This oven baked 3-ingredient lazy cream cheese pesto rigatoni is the kind of back-pocket dinner that earns a permanent spot in a busy weeknight rotation. With just rigatoni, pesto, and cream cheese, it bakes into a rich, comforting pasta with a sauce that turns silky in the oven and clings to every tube. It has the easy spirit of pantry pasta bakes, but the cream cheese gives it an especially cozy, almost casserole-like finish that feels far more substantial than the short ingredient list suggests.
Serve this with a crisp green salad, simple roasted broccoli, or garlicky green beans to balance the richness. A side of toasted bread or warm focaccia is useful for scooping up extra sauce, and if you want to round it out further, a handful of cherry tomatoes on the side or a spoonful of marinated tomatoes adds a welcome fresh, bright contrast to the creamy pesto flavors.
Oven Baked 3-Ingredient Lazy Cream Cheese Pesto Rigatoni
Servings: 4
Ingredients
12 ounces rigatoni
8 ounces cream cheese, cubed
1 cup prepared basil pesto
Directions
1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil and cook the rigatoni until just shy of al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directs. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta.
2. Add the hot drained rigatoni to a baking dish. Stir in the pesto, cream cheese cubes, and 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water until the pasta is evenly coated and the cream cheese is beginning to soften. Add a splash more pasta water if the mixture seems too thick.
3. Spread the mixture into an even layer and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the cream cheese has melted into the pesto and the pasta is hot and creamy.
4. Let the pasta sit for 5 minutes before serving so the sauce can settle and cling to the rigatoni. Serve warm.
Variations & Tips
Add a little pasta water gradually: The key to a smooth sauce is reserved pasta water. Start with less than you think you need, then stir in more as the pasta bakes if it looks dry. That starch helps the pesto and cream cheese emulsify into a sauce rather than sit in separate streaks.
Choose your pesto carefully: Since there are only three ingredients, the flavor of the pesto matters a great deal. A bright basil pesto gives the cleanest flavor, but arugula pesto or spinach-basil pesto also work well if that is what you have on hand.
Make it extra golden: If you like a lightly browned top, bake the pasta uncovered and place it under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes at the end. Watch closely so the creamy sauce does not overcook.
Use another pasta shape: Penne, ziti, or medium shells can stand in for rigatoni. Tubes and ridged shapes are especially good here because they catch the creamy pesto sauce inside and out.
Turn it into a fuller meal: Even though the base recipe is intentionally minimal, you can fold in cooked shredded chicken, white beans, peas, or baby spinach if you want to stretch it further without changing the basic method.