Creamy Spinach & Rigatoni Bake

Exploring New Orleans. The city is loud and beautiful and full of food — food on every corner, food from every tradition, the kind of culinary abundance that makes a cook from Baton Rouge feel both at home and overwhelmed. I ate a po'boy on Magazine Street that made me close my eyes. I ate beignets at Cafe Du Monde because MawMaw Shirley told me about the time she and Grandpa Charles went there in the summer of 1965 and I had to taste what they tasted.

But the cooking — my cooking — is what centers me. I made jambalaya Monday. The tradition. The anchor. The Monday that connects this week to every Monday since I was twelve. New Orleans has a thousand restaurants. I have one pot. The pot wins.

New Orleans fed me well that week — but it’s my own stove that always brings me back to myself. When Monday came and I wanted something that felt like the warmth of that one pot, something that could hold its own against a city full of culinary noise, I turned to this Creamy Spinach & Rigatoni Bake: one dish, deeply satisfying, asking nothing from me but time and attention. It’s not jambalaya, but it carries the same spirit — the idea that a single pot, the right ingredients, and a steady hand are all a cook really needs to feel at home.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35 min | Total Time: 50 min | Servings: 6

Ingredients

12 oz rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz fresh baby spinach (or one 10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry)
1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for pasta water
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Preheat and boil. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook rigatoni according to package directions until just al dente, about 1 minute less than the suggested time. Drain and set aside.
Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute until fragrant but not browned.
Wilt the spinach. Add the spinach in handfuls, tossing with tongs until fully wilted, about 3–4 minutes. If using frozen spinach, stir it in and cook until any remaining moisture evaporates.
Make it creamy. Reduce heat to medium-low. Stir in the heavy cream and ricotta until smooth and combined. Add Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper. Simmer gently for 2 minutes.
Combine. Add the drained rigatoni to the skillet and toss well to coat every piece. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella and 1/4 cup of the Parmesan until melted into the sauce. If your skillet is not oven-safe, transfer the mixture to a greased 9x13-inch baking dish.
Top and bake. Sprinkle the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan evenly over the top. Bake uncovered for 18–22 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling and golden at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let the bake rest for 5 minutes before serving. This helps the sauce settle and makes for cleaner portions. Serve straight from the pan.

Nutrition (per serving)

Creamy Spinach & Rigatoni Bake — When One Pot Is All You Need