Italian-American · main

Baked Rigatoni with Mini Meatballs

Baked Rigatoni with Mini Meatballs reads umami 8.9, richness 7.1 and salinity 4.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Italian-American main, about 1 hr 13 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 9.6 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 3.0 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 1.8 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 1.8 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 7.7 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 4.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 8.9 · Richness 7.1 · Salinity 4.9 · Allium 4.3 · Sweetness 2.5 · Nutty 2.2 · Funk & Ferment 2.2 · Herbaceous 1.9 · Sourness 1.7 · Earthy 1.6 · Fruity 1.5 · Bitterness 1.4 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Floral 0.8 · Heat 0.8

What's in it (15)

• rigatoni pasta — 454 g
• beef — 454 g
• bread crumbs italian style — 118 g
• regular milk — 59 g
• parmesan cheese — 57 g
• egg — 100 g
• garlic — 12 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 15 g
• salt — 7 g
• black pepper — 3 g
• olive oil — 41 g
• yellow onion — 110 g
• tomatoes — 794 g
• dried leaf oregano — 1 g
• shredded mozzarella — 227 g

Time & effort: about 1 hr 13 min (1 hr 8 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 166.2 kcal, 11.4 g protein, 4.2 g fat, 20.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy · Contains egg — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F and bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the panko and milk; let sit until the crumbs soften, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, the egg, half the garlic, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and the pepper. Mix gently with your hands just until combined — overworking makes tough meatballs. Roll into 1-inch meatballs, about 40.
3. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the meatballs in batches, turning once, until deeply browned on two sides, 4-5 minutes per batch (they will not be cooked through yet); transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, 4-5 minutes. Add the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
5. Stir in the crushed tomatoes, oregano, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer, then nestle the meatballs back into the sauce. Cover partially and simmer until the meatballs reach 165 F and the sauce has thickened slightly, 12-15 minutes.
6. While the sauce simmers, add the rigatoni to the boiling water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directs, roughly 9 minutes. Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water, then drain.
7. Add the drained rigatoni to the sauce along with the remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and half the mozzarella; toss to coat, loosening with a splash of the reserved pasta water if the sauce looks tight.
8. Transfer everything to a 9x13-inch baking dish, spreading it into an even layer. Scatter the remaining mozzarella over the top and bake until the cheese is melted and golden in spots and the sauce is bubbling at the edges, 15-18 minutes.
9. Let rest 5 minutes, then scatter with the remaining parsley and serve.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Beef and Ricotta Meatball Bake with Garlic Toast — Italian-American
• Meatball Subs with Melted Provolone — Italian-American
• Spaghetti and Meatballs — Italian-American
• Turkey Meatballs in Marinara over Spaghetti — Italian-American
• Creamy Tuscan Chicken Pasta — Italian-American

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.