Rigatoni al Forno (Baked Pasta in the Oven)
https://easyhomemaderecipes.caGrowing up Rigatoni al Forno was a staple meal in my household. The perfect meal for large crowds or an intimate dinner for two.Like rigatoni, Lasagna al Forno and Riso al Forno are similar concept dishes made in traditional Italian households that yield hearty dishes and can be made any time of the year.Pasta a la Carbonara ain't so shabby either if you like a creamy egg parmesan sauce.
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Equipment
- baking dish or roasting pan
Ingredients
Sauce
- 1 lbs ground veal
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 clove garlic
- ½ tsp nutmeg ground
- 1 onion chopped
- 26 oz tomato puree
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 3 basil leaves
- ½ cups water
For the Pasta
- 16 oz pasta rigatoni or small tubed pasta
- ½ cups parmesan cheese grated
- ½ cups mozzarella shredded
- 2 eggs hard boiled, optional
- ¾ cups pasta water
Instructions
For the Sauce
- In a large saucepan heat up the olive oil and brown the onions and garlic.
- Toss in the veal and brown the veal. Salt and Pepper to taste. Add nutmeg and continue to brown veal. Once veal is cooked. Add tomato paste and stir into coat all of the ground meet.
- Add tomato puree and bring to boil. Add oregano. The sauce will cook down and get thick, if necessary add ½ cup of water if the sauce is too thick.
- Bring down to a simmer and cook covered for about 20 minutes.
- Toss in finely chopped fresh basil (dried is fine too). Set aside
For the Pasta
- Cook pasta as per manufacturer's instructions. Remove pasta when it's al dente (not fully cooked).
- Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water for the assembly. Drain pasta and run under cold water to stop cooking process. Place the pasta in a large bowl or return to empty pot.
Assembly
- Preheat oven to 350 F degrees.
- Place about half of the sauce into the bowl with the pasta. Mix well. Add half of the parmesan cheese and half of the shredded mozzarella. Mix well.
- In a medium sized baking dish (9 x 8), place ¾ cup of water and one scoop of the sauce. Pour half of the pasta mixture in the dish. Spread half of the remaining sauce over the pasta. Sprinkle half of the remaining parmesan cheese and half of the remaining shredded mozzarella. Chop the hard boiled eggs, and sprinkle half on top.
- Pour the rest of the pasta mixture on top. Spread the remaining sauce over pasta. Top with the remaining chopped egg.
- Bake at 350°F degrees for 45 minutes. You will know when it is done when a fork is easily inserted in the pasta and the pasta is soft. Once the pasta is cooked, remove it from the oven and let it stand for about 15 minutes so that it sets and is easy to scoop and serve.
Notes
Top Tips
When cooking your pasta you will want to make sure you don't cook it all the way through. For the best pasta al forno, you will need to take out the past when it's about ¾ of the way cooked. Essentially the pasta needs to be less cooked than "al dente". The reason that the pasta needs to be partially raw is that it will finish cooking as it is baking. If you cook the pasta all the way through before combining it with the other ingredients and baking it, you will end up with pasta that is very soft and overcooked. Let the pasta cool down for 15 minutes so that it sets . Trust the process!Nutrition
Serving: 1Calories: 445kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 25gFat: 14gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.004gCholesterol: 97mgSodium: 270mgPotassium: 802mgFiber: 4gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 699IUVitamin C: 12mgCalcium: 163mgIron: 3mg
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