Recipe Girl®

Pasta Rustica

August 05, 2019

Pasta Rustica is a great, family-friendly baked pasta dish.

Baked Pasta Rustica

Is there anything more comforting and wonderful than a baked pasta dish that is extremely cheesy? Nope. It’s the kind of dinner you want on a dreary, rainy day.  It’s the kind of meal you want when you’re sad and you need comfort to fill you up.  And it’s the kind of meal you want when you’ve been dieting and pretty much dying of starvation.  It’s everything!

Pasta Rustica ready for the oven

This Pasta Rustica recipe is super easy to assemble.  You’ll be sautéing onion, garlic and sweet Italian sausage.  Next you’ll add in canned chopped tomatoes and cooked penne pasta. Ricotta and shredded mozzarella cheese are also mixed in.  Then the whole mess is spooned into a casserole dish and sprinkled with grated Parmesan cheese.

Casserole dish of Pasta Rustica

After a 30-minute bake in the oven, the cheese is all nice and melty, and the penne becomes perfectly crusty on top.

Pasta Rustica

It all looks pretty tempting, doesn’t it?  Next time you need some comfort food pasta, try this recipe.  Everyone you’re feeding will thank you for it!

Serving of Pasta Rustica

Here are a few more pasta recipes you might enjoy trying:

Pasta Rustica

Super easy, family friendly comfort baked pasta dish…

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion, (chopped)
  • 2 medium garlic cloves, (minced)
  • 12 ounces sweet Italian sausage
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • One 28-ounce can chopped tomatoes
  • salt, (to taste)
  • 16 ounces penne pasta
  • 1 1/4 cups part skim ricotta cheese
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

  1. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Stir in the spices. Add the tomatoes with purée and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer; stir occasionally until mixture thickens (10 to 12 minutes).

  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.

  3. Bring large pot of water to boil over high heat. Salt the water and add the pasta, stir well and cook until al dente (10 to 12 minutes). Drain well.

  4. In large bowl, toss the pasta with the sauce, ricotta and mozzarella. Spread into the prepared dish and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until the cheeses are melted and the pasta becomes crusty on edges (about 30 minutes). Let stand for a few minutes before serving.

  • Fontina cheese may be substituted for mozzarella.

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