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Baked Rigatoni
(Chef Jeff Special)


  • 1 1/2 lbs rigatoni
  • 1 tbl olive oil
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 Ibs mixed hot and sweet Italian sausages, casings removed 
  • 2 - 30 oz cans of Italian crushed tomatoes in puree
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tbls chopped fresh basil or 2 tsp of dried
  • 1 tbls chopped fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried
  • 1 tbls chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 Ib mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 1/2 cups grated Parmasen cheese, about 6 ounces

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook rigatoni until tender but still a little firm, 10 -12 minutes; drain. Rinse under cool water; drain well.
In a large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook 3-4 minutes, or until soft. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up lumps of meat, 6-8 minutes, or until lightly browned. Pour off excess fat (I would leave it in for flavor).
Add tomatoes with puree, water, basil oregano and parsley to pan. You may also want to add '/4 cup of dry red wine. Bring to a boil over medium heat.
Reduce heat to low and cook
partially covered for about 25 minutes.
Uncover, increase heat to medium, and cook,
stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens, 8-10 minutes.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss pasta with 2/3's of the sauce. Stir in mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan. Pour pasta into a baking large dish. Cover with remaining sauce and Parmesan cheese.
Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 10 minutes until bubbly and lightly browned on top.

Serve with crusty Italian bread or, better yet,  home made garlic bread.


You cannot mess this up, give it a try and I promise it will become one of your favorites