Baked Italian sunset pasta is a delicious and easy to make meal made with fresh mozzarella and pesto layered in between rigatoni pasta and a hearty meat sauce topped with parmesan cheese and baked until hot and bubbly.

Baked Italian Sunset Pasta

From the recipe collection of Tara Ippolito

This Baked Italian sunset pasta stopped me in my tracks when I came across it on social media.

I was just scrolling along and this came up on my Tik Tok for you page from @smalltowninfluencer.

It had 4 million views are people were gong crazy over it. Truth be told, I was going crazy over it, too!

I absolutely love pesto and use it for a lot of my pasta dishes but I never even thought about using it like this before. This was genius!

We all know that pesto and fresh mozzarella go together beautifully but I was so surprised how well it complimented the meat sauce. It was a match made in heaven.

My family couldn’t have loved this more. I even dropped some off to my parents house who later called me to tell me how amazing they thought it was, too.

This is definitely one of those meals that can be made ahead, too. Just assemble everything, place it into the fridge and pop it into the oven when you’re ready to make it.

This really is comfort food at its best. It’s the kind of meal that keeps your belly full for hours and goes perfectly with some nice warm Homemade Garlic Bread.

Stick to your ribs meals like this are usually made in my house during the cold months of winter but I have a feeling we’ll be enjoying this one all year round.

I hope you give this recipe a try. If you do, I know you’ll love it just as much as my family and I do.

Fast. Simple. Delicious.

Did you know that I have a cookbook called Fast Simple Delicious? It’s 60 no fuss no fail comfort food recipes perfect for busy weekday dinners.

Click HERE to order your copy or click the 3 lines in the top right corner and click “Book”. Thank you for the support.

Baked Italian Sunset Pasta Variations

This baked pasta recipe was awesome just the way it is, but here are some ways to change it up if you’d like to.

• Pasta- Any tube like pasta would work for this recipe.
• Sauce- Use your favorite meat sauce or use my Meat Sauce For Pasta Recipe. Ajar of marinara sauce would be ok if you’d like to omit the meat.
• Cheese- Shredded Mozzarella would be ok to use instead of fresh.

Other Easy Baked Pasta Recipes

If you like super to make baked pasta recipes like this one, here are some others that I know you’ll love, too.

• Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
• Million Dollar Tortellini
• Baked White Macaroni & Cheese
• White Vegetable Lasagna

Baked Italian Sunset Pasta Ingredients

• Mezzi Rigatoni
• Meat Sauce (use your own recipe or follow mine HERE)
• Pesto
• Fresh Mozzarella
• Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese
• Butter
• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°

First, cook the rigatoni in salted water until al dente.

Now, warm up the meat sauce and stir in the drained pasta until it’s evenly coated in the sauce.

Then, add half of the pasta to a generously buttered 9 x 13” baking dish.

Now, sprinkle the top of the pasta with half of the parmesan cheese.

Next, layer the thinly sliced mozzarella cheese side by side onto the pasta.

Now, dollop the pesto on top of the cheese and smooth it out on top with the back of a spoon.

Then, add the rest of the pasta evenly on top of the cheese and pesto layers.

Next, sprinkle the top with the rest of the parmesan cheese.

Now, place it into the center rack of the oven for 25 minutes.

Finally, let it cool slightly, garnish with parsley (optional) and enjoy!