This hearty Italian classic recipe for Rigatoni and Meat Sauce is fantastic. The rich tomato sauce loaded with ground meat is filling, comforting, and a family favorite. Similar to a bolognese but a lot less work.
Why this Rigatoni and Meat Sauce Recipe is the BEST: My version allows customization; use the variety of ground meat your family loves. It is great with sweet or spicy Italian pork sausage, ground beef, chicken, or turkey. The yumminess has endless possibilities.
This is one of many pasta main dishes that is on repeat at our house. It is great for a lazy weekend dinner but also stores well for meal planning for quick weeknight reheats.
This recipe is one of many pasta & sausage combinations I love. My other favorite is my quick 30-minute recipe for Italian Sausage & Broccoli Pasta. Ok, now we cook!
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Ingredients for Rigatoni with Meat Sauce
This homemade tomato sauce with ground meat has all the classic ingredients in many Italian dishes. This is made with canned versus fresh tomatoes. It also doesn't have any wine or dairy in it.
This recipe makes enough for 8 people with a side dish or 6 if they have big appetites (teens!). You can make more or less depending on how much pasta per person you need - the recipe card can calculate making enough for a crowd even.
Here are important notes for some ingredients:
- Ground Meat - I am using sweet Italian sausage but ground beef, chicken, or turkey works too.
- Garlic Cloves - fresh is best instead of garlic powder.
- Dry Onion - minced flakes.
- Can Diced Tomatoes - plus the juices.
- Can Crushed Tomatoes - thicker than sauce and makes for the best texture.
- Spices - Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, dried basil, salt, and black pepper.
- Rigatoni - dry tube pasta with ridges.
See the recipe card for full list, quantities, & any substitutions/variations.
How to Make Homemade Tomato Meat Sauce for Rigatoni
The key to what I consider a really good homemade tomato sauce is the time it needs to slow cook. This allows the spices to really come together and for the sauce to thicken making it both richer & less acidic. Not to mention super tasty.
So not rush it. This isn't nonna's all day - stirring over the stove kind of pasta sauce. But it also isn't a quick tomato sauce like my Pasta alla Pizzaiola Recipe.
Here are the easy steps for making homemade meat sauce for pasta:
- Slow Cook the Sauce
- Cook the Pasta & Combine
See the step-by-step instructions with photos below plus the recipe card at the end of the post.
1 - Slow Cook the Sauce
A medium sauce pot is what will be needed to make this sauce. Make sure it can hold all the ingredients.
Add the ground Italian sausage which has been hand torn into small pieces into the pot. Brown over medium heat for 5 minutes or until cooked through.
Adding diced tomatoes with the juices and sliced garlic to pot with cooked ground meat.
Cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat. Stir and break up the chunks of meat into smaller pieces as it cooks in the tomatoes and liquid.
If you want a fine mince, use a potato masher. For sausage this may be needed.
Add the dried minced onion and stir to combine. Cook for 5 minutes.
Add all the spices and the can of crushed tomatoes. Stir to combine and bring to a low simmer.
Once a few bubbles form, turn the heat down to low.
Stir and continue to slow cook on the lowest setting. Stir occasionally and let cook for 30 minutes. Be sure to not let it burn on the sides or bottom - very low heat is important!
As the sauce cooks it will start to reduce - notice the line in the pot above the sauce showing how high the sauce used to be. This is what you want for it to be rich & thick.
At this point do a taste test to see if it needs more seasoning - salt & pepper. In my family that means dunking a slice of bread in for a "tasty snack".
2 - Cook the Pasta & Combine
Once the sauce is about done, get a large stockpot of salted water on the stove to bring to a boil. Once a rolling boil, add the rigatoni and stir.
Turn down to medium heat and cook until the pasta is al dente. This takes about 8 - 10 minutes depending on the package instructions. Turn off the heat once done.
Drain the cooked pasta (do not rinse with water!) and add back to the pot.
Add the meat sauce to the cooked pasta.
Toss gently with a spoon so that all the pasta is covered evenly.
Serving & Storing
Spoon hot pasta and sauce into individual pasta bowls or plates. Enjoy as is or top with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese.
To make this restaurant quality when plating, add a drizzle of olive oil and slice fresh basil leaves into thin ribbons and sprinkle over the top.
Leftovers last up to 3 days in the refrigerator. The sauce can be frozen for up to a month, defrost and reheat to add to pasta later.
What to Serve with Meat Sauce Rigatoni : This is a filling meal on its own but we like to make sure we get some veggies too. Enjoy this with an Italian Chopped Salad or Garlic Sautéed Romano Green Beans.
Recipe Tips & Behind the Scenes
Here's my recipe for success - including what I learned when testing, fun stories, recipe history, and more.
- #1 Tip - don't rush the process and turn up the heat. Cook it on a very low setting for the full hour for best taste & thickness.
- Make sure to taste test and add salt and pepper if needed - canned tomatoes will vary so this is important.
- San Marzano canned tomatoes are the GOAT of canned tomatoes. They can be used here but since they are often pricey I like to reserve them when I am making a classic marinara when the tomatoes really shine versus being 2nd fiddle to the meat and spices like this sauce.
- Dried herbs are used in this recipe but you can use ½ cup minced fresh onion instead of dry.
- Hand tear fresh basil leaves into the sauce just before adding to the pasta or slice into ribbons and sprinkle on top when plating.
- Fun topping ideas - burrata cheese, dollop of ricotta, grated cheeses, spicy chili oil crunch, or fresh cracked pepper.
- Try with other pasta shapes. Penne rigate is a great alternative.
- If you love tomato based sauces and main dishes, try my Slow Cooker Chicken Cacciatore & serve over spaghetti.
FAQ
Hearty meat sauces go well with various pasta shapes. Tubes with ridges (often labeled rigate), curves, or crevices work best for clinging onto the thick sauce. Try ziti, penne, farfalle (bow ties), fusilli/rotini, or rotelle (wagon wheels). Wide flat noodles are hearty enough too if you prefer tagliatelle/rappardelle or fettuccini.
I grew up with just about any sort of meat going into the Sunday gravy or ragu sauce. My family also made Slow Cooker Meatballs and Sauce to offer choices. From sausage links to pork chops, they threw it all in there.
If you want a meat sauce with finely minced or ground pieces, spicy or sweet Italian sausage out of the casings or ground beef works best and is most traditional in Italian American cooking.
There is a difference between a classic meat ragu and bolognese yet both are delish. Though both have meat in a tomato based sauce, but the ingredients and the cooking process. Bolognese cooks for hours and has a touch of milk, wine, and vegetables such as carrots. Meat sauce typically is strictly tomato based and has more spices with a quicker cooking time.
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Rigatoni and Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 pound Ground Meat Italian sausage, beef, turkey, chicken etc.
- 4 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes juice included
- 2 tablespoons dry onion
- 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 1 pound rigatoni
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan add the crumbled meat. Over medium-high heat, brown until it is cooked through.Do not drain any fat unless there is an excessive amount.1 pound Ground Meat
- Add the garlic and canned diced tomatoes with the juice. Stir and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes. The meat should start to break down into smaller pieces as it cooks in the liquid. For larger chunks use a potato masher or wooden spatula to press down and breakup the pieces.4 cloves garlic, 15 ounces diced tomatoes
- Add the onion and crushed tomatoes, stir and cook for 5 minutes.2 tablespoons dry onion, 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
- Add the spices and stir to combine. Let it cook over a low simmer for 5 minutes and then turn the heat to the lowest setting. Stir occasionally and let cook for 30-40 minutes. Be sure to not let it burn on the sides or bottom - very low heat is important!1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- Once it has thickened and reduced a bit it is almost ready. Taste test and season with salt and pepper if needed.
- Bring a large stock pot of salted water to a rolling boil.
- Add the pasta, stir and cook over medium-high heat until al dente. Most rigatoni takes about 8-10 minutes - see your package for best timing. Turn off the heat.1 pound rigatoni
- Drain the pasta and do not rinse it. You want the rigatoni starchy so the sauce sticks.
- Add the drained pasta back to the empty pot. Spoon the sauce over the pasta and gently toss to coat.
- Serve in individual pasta bowls or plates. Top with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano. Enjoy.
Notes
- Leftovers last up to 3 days in the refrigerator.
- The sauce can be frozen for up to a month, defrost and reheat to add to pasta later.
- Reheat leftover pasta and sauce in the microwave for 1-2 minutes depending on portion size.
- Instead of sweet ground sausage; ground beef, chicken, turkey, or spicy Italian sausage without casings are good alternatives.
- Use low sodium canned tomatoes if needed for a low-sodium diet.
- Instead of rigatoni, substitute in other pasta shapes like penne, farfalle, rotini, or tagliatelle.
- GOURMET - Serve in a large pasta bowl and top with a drizzle of olive oil, fresh basil leaves hand torn or sliced thin & grated cheese.
- Spoon into individual servings and let everyone top it with their favorites - burrata cheese, dollop of ricotta, fresh basil, grated cheese, or fresh cracked pepper.
Nutrition
More Pasta with Meat Recipes
Here are some similar recipes pasta dishes with protein. Whether you like chicken, pork, or seafood, these recipes deserve a spot in your regular dinner rotation.
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