Rigatoni al forno
Rigatoni al Forno, literally 'Rigatoni from the oven,' is Italian comfort food at its best. Pasta baked in a flavorful tomato sauce with oodles of delicious mozzarella cheese. It is virtually impossible to mess up this simple recipe.
Ingredients
- 1 medium onion diced
- 5 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
- 1 pound ground meat turkey, chicken, beef, pork, sausage or a mix
- 28 ounces of tomato puree see note 1
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup of dry wine red or white
- 14 ounces or approximately 2 ½ cups of mozzarella cheese cubed (see note 2)
- 4 ounces of shredded or grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup fresh basil sliced
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 16 ounces of dry rigatoni
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Saute diced onions in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until translucent. Add minced garlic and saute for 2 more minutes. Watch carefully so that the onions and garlic don't brown.
- Add ground meat to onions and garlic, breaking the meat into fine mince. Saute until meat is cooked through.
- Add tomato puree, tomato paste, spices, and wine to the meat and onion mixture.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Simmer for 10 minutes over low heat.
- While the sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of water to boil to cook the rigatoni.
- Cook the rigatoni 2 minutes less than directed for al dente.
- Drain the rigatoni and add it to the sauce.
- Place half of the sauce/pasta mixture to the bottom of your baking dish.
- Spread half of both cheeses and half of the basil over the pasta and sauce.
- Then add the remaining pasta/sauce over top, followed by the remaining cheese and basil.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Sprinkle fresh basil over top before serving.
Notes
Note 1: If you don't have tomato puree, you can puree 28 ounces of whole tomatoes in a blender or food processor.
Note 2: Fresh is best, with block mozzarella coming in second. Avoid pre-shredded if at all possible. Pre-shredded cheese is often drier in general and often coated with an anti-caking agent, which might make your dish less ooey-gooey and gritty.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 487kcalCarbohydrates: 33gProtein: 33gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 11gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 90mgSodium: 599mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7g
Well, what did you think?Please rate this recipe here! It helps other readers and also helps to support our site.