At first, cooking during the pandemic was exciting. (Remember how everyone was breaking out their best sourdough bread recipes?) Well, if your cooking game is still strong, you might want to try out the Cheesecake Factory’s recipe for Baked Rigatoni. It’s got all the ingredients you’d expect (like pasta, parmesan, and mozzarella cheese), but it also has ground chicken, Alfredo sauce, and cream cheese to make it an even more memorable (and woot, kid-friendly) meal.
So if indoor dining is still hit or miss in your area right now, you can always have a restaurant-quality meal right in your home. And while you’re at it, you can always peruse the new menu items at the Cheesecake Factory (think Korean Fried Chicken, French Dip Cheeseburger, or Cauliflower Tacos) that you can always get curbside for those nights when you just can’t cook anymore.
In the meantime, this Baked Rigatoni recipe from the Cheesecake Factory can feed your fam — and it’s delish, too.
The Cheesecake Factory’s Baked Rigatoni
Servings: 6
INGREDIENTS
- 12 oz. Rigatoni Pasta
- 2-1/2 Cups Alfredo Sauce*
- 1/4 Cup Cream Cheese
- 1-1/2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 3/4 Cup Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 1/2 tsp. Salt
- 1/4 tsp. Black Pepper
- 2 tbls. Vegetable Oil
- 1 lb. Ground Chicken
- 2. tbls Tomato Paste
- 4 ea. Garlic Cloves, minced
- 1 tsp. Salt
- 1/2 tsp. Black Pepper
- Pinch of Basil, dry
- Pinch of Crushed Red Chile Flakes (optional)
- 1/4 Cup White Wine
- 2 Cups Marinara Sauce
For Garnish:
- 2 tbls. Parmesan Cheese, grated
- 6 ea. Fresh Basil Leaves, chopped (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Coat the inside of a 9” x 13” baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and set aside.
- Cook the pasta al dente in a large stockpot of boiling water.
- While the pasta is cooking, place the alfredo sauce and cream cheese into a saucepot set over medium heat. Stir the ingredients together and cook until smooth and warm throughout. Remove from the heat and aside until needed.
- When the pasta is done remove it from the heat and drain well. Place the pasta into a large mixing bowl. Add the alfredo sauce, 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup of the parmesan cheese, the salt and pepper into the bowl with the pasta and gently fold the ingredients together. Transfer the pasta and sauce into the baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese and 1/4 cup of parmesan cheese evenly over the pasta and bake until the cheese melts and turns golden brown (approximately 20 to 25 minutes).
- While the rigatoni is baking, heat the vegetable oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat. Add the ground chicken into the pan and cook until most of the liquid from the chicken has evaporated about 5 minutes. Use a rubber spatula or wooden spoon to break up the chicken into small pieces while it’s cooking.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, basil and chile flakes (optional) into the pan with the chicken. Gently stir the ingredients together and cook for about a minute. Add the white wine into the pan and cook about two minutes. Add the marinara sauce and stir to combine. Cook the sauce until hot throughout.
- Remove the rigatoni from the oven and let stand for five minutes. Divide the rigatoni into six portions. Place each portion onto a serving plate. Top the rigatoni with some of the chicken meat sauce and sprinkle with grated parmesan cheese and chopped fresh basil (optional) over each portion.
*The Cheesecake Factory makes all of its sauces from scratch in each restaurant. You can use your favorite Alfredo Sauce and Marinara Sauce in this recipe (available at most major grocery stores).