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Honeycomb Pasta

Honeycomb Pasta

Honeycomb Pasta is a baked, tomato-based pasta dish made with rigatoni packed upright, filled with rich meat sauce and finished with melted mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The sauce is thick, savory and clings tightly to every tube.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian-American
Calories: 620
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb Dried Rigatoni large, straight-cut tubes
  • 3 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 small Yellow Onion finely chopped
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 12 oz Ground Beef 85 percent lean
  • 1 tsp Kosher Salt
  • 1/2 tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper
  • 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
  • 28 oz San Marzano Whole Tomatoes crushed by hand
  • 1/2 cup Reserved Starchy Pasta Water
  • 1 cup Fresh Mozzarella diced small
  • 3/4 cup Freshly Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
  • 6 Fresh Basil Leaves torn

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • 12-inch skillet
  • Baking dish
  • Tongs
  • Microplane grater

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and salt it heavily until it tastes like the sea.
  2. Add the rigatoni and cook until just al dente. The center should still have a slight bite. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain.
  3. Heat olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook until soft and translucent.
  4. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and lightly golden. Do not let it burn.
  5. Add ground beef and cook, breaking it up, until browned and no pink remains.
  6. Stir in salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, and tomato paste. Cook until the paste darkens slightly and smells rich.
  7. Add crushed tomatoes and simmer gently for 15 minutes until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
  8. Stir in 1/2 cup reserved pasta water to loosen the sauce and create a silky texture.
  9. Preheat oven to 375°F. Stand the rigatoni upright in a baking dish, packing them tightly into a honeycomb pattern.
  10. Spoon the sauce generously over the pasta, pressing gently so it fills the tubes.
  11. Scatter mozzarella evenly over the top and finish with Parmigiano-Reggiano.
  12. Bake uncovered for 25 minutes until bubbling and lightly browned on top.
  13. Rest for 5 minutes, then finish with fresh basil before serving.

Notes

Do not overcook the pasta. It finishes cooking in the oven, and overboiled rigatoni will collapse and lose the honeycomb structure.