Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs comes together in under 40 minutes and is a family favorite. This recipes uses five ingredients and is a comforting, rich Italian style baked rigatoni featuring lean, flavorful chicken meatballs. 

EASY BAKED RIGATONI WITH CHICKEN MEATBALLS

Are you always on the look out for easy dinner recipes you can make during the week?

I know I am! I have a small window to make a meal most nights because of my kids activities at night and the less ingredients and steps that are involved the better.

Today’s Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs is a restaurant-worthy meal ready in under 30 minutes and only uses 5 ingredients. Yes, you heard me right, 5 ingredients. I love make ahead dinners that I can reheat when dinner arrives! 

My family loves a good Italian style meal, especially baked pasta dishes like this Baked Ziti with Ricotta or this Italian Sausage Pasta Bake. 

They also really enjoy meatballs so I knew this dish would be the perfect match and a big hit in my house and I was right.

They devoured their plates and asked for more. It reminds me of these Skillet Tomato Basil Meatballs that my family also loves. 

The meatballs that I used in this recipe are my favorite chicken meatballs from al fresco . They are lean, flavorful and add protein to any meal.

You can think outside of the box with these chicken meatballs and add them to all kinds of dishes from pizzas, to pastas, to soups, to a stir-fry.

I also love picking up a package of their meatballs when I am having a party to make a quick appetizer, like these Skillet Tomato Basil Meatballs.

If you are strapped for time you can open a package of their refrigerated meatballs and have them heated and ready in no time.

Their meatballs are precooked which I love and they also are all natural made with lean, skinless chicken meat and are gluten-free.

They have 50% less fat than beef & pork Italian meatballs. You can feel good about feeding these meatballs to your family.

Al fresco has three flavors of their chicken meatballs: Italian Style, Tomato & Basil or the Teriyaki.  

I used the Tomato & Basil Chicken Meatballs in today’s Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs but you could also use the Italian Style.

Lets talk about how easy this dish is to put together. You start by cooking your rigatoni pasta.

Of course feel free to use whatever pasta you like but I think the bigger pastas work best. Once the pasta is cooked add it to the meatballs, tomato sauce {use your favorite homemade or store-bought sauce}, fresh basil and then top it with the mozzarella cheese.

Bake the dish for 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees F or until the cheese is melted and starting to bubble. It is that easy!

Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs serves 4-6 people but in my family we always have leftovers. It works great for lunch or leftovers another night during the week.

This is one of those recipes you have to keep in your back pocket for those days you have less than 30 minutes to put a meal on the table.

Pair it with a quick Kale Salad, Simple Garlic Parmesan Green Beans and some crusty bread and your family will think they are dining out in their favorite Italian restaurant.

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Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs

Yield: 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Easy Baked Rigatoni with Chicken Meatballs comes together in under 30 minutes and is a family favorite. This recipes uses five ingredients and is a comforting, rich Italian style baked rigatoni featuring lean, flavorful chicken meatballs.

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Ingredients

• 1 -12 ounce package al fresco tomato and basil chicken meatballs, sliced in half
• 8 ounces rigatoni, cooked according to the package
• 1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped, divided
• 26 ounces tomato sauce
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Garnishes:

• Extra fresh basil
• Grated parmesan
• Fresh parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cook the pasta according to the package.  When the pasta is done cooking drain it and put it in a large mixing bowl. Add the chicken meatballs, tomato sauce and half of the fresh basil.

In a large non-stick baking dish pour the pasta and spread into an even layer. Sprinkle the pasta with the shredded mozzarella and the remaining fresh basil.

Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. 

Garnish with fresh basil, parsley and grated parmesan cheese.

Notes

Feel free to use your favorite tomato sauce or a homemade sauce that you might have in the freezer. 

You can use whatever pasta you like but I do think the bigger pastas work best.