Time to get on the food trend with the most creative way to bake a Honeycomb Pasta Cake. Yes, I said cake prepared with pasta! Get your hands ready to start stacking rigatoni and stuff it with sauce and cheese; it’s really not hard to get the hang of it!

a Honeycomb Pasta Cake topped with melted cheese and garnished with chopped basil.

The Viral Honeycomb Pasta Cake

Honeycomb Pasta Cake recipe arranges rigatoni noodles vertically in a springform pan, stuffs them with marinara, mozzarella, and parmesan, spreads more sauce and cheese on top, and bakes it into a rigatoni pie. It’s sort of like upright lasagna, tastes like baked ziti, and looks just like a pasta pie that you eat for dinner instead of dessert!

I’ve heard that foodies are taking offense to the viral honeycomb pasta recipe trending on TikTok. So, naturally, I had to see what the fuss was all about and give my honest review. Some may be hating on honeycomb pasta, but I am all for it (mostly)!

I admit, I made a few changes to the viral version – I stuff my pasta with fresh mozzarella instead of string cheese and use marinara instead of fried beef meat sauce – because I prefer my pie without the ground beef and shredded mozzarella melts so much better when baked! But regardless how you cook your cake, this rigatoni recipe is fun, cool, and makes a pretty presentation.

Honeycomb Pasta Bake Ingredients

Rigatoni pasta: Wide tubular pasta works best for this recipe. I prefer to use Rigatoni because the ridges really cling to the cheese, but Ziti will work, too. Make sure the pasta is cooked to al dente according to the package directions.
Olive oil
Marinara sauce: You can use your favorite brand of store-bought marinara sauce or tomato sauce. If you have a homemade recipe you love, feel free to skip the jar and make your own sauce. I suggest using a sauce that has more of a smooth texture rather than one that is really full of chunky tomatoes, as the sauce needs to fill the holes of the pasta.
Mozzarella cheese: For best results and maximum melting, use freshly shredded mozzarella instead of buying a bag of pre-shredded cheese.
Parmesan cheese: I love the extra rich, tangy nutty taste that parmesan adds to this pasta dish. I prefer to grate my own parmesan for this recipe.
Dried Italian seasoning blend: You can buy a bottle or make your own blend with with dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried thyme and dried marjoram.
Fresh basil: If fresh basil is not available, fresh chopped Italian parsley is a great substitute for the garnish.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

a slice of Honeycomb Pasta Cake being lifted from the whole dish.

How to Make Honeycomb Pasta Cake

Prepare The Pan: Spray the inside of the springform pan with nonstick spray and place it on a large sheet tray.
Prepare The Pasta: Cook the pasta to al dente, drain, and return the noodles to the pot. Toss with olive oil to coat, then cool for 3-4 minutes.
Assemble: Place the pasta, standing straight up, in the springform pan so it resembles a honeycomb. Spoon marinara sauce over and into the open holes of the noodles. Sprinkle the mozzarella into open noodle spaces, followed by the parmesan cheese. Top with the Italian seasoning blend.
Spread Over The Surface: Spread the remaining sauce over the rigatoni noodles, followed by more mozzarella, to cover the entire surface of the honeycomb pasta bake.
Bake: Cover with aluminum foil and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
Remove The Ring: Allow the pasta bake to cool slightly on the counter and set up for 5-10 minutes. Remove the outer ring of the pan.
Slice And Serve: Sprinkle with basil, then slice like a cake to serve. Enjoy!

Place the pasta, standing straight up, in the springform pan. Spoon marinara sauce over and into the open holes of the noodles. Sprinkle the mozzarella. Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese. Add the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake.

Serving Suggestions

Honeycomb pasta bake recipes are best served hot and fresh. This pie is prepared with a full pound of pasta and will feed 8 people when served with another dish on the side. For a full Italian meal, serve your slice with our Olive Garden salad, homemade meatballs, baked Italian sausage, and garlic bread.

And don’t forget dessert! Cannoli dip, tiramisu, and flourless chocolate torte are all delicious after dinner!

honeycomb pasta bake with marinara sauce.

Tips & Variations

Prepare The Pan Properly: If you do not have olive oil cooking spray, you can easily use a pastry brush to brush the inside of the springform pan with olive oil before filling it with the pasta. This ensures that the pasta does not stick to the pan when the outer ring is removed.
Use A Tray To Transport: I highly recommend you place the pan onto a large sheet tray before you begin. This will make it easy to transport the springform pan to and from the oven, as well as catch any sauce that may seep out from the springform pan as the honeycomb pasta bakes.

Proper Storage

Make Ahead: You can assemble this dish ahead of time, cover it tightly with foil, and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, allow the assembled honeycomb pasta to come to room temperature while the oven preheats, and bake according to the recipe directions.
In The Fridge: You can transfer leftovers to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or the microwave.
In The Freezer: I do not recommend freezing this pasta cake; it doesn’t hold its shape well.

a slice of Honeycomb Pasta Cake on a plate.

Other Easy Pasta Bakes

If you tried this Honeycomb Pasta Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!!!

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a Honeycomb Pasta Cake on a wooden board garnished with chopped basil.

Honeycomb Pasta Bake

Author — Jennifer Fishkind

Serves —

Have you seen the Honeycomb Pasta Cake trending on social media? See why some love and some love to hate when pasta is placed vertical and baked into a cake-like creation.

Print Rate Pin Save

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 30

Total Time 50

Ingredients

▢ 1 pound Rigatoni pasta cooked to al dente according to package directions
▢ 2 tablespoons olive oil
▢ 3 cups marinara sauce divided
▢ 3½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese divided
▢ 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
▢ 1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning blend
▢ 1 tablespoon fresh basil chopped, for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375* F. Spray a 9 inch springform pan with olive oil cooking spray on the sides and bottom of the inside of the pan. Place the pan onto a large sheet tray. This will make it easy to transport the springform pan to and from the oven as well as catching any sauce that may seep out from the springform pan as the honeycomb pasta bakes. Set aside.
Cook the rigatoni pasta, according to package directions, to al dente. Drain the pasta then return the cooked pasta to the pot it was cooked in. Add the olive oil to the pasta and toss to coat all the pasta with the oil. Allow the pasta to cool for 3-4 minutes or until you can handle the pasta easily.
1 pound Rigatoni pasta, 2 tablespoons olive oil
Place the rigatoni pasta, standing straight up, in the springform pan until all the noodles look like they have created a honeycomb.
Spoon 1 cup of the marinara sauce over the open holes of the rigatoni noodles gently easing the sauce into the openings of the noodles.
3 cups marinara sauce
Sprinkle 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella into as many of the open noodle spaces as possible. Try to evenly disperse the shredded cheese into the noodle openings.
3½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
Sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese over the surface of the pasta trying to get as much as you can into the noodle openings. Top the grated parmesan cheese with the dried Italian seasoning blend.
1 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon dried italian seasoning blend
Spread the remaining marinara sauce evenly over the rigatoni noodles, followed by adding the remaining shredded mozzarella cheese to evenly cover the entire surface of the honeycomb pasta bake.
Cover the honeycomb pasta with aluminum foil and bake for 15 minutes, uncover and bake for an additional 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is melted and lightly golden.
Remove the honeycomb pasta bake from the oven and allow it to cool slightly, and set-up, for 5-10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the springform pan, then open the latch of the springform pan to remove the outer ring.
Garnish with a sprinkle of freshly chopped basil then slice like a cake to serve.
1 tablespoon fresh basil

Jenn’s Notes

Storage:

Make Ahead: You can assemble this dish ahead of time, cover tightly with foil, and refrigerate for up to 6 hours. When ready to bake, remove from the refrigerator, allow the assembled honeycomb pasta to come to room temperature while the oven preheats then bake according to recipe directions.
In The Fridge: You can transfer leftovers to an airtight container, and refrigerate, for up to 2 days. Reheat in the oven or the microwave.
In The Freezer: I do not recommend freezing this pasta cake; it doesn’t hold it’s shape well.

Tips:

If you do not have olive oil cooking spray, you can easily use a pastry brush to brush the inside of the springform pan with olive oil before filling it with the pasta. This ensures that the pasta does not stick to the pan when the outer ring is removed.
I highly recommend you place the pan onto a large sheet tray before you begin. This will make it easy to transport the springform pan to and from the oven as well as catching any sauce that may seep out from the springform pan as the honeycomb pasta bakes.