Cheesy Mushroom Baked Rigatoni is a hearty, baked pasta dish. A creamy béchamel sauce is the base for this dish. Béchamel is a simple white sauce that is made from butter, flour and milk. It is commonly used in most macaroni and cheese recipes and work nicely in this pasta bake.
This recipe calls for Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses. Gruyere is a type of Swiss melting cheese that has a nice flavor. If you cannot locate it at your store simple purchase Swiss cheese.
You can assemble this a day or two ahead of time and bake it when you are ready to serve it. Keep it tightly covered with plastic wrap or foil in the refrigerator. If you are baking it cold from the fridge you may need to add up to 10 minutes additional baking time.
Baked pasta dishes are always a good choice to feed a group and can be assembled ahead of time. For some other options, check out Baked Butternut Pasta, Baked Ricotta Gnocchi, Lasagna Roll Ups, Ricotta Stuffed Shells, and Tuscan Chicken Baked Ziti.
Cheesy Mushroom Baked Rigatoni
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Ingredients
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 10 ounces Baby Bella mushrooms, sliced
- 1 small shallot diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk
- 1½ cups shredded gruyere cheese, divided
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Reserve ½ cup of the shredded gruyere cheese and ½ cup of the grated parmesan cheese. They will be sprinkled on top of the pasta before baking.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat to cook the rigatoni. Cook the rigatoni for 2 minutes less than the instructions on the package for al dente. The pasta will continue to cook during the baking process.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes or until they have released all of their liquid.
Add the shallots and onions to the skillet and cook for an additional 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
When the pasta is done, drain and rinse it. Set aside.
Add the butter to the large pasta pot and melt over medium low heat. Add the flour and whisk it constantly until it completely combines with the butter.
Slowly add the milk, whisking constantly. Make sure that the flour mixture is being totally incorporated and the mixture is smooth. You must keep whisking in order to achieve this.
Raise the heat to medium and continue to whisk the flour and milk mixture until it begins to boil and bubble. Continue to whisk for an additional minute as the boiling will thicken the sauce.
Turn off the heat and return the pasta to the pot with the sauce.
Stir in the mushroom mixture, 1 cup of the gruyere cheese and ½ cup of the parmesan cheese. Combine well.
Spoon the mixture into a 9″ x 13″ baking pan that has been lightly greased with butter or sprayed with cooking spray. Spread it evenly and make sure that the top is smooth.
Sprinkle the remaining gruyere and parmesan cheese evenly over the top of the pasta.
Bake for 20- 25 minutes until it is heated through and the cheese has melted.
