rigatoni pasta.
- Pour half of the Spinach Alfredo Sauce into the bottom of an oven-safe baking dish.
- In a circular motion, add the filled pasta noodles to the dish.
- Pour the remaining sauce on top.
- Grate on a little extra parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes.
Notes
- I do not recommend freezing this recipe. Since the sauce is milk-based, it will separate when frozen.
- Leftovers of the stuffed rigatoni can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. The leftovers can be reheated in a covered baking dish in the oven at 350°F for 15-20 minutes. Or on a plate in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
- If rigatoni can not be found, you can use ziti pasta. But just know that it will be slightly smaller and harder to fill. You could also use manicotti, which are much larger than rigatoni, but delicious when filled and cooked in a creamy sauce.
- Do NOT use “stand and fill” Ziplock bags for piping the cheese mixture into the rigatoni. The bottom of the bag has a fold that allows it to stand for filling. This will inhibit you from being able to make a clean cut in the corner of the bag to pipe out the cheese filling.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Four Cheese Stuffed Baked Rigatoni with Spinach Alfredo Sauce”
Looks delicious! But what’s the sense of using the 2 cups of soy milk when there are literally 5 other different kinds of dairy?
You can definitely use regular milk, I simply chose to use soy milk for the recipe.