Rigatoni pasta is tossed with a creamy sauce made with goat cheese and sun-dried tomatoes then baked in the oven until bubbly.
I bet if you checked our fridge any day of the week, you would find goat cheese. We love it. We eat it as is, cook with it, spread it, pour honey over it, smoke it and do whatever we can to eat it! This recipe is a fantastic excuse to add some goat cheese to your fridge, don’t you think?
How to Make Creamy Rigatoni
The rigatoni pasta actually gets a little bake time in the oven before serving. After tossing in a creamy sauce made with cream and goat cheese, we top the it with a sprinkling of breadcrumbs.
The sauce comes together quickly. To make it, we cook garlic, red pepper flakes, and sun-dried tomatoes in a little olive oil then we add cream and the goat cheese. In goes cooked rigatoni pasta and then we add everything to a baking dish and top with the breadcrumbs.
Recipe updated, originally posted October 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Sun-Dried Tomato and Goat Cheese Rigatoni Pasta
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
We love this sun-dried tomato and goat cheese pasta! Sun-dried tomatoes are incredibly flavorful, so we love them for this creamy pasta. The sauce combines sun-dried tomatoes, cream, and goat cheese, making it flavorful and incredibly creamy. I love rigatoni pasta in this dish, but you can always substitute your favorite pasta shape.
You Will Need
12 ounces (340g) dried rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/3 cup (38g) bread crumbs
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/3 cup (55g) sun-dried tomatoes, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 cup (236ml) heavy cream
4 ounces (113g) fresh goat cheese, use a soft cheese like chèvre
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
Directions
1Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Butter a 2-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2Cook the pasta: Cook the rigatoni in boiling salted water according to the package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the hot starchy pasta water before draining.
3Prepare breadcrumbs: Toss 1/3 cup breadcrumbs with 1 tablespoon of oil and lightly season with salt and fresh ground pepper. Set aside.
4Make sauce: Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, and 1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for 1 minute.
5Whisk in 1 cup of cream, 4 ounces goat cheese, and 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg. Bring to a simmer and cook until the cheese has melted into the sauce, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and fresh ground black pepper.
6Bake pasta: Add the rigatoni to the cream sauce and toss until well coated. If the sauce is too thick, add 3 to 4 tablespoons of the reserved pasta water (the sauce will absorb into the pasta as it bakes and sits). Spoon the rigatoni into the prepared baking dish, top with the bread crumbs, and bake, uncovered, until the breadcrumbs turn golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Seasoning your pasta water: I use 1 tablespoon of salt. If you’re unsure, taste the water—it should taste pleasantly salty, like seawater.
- The nutrition facts provided below are estimates.
Do you drain the sun dried tomatoes or just add the oil?
Hi Rhonda, We do not use the oil from the jar in this recipe.
How can I make bread crumbs?
To make breadcrumbs, toss day-old bread into a food processor and process until crumbs form. You can use them or go one more step and toast them in a skillet until light brown.
Looks amazing!! What wine pairing would you recommend?
Hi Michelle, Good question! A dry white could be nice to cut through the cheese or a light bodied, dry red (maybe Chianti).
Love this pasta!!! My clients will love it too!!!
I was searching for a recipe tonight that included goat cheese and sundried tomatoes and came across this one. It was super easy and very good!!
* I didn’t have heavy cream on hand so i substituted with half and half
* I added mushrooms and shrimp to the sauce
Sounds great. Can this recipe be made ahead?
Yes, just keep tightly covered in the refrigerator.
Great recipe. My kids liked it. Super easy, but not low fat at all.
This recipe looks so simple and delicious. I will definitely add it to my “must make soon” folder! My husband and I love goat cheese in every form possible too 🙂 Love the combination of sun-dried tomatoes, creamy goat cheese, rigatoni and basil. Yum!
This looks delish!
I’m going to make this this weekend only I will top the pasta off with some homemade pesto and chopped tomato! YUM
there’s no oven temperature for baking it 🙂 i used 425 and it worked pretty well!
Hi Rae, We the oven temp was is in the first line of the method — it’s 400 degrees. Thanks so much for trying the recipe 🙂
Joanne
I made this dish last night but added same sauteed chicken to it before baking..it was wonderful!! Thanks for sharing!! I highly recommend this recipe!
Awesome! Love the idea to add chicken, shrimp would be a great idea, too!
-Joanne
This pasta looks really yummy. Love the breadcrumbs on it!
This looks amazing! I need to cook more with sun-dried tomatoes.
Thanks, Julie — We found ours at a local farmer’s market and were so glad to have found them there! So sweet and delicious.
-Joanne
What can you suggest instead of goat cheese? Thanks! 🙂
Hi Ivy, try substituting the goat cheese for about 1/4 cup of Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. We also think a pinch of nutmeg would be lovely to add too in this case.
Hope that helps!
Joanne