Do you ever get bored of cooking the same pasta dishes again and again? If you’re looking to try something different, you’ve come to the right place. We’ve gone with rigatoni as our pasta of choice, given its satisfying shape (slightly bigger than penne) and accessibility (stocked in most major supermarkets). The following are our seven favourite rigatoni recipes, featuring the flavours of Italy and beyond, from Rick Stein, Jamie Oliver, and more.
Rigatoni with Tomatoes, Ricotta Salata and Basil
Combining rich tomatoes with creamy rictotta, this rigatoni dish is the ultimate comfort food.
Midsummer Pasta
Pairing rich tomatoes, fresh basil and melting mozzarella and Parmesan, this is a delicious summer dish.
From the book
An A-Z of Pasta
Discover the stories, histories and recipes behind 50 different pasta shapes.
Learn to make fresh pasta dough from scratch and how to roll, shape and cut everything from spaghetti to ravioli.
Match your favourite shapes to sauces, from carbonara to ragù
Buy From
Rick Stein’s Pastitsio – Beef and Macaroni Pie with Cinnamon, Red Wine and Kefalotiri Cheese
If you love lasagne, you’ll love Rick Stein’s take on a Greek pastitsio. Featuring tubular pasta (we recommend rigatoni), tender beef, melted cheese, and aromatic spices, this is a delicious meal for a family dinner.
Broccoli and Anchovy Orecchiette
While Jamie Oliver recommends serving orecchiette pasta with his delicious broccoli and anchovy sauce, he acknowledges that rigatoni is a perfect (and easier-to-find) alternative.
Norma-style Pasta (Pasta alla Norma)
Bringing together the signature flavours of Italy (think aubergines, tomatoes, and creamy ricotta), this is a brilliant vegetarian mid-week dinner. The pasta for this dish should be short and tubular – ideally either rigatoni or penne.
Andy Baraghani’s Chickpea Cacio e Pepe with Caramelised Lemon
This creamy take on an Italian classic combines tubular pasta with chickpeas with caramelised onions. It works either as a midweek meal or a dinner party showstopper.
Rigatoni al Forno with Pancetta, Artichokes, Crème Fraîche and Parmesan
This creamy rigatoni dish, which pairs crispy pancetta with artichokes and parmesan, is a sure crowd-pleaser. The best part? It’s so easy to make – you just need to pop it in the oven.
