February 6, 2023
Fried Rigatoni Bites
These Fried Rigatoni Bites are not your average pasta dish! Rigatoni noodles are stuffed with savory vegan sausage, a blend of cheeses, and fresh herbs, then coated in seasoned breadcrumbs and fried until golden-brown and crispy. Serve with herby vegan ricotta and marinara sauce for the ultimate crowd-pleasing snack!
Table of Contents
ingredients jump to recipe video step-by-step instructions tips and faqsFried Rigatoni Bites
A couple years ago, I recreated Olive Garden’s Lasagna Fritta as part of my Restaurant Remakes Series and since that recipe was such a big hit, I figured I’d have my hand at recreating their Rigatoni Fritta as well! In addition to an herby cheese blend, I also stuffed the rigatoni with vegan sausage – and the outcome is crispy, cheesy, meaty perfection. Seriously, these were so fun to make … and eve more fun to eat! Grab a drink and let’s get to cookin’!
Ingredients for Fried Rigatoni Bites
Here’s what you’ll need to make them:
- Vegan cheese: for the filling, we’re using a blend of vegan mozzarella and parmesan. You can also sub the vegan parmesan out for equal parts nutritional yeast!
- Vegan Sausage: you’ll need to make sure it’s ground vegan sausage like this Impossible Sausage or this Lightlife Sausage. If you can’t find ground sausage, you can also use vegan sausage links like these Beyond Meat Links or Good & Gather links by Target. Additionally, you can also use a vegan ground, or sub out the faux meat altogether for TVP pieces. Please note that if using an alternative to vegan grounds, cooking times and method may vary.
- Vegan egg replacer: this will help bind the filling, so I highly recommend it. I like to use Bob’s Red Mill, but a homemade egg replacer such as chia or flax egg will work perfectly as well!
- Rigatoni pasta: I used regular rigatoni noodles, but if you’re able to find jumbo rigatoni or a noodle that’s a bit larger, such as this pacheri pasta, I recommend that as it’ll be easier to stuff!
- Italian Panko Breadcrumbs: I find that panko breadcrumbs result in a much crispier texture than regular breadcrumbs. if you can’t find Italian-seasonsed panko breadcrumbs, you can get regular panko breadcrumbs and seasoned them with 1 tablespoon of Italian season and 1 teaspoon kosher salt.
- Vegetable oil: for frying (air-fryer instructions below)
- For serving: marinara sauce and vegan ricotta
Step-by-Step Instructions
I’m not going to lie to you – these fried rigatoni bites are a bit time-consuming. That said, I find stuffing and coating them to be therapeutic in a way, so put on a good playlist and have fun while you do it! You can also break up the work by stuffing them one day, coating them another day, and then frying them the day of! Here’s how to make them:
1. Make the filling:
Place the mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, and garlic cloves into a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl along with the vegan sausage and egg replacer. Mix to thoroughly combine. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a gallon Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off
2. Stuff and Freeze Pasta:
To stuff the pasta, carefully place the tip of the piping bag into the rigatoni and fill with the sausage/cheese mixture. If the noodle rips or tears, that’s okay – just try to be as gentle as possible. Continue until all the filling is gone. Place the stuffed rigatoni in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place the stuffed rigatoni in the freezer until completely solidified, 1 to 2 hours.
NOTE: YOU CAN FREEZE THE PASTA UP TO 3 MONTHS BEFORE COATING IT. TO DO SO, PLACE IT IN THE FREEZER TO SOLIDIFY ACCORDING TO DIRECTIONS. ONCE THEY’RE COMPLETELY FROZEN, TRANSFER THEM TO A FREEZER-FRIENDLY CONTAINER OR GALLON ZIPLOC BAG. WHEN YOU’RE READY, COAT THEM ACCORDING TO THE DIRECTIONS.
3. Coat the Pasta:
About 10 minutes before removing the rigatoni from the freezer, set up a dredging station. In one large bowl, whisk together the flour with ½ cup of water and the salt and pepper. You want the mixture to be thick enough to coat the stuffed rigatoni – like the consistency of pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Alternatively, if it seems too thin, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the desired consistency reached. Place the breadcrumbs in a second bowl.
Working in batches, toss the rigatoni in the flour dredge, ensuring they’re fully coated. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the rigatoni from the flour dredge and tap off any excess. Transfer them to the panko breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Continue until all the rigatonis are coated.
4. Fry the Pasta:
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, (you’ll know when you sprinkle some breadcrumbs into the oil, and it sizzles immediately) working in batches, add the breaded rigatonis and fry until golden, crispy, and completely cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes.
5. ENJOY!
Transfer the rigatoni to a paper-towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with some flakey salt. Continue until all the rigatonis are fried. Garnish with fresh minced parsley, and served with marinara sauce and vegan ricotta, and enjoy!
Tips and FAQs
Freezer Instructions:
Prepare the fried rigatoni bites according to instructions, but stop before frying them. Add coated rigatoni’s to a parchment paper lined baking sheet in a single layer and place in the freezer for 1 hour. Once the rigatonis are fully frozen, transfer them to a freezer-friendly covered container or gallon ziplc bag and store in the freezer up to 3 months. When ready to fry, remove from the freezer and let defrost at room temperature for about 20 minutes. Fry according to directions.
Air Fryer Instructions:
Coat the rigatonis with a bit of cooking spray and place in the air-fryer basket in an even layer. Cook at 375°F until golden and crispy, 10 to 15 minutes, flipping always through.
Storage and Reheating:
The fried rigatoni bites will store in the covered container in the refrigerator up to 5 days. For best results, I recommend reheating the leftovers in an air fryer or convectional oven at 350°F until heated through, about 8 to 10 minutes, flipping halfway through. Alternatively, you can also microwave leftovers until heated through, but keep in mind they might not be as crispy.
Stuffing the Rigatoni:
Make sure the tip of the piping bag is large enough so that they filling comes out. If the noodles break or tear a bit, that’s okay! Once you freeze and coat them, they’ll fry up perfectly fine – just make sure they don’t tear completely!
More Game Day Snacks and Restaurant Remakes:
- Mini Chili Cheese Dogs
- Meatball Sub Bites
- Taco Dip
- Pull Apart Breakfast Sliders
- Birria Walking Tacos
- Olive Garden Zuppa Toscana
- Cheesecake Factory Cheeseburger Spring Rolls
- Applebee’s Chick’n Wonton Tacos
- Chili’s Southwestern Egg Rolls
- CPK Chick’n Tequila Lime Pasta
Fried Rigatoni Bites >>> Regular Rigatoni Pasta
I hope ya’ll love fried rigatoni bites dogs as much as I do! If you give this recipe a try, I wanna know! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram or TikTok, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigs and #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations! Til next time, friends!
xo!
Fried Rigatoni Bites
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup vegan mozzarella shreds
- 2/3 cup vegan parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup parsley plus more for garnish
- 6 cloves garlic
- 12 ounces vegan ground sausage
- 2 tablespoons vegan egg replacer prepared according to package directions
- 8 ounces rigatoni if you’re able to find jumbo rigatoni, even better!, cooked al dente according to package directions
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt plus more to taste
- 1 teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper plus more to taste
- 1 cup Italian-seasoned panko breadcrumbs
- 4 cups vegetable oil for frying
- Flakey sea salt
- Marinara sauce for serving
- Vegan ricotta for serving
Instructions
- Place the mozzarella, parmesan, parsley, and garlic cloves into a food processor and pulse until a fine crumb forms. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl along with the vegan sausage and egg replacer. Mix to thoroughly combine. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a gallon Ziploc bag with the corner snipped off.
- To stuff the pasta, carefully place the tip of the piping bag into the rigatoni and fill with the sausage/cheese mixture. If the noodle rips or tears, that’s okay – just try to be as gentle as possible. Continue until all the filling is gone. Place the stuffed rigatoni in an even layer on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Place the stuffed rigatoni in the freezer until completely solidified, 1 to 2 hours.
- About 10 minutes before removing the rigatoni from the freezer, set up a dredging station. In one large bowl, whisk together the flour with ½ cup of water and the salt and pepper. You want the mixture to be thick enough to coat the stuffed rigatoni – like the consistency of pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time. Alternatively, if it seems too thin, add 1 tablespoon of flour at a time until the desired consistency reached. Place the breadcrumbs in a second bowl.
- Working in batches, toss the rigatoni in the flour dredge, ensuring they’re fully coated. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, remove the rigatoni from the flour dredge and tap off any excess. Transfer them to the panko breadcrumbs and toss to coat. Continue until all the rigatonis are coated.
- Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, (you’ll know when you sprinkle some breadcrumbs into the oil, and it sizzles immediately) working in batches, add the breaded rigatonis and fry until golden, crispy, and completely cooked through, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer the rigatoni to a paper-towel lined plate and immediately sprinkle with some flakey salt. Continue until all the rigatonis are fried. Garnish with fresh minced parsley, and served with marinara sauce and vegan ricotta, and enjoy!
