Stuffed-Meatball Rigatoni Bake
with a Parmesan & Panko Crust
- Wheat
- Milk
Sure, you’ve heard of a cheese-stuffed burger, but a cheese-stuffed meatball?! Now that’s next-level culinary innovation. Tuscan-spiced ground beef is wrapped around shredded mozzarella, then baked. While the meatballs are in the oven, you’ll be boiling rigatoni and whipping up a marinara sauce any nonna would be proud of. Everything gets tossed together, then sprinkled with buttery panko, Parmesan and more mozz. A trip under the broiler transforms the topping into crunchy, melty perfection. “Now that’s a cheesy meatball!”
Ingredients
6 ounce
Rigatoni Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
14 ounce
Marinara Sauce
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
½ cup
Mozzarella Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
10 ounce
Ground Beef
½ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Tuscan Heat Spice
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust racks to middle and top positions and preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. • Reserve half the mozzarella in a small bowl (you’ll use the rest in the next step). • In a large bowl, soak half the panko (you’ll use the rest later) with 2 TBSP water (3 TBSP for 4 servings); let sit until absorbed.
• Add beef*, half the Tuscan Heat Spice (you’ll use more later), ¾ tsp salt (1½ tsp for 4 servings), and pepper to bowl with panade. • Form into four 3-inch-wide rounds (eight rounds for 4); divide remaining mozzarella between the centers of each. Gently fold meat around cheese, shaping and sealing to create cheese- stuffed meatballs.
• Lightly oil a baking sheet. Spread meatballs out across sheet. • Bake on middle rack until cooked through, 20-22 minutes. (It’s OK if some cheese oozes out!) Remove sheet from oven. • Heat broiler to high.
• Once water is boiling, add rigatoni to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain and set aside. • While pasta cooks, place 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a second small microwave-safe bowl; microwave until melted, 30 seconds. Stir in remaining panko, ¼ tsp Tuscan Heat Spice (½ tsp for 4), salt, and pepper. (You’ll use the rest of the Tuscan Heat Spice in the next step.)
• Once meatballs and pasta are done, heat a large, preferably ovenproof, pan over medium-high heat. Stir in marinara, remaining Tuscan Heat Spice, ½ cup reserved pasta cooking water (¾ cup for 4 servings), 1 tsp sugar (2 tsp for 4), and salt (we used ½ tsp; 1 tsp for 4). Bring to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, 3-4 minutes. • Remove from heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. Season generously with salt and pepper.
• Stir drained rigatoni and meatballs into pan with sauce. If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until everything is thoroughly coated in sauce. (TIP: If your pan isn’t ovenproof, transfer mixture now to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.) Top pasta with Parmesan, reserved mozzarella, and panko mixture. • Broil until panko is golden brown and cheese melts, 1-2 minutes. TIP: Watch carefully to avoid burning. • Let cool slightly, then serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Dec 2025- Flavor: Many loved the cheese-stuffed meatballs and Tuscan heat spice, though some found the sauce bland or too salty.
- Ease of prep: While tasty, several noted it was time-consuming with many steps and dishes to clean.
- Suggestions: Consider making smaller meatballs, adding more sauce and cheese, and including a vegetable side 🍲.
- Portions: Generous servings; many had leftovers, though some wanted more meatballs or sauce.
- Texture: Some found the large rigatoni noodles too thick or tough; a few suggested cooking pasta longer.
Reviews from our home cooks
The more I use panko in my recipes, the more I enjoy these meals! This recipe was just incredible. I grew up in upstate New York, where Italian cooking is, simply, the Don. I really had fun preparing the stuffed meatballs. I was amazed at how perfectly they cooked through, being baked in the oven. The panko panade turned them into primo meatballs! I'd just never made meatballs that way. They were perfect! In fact, everything was very easy to prepare, and perfectly cooked, through & through. I wished that, maybe, I'd had one more box of the outstanding marinara sauce, it was so yummy! Growing up with Italian cooking, I think the marinara sauce stands out, in my memory, as the ingredient you couldn't get enough of. In the end, there was plenty of marinara, for this dish. Hubby & I were so stuffed, by the time we finished, yet, there was still about a small serving, leftover, to add to Hubby's lunch, the next day. He gave me a couple of bites, before happily finishing the rest. It was so bueno!!
Meatballs were sooo good and loved the panko crust on top for that extra crunch. Think we could have baked (not broiled it) to help it firm up a little more but still really liked it. Also has a good level of spice to it
This was so flavorful and delicious! The stuffed meatballs were perfect and the Tuscan spices in the marinara made this rigatoni just perfect!
This was a home run. The meatballs were a good size and very tasty. The rigatoni, while large, were plentiful and there was enough marinara sauce for everything. This was easily one of the best meals we have had from Hello Fresh. Some are disappointments, but it is a learning process.
Super Yummy! The cheese stuffed meatballs were amazing. The only "complaint" would be it could have used more sauce. When you take it out of the oven the whole dish seemed a little dry. However the whole family really liked it and I would certainly order it again
Not bad, but just not as stellar as the other meals we received. The large stuffed meatballs seemed bland and didn't pair well with the large rigatoni. Maybe a smaller pasta and adding flavored panko to the meatballs. And maybe a touch of ricotta cheese somewhere in the recipe - either the sauce or maybe in the meatball stuffing. Just needs some tweaking I think.
Loved this recipe! Everything was so tasty and easy to make. Absolutely loved the mozz-stuffed meatballs. The entire dish was easy to make and so satisfying!
Stuffed meatballs were great. Was easier to time everything to come out all at once than most recipes. Sauce was good for one that was prepared so quickly.
This was so good. The sauce and the meatballs stuffed with cheese were excellent. My favorite part was the cheese and Panko mix that was put on top and then broiled. That crunchy cheesy topping was to die for.
Meatballs were hard to stuff with shredded cheese, would have prefer to do chunks. The rigatoni noodles were large maybe a smaller one would work better.
