18 rigaton recipes

Country rigatoni tosses pasta with cannellini bean broth, chicken, Italian sausage, escarole, broccoli, and Parmesan. A rustic Tuscan-style pasta with soul-warming depth.

Hearty baked rigatoni loaded with homemade turkey meatballs in a chunky mushroom and tomato sauce, topped with bubbly mozzarella and Parmesan. Comfort food that feeds the whole family.

Note: red wine broth can be used in place of chicken

A delicious and filling vegetarian main dish. Meaty mushrooms, rigatoni tomatoes veggies and two kinds of cheese make this a pleasing hearty main dish.

A delicious and wholesome meal. Try to use whole wheat rigatoni if you can, it makes the dish even heartier.

Rustic Italian red bean, rigatoni, and hot sausage casserole braised with chard, tomato, oregano, and white wine. Stick-to-your-ribs baked pasta for cold nights.

Mexican pasta casserole with chicken, jalapeno, olives, and Monterey Jack cheese in a cumin-chili tomato sauce baked with rigatoni. A spicy, cheesy one-dish dinner.

Hearty baked casserole of red beans, rigatoni, Italian sausage, plum tomatoes, Swiss chard, and white wine with oregano and garlic. A rustic Italian-inspired one-pot meal.

Oxtail is one of the most economical and most flavorful cuts of meat, and one that takes well to marinating for days in a hearty mixture of red wine, herbs, and vegetables. The longer you marinate the mixture, the more flavorful it will be, but be sure it marinates at least 3 days. Oxtail is also a fatty cut -- give yourself plenty of time to allow the stew to cook and then cool, so all the fat can be skimmed off. Serve this with thick noodles in warmed soup bowls, accompanied by a tossed salad, and of course, a robust red wine.

Moist date cake with a crunchy topping of chocolate chips, sugar, and chopped nuts baked right on top. Dates soaked in boiling water create an incredibly tender crumb. A vintage 9x13 sheet cake that's earned a loyal following.

Grilled sausage foil packet with red potatoes, green beans, and onion sealed up and cooked right on the grill. Smoky sausage and tender vegetables in one no-cleanup hobo dinner for camping or the backyard.

Grilled pizzettes top crisp, smoky individual crusts with sauteed yellow squash, tomato, basil, and melty smoked mozzarella. Cooked right on the grill for a charred, summer-fresh personal pizza.

Caramel-pecan cake made with buttermilk chocolate batter, folded egg whites for lift, and a gooey caramel-chocolate chip topping baked right on top.

A thin, fudgy chocolate sheet cake baked right on a cookie sheet and iced while still hot. Feeds a crowd in 30 minutes flat. The ultimate potluck and church supper cake.

Pasta with chicken in a creamy tomato sauce blended with four Italian cheeses: Bel Paese, ricotta, Romano, and Gorgonzola. A rich, indulgent pasta dinner with plum tomatoes, heavy cream, and butter.

Fruit pudding: apples and prunes simmered into a sweet, juicy base, topped with light dumplings steamed right on the fruit. A cozy, low-fat stovetop pudding that comes together in one pan.