Baked Rigatoni With Ricotta Swiss Chard And Italian Sausage Food

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the topping: Add the ricotta, basil, and salt to a small bowl. Stir together with a rubber spatula. Set aside.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season well with salt and cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large braiser or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage to the pan. Cook, stirring often and breaking apart the meat with the back of a spoon, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook to marry the flavors, about 3 minutes. Stir in the marinara and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fully combined. Add the pasta to the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well to coat. Add the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce slightly.
• Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the top. Nestle the ricotta mixture into the pasta and cover with some of the pasta. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

RIGATONI WITH SWISS CHARD AND SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven or wide skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate using a slotted spoon; set aside.
• Wipe the Dutch oven clean; add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until slightly softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chard and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, stirring, until combined, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Add the milk to the chard mixture and bring to a boil; cook 1 minute. Stir in the sausage, parmesan, lemon zest and a few grinds of pepper. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Add the pasta to the pot and toss, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to loosen.

SAUSAGE AND MUSHROOM BAKED RIGATONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add both cans of tomatoes and 1 cup of water. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat slightly, add the basil and simmer rapidly, uncovered, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the basil. Season with salt and pepper.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up any clumps with a wooden spoon, until brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat slightly if necessary, until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the mushrooms to the bowl with the sausage.
• Cook the rigatoni in the salted boiling water until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions. Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl.
• Add the tomato sauce and half of the provolone and pecorino to the bowl and stir well to combine. Transfer the pasta to a 3- to 4-quart baking dish and dollop spoonfuls of the ricotta on top. Top with the remaining provolone and pecorino. Bake, uncovered, until browned, about 15 minutes. Let the pasta stand about 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with chopped basil.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH RICOTTA, SWISS CHARD AND ITALIAN SAUSAGE RECIPE

Steps:

• 1. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until it's still a little firm (about 7 minutes) - it will cook more in the oven. Drain, and set aside. 2. To make the sauce, heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the oil. Squeeze the sausage out of the casings, and cook until no longer pink inside, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Add the chopped onion and garlic, herbs and red pepper flakes. Cook until the onions are translucent. 3. Add the glugs of wine, if you wish, let reduce for a bit, then add the crushed tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, honey and a little salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, stirring, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring now and again. Adjust the seasonings. 4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, egg, Parmesan, basil and red pepper flakes. Heat a medium skillet over medium-high and add olive oil. Sauté the onion until translucent and then add the chard. Cook until soft. Let cool a bit, then add to the cheese mixture. To assemble: In a large, deep 3L casserole dish, lay down some sauce, then half noodles, then the ricotta filling, then remaining noodles, remaining sauce and finish with the mozzarella. Bake until cheese is bubbly and golden, about 25 minutes. Let sit 5 minutes before cutting. Serve with crusty bread and a big salad. Makes lots for 8.