Rigatoni Al Forno Food

RIGATONI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°; bring a large pot of salted water to boil over high heat; cook the pasta 10-12 minutes or until al dente; drain pasta and place in a mixing bowl.
• While the pasta is cooking, in a shallow pot or skillet (stainless steel is recommended) over med-high heat, combine the cream and milk; bring to a simmer.
• Add in the garlic; stir in the Gorgonzola Dolce; when the cheese has melted, add all but 1 tablespoon of the Grana Padano, decrease the heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, 10-12 minutes or until the sauce is moderately thick and creamy.
• Remove from heat and add in the oregano and pepper.
• Pour the cream sauce over the pasta; add the mozzarella and Fontina Val d'Aosta and mix well.
• The mixture should be moist and creamy; if it is too dry, add a little more milk or cream.
• Brush the bottom and sides of a 13x9 inch baking dish (preferably terra-cotta) with olive oil and pour in the pasta (which should almost entirely fill the baking dish).
• Sprinkle with the bread crumbs and the remaining Grana Padano.
• Bake on the middle shelf for 20-25 minutes or until the sauce is bubbling and the top is golden brown and crisp.

WW RIGATONI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F Spray 9 x 13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray (or for restaurant-style serving put in 1-cup shallow baking dishes in which case you will need only 5 minute baking time).
• Cook rigatoni according to package directions; drain and keep warm.
• Combine tomato sauce, half and half and cheeses in medium bowl.
• Add hot pasta and toss to coat.
• Spread mixture evently in prepared baking pan and bake until bubbly and browned on top, about 7 minute.
• 5 points per serving.

PASTA AL FORNO: OVEN BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. While the rigatoni cooks in salted boiling water, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan heat up the olive oil and saute the eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chile peppers, if using, and garlic, for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and salt. Let the sauce cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat. Drain the rigatoni; add the pasta to the saucepan, sprinkle with some Parmigiano and cook for another 30 seconds. Then place 1/2 the rigatoni in a baking dish, adding a layer of 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the scamorza and another sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese over the pasta. Add the remaining rigatoni, and follow with a final layer of all the cheeses. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

RIGATONI AL FORNO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375°F.
• Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet.
• Add the ground beef. With a wooden spoon, break apart any clumps. Season with 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper.
• After browning the ground beef for about 5 minutes over medium heat, add the chopped onions and mix. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the ground beef has nicely browned and the onions become translucent.
• Add the minced garlic for just a minute.
• Add the whole can of plum tomatoes (including any juices) and 3 ounces of tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Stir regularly and use tongs to help break apart the plum tomatoes.
• In between stirring the sauce, finely grate 4 ounces of Pecorino Romano and cut 8 ounces of mozzarella into 1/2" cubes.
• Keep simmering and stirring the pot - smell, taste. Be careful with the salt. If it tastes just slightly under-salted, that's perfect. The salty Pecorino Romano will close that gap when added before baking.
• In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil, add 8 oz rigatoni, and cook. Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add to the sauce.
• Now we're ready to put everything together and finish cooking in the oven. If you made the sauce in an oven-safe skillet, add the grated Pecorino Romano cheese and the cooked pasta. Mix well. Top with cubed mozzarella and in the oven it goes. Bake for 30 minutes. Otherwise, transfer the sauce to a baking dish, mix everything as above, and bake.
• Once it's ready to serve, remove from the oven and start heaping it on plates. Garnish with some roughly chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.

RIGATONI AND CAULIFLOWER AL FORNO

Steps:

• Cook the rigatoni in well-salted water according to package directions, but drain while still quite al dente. (If directions call for 12 minutes cooking, cook for 10 instead.) Rinse pasta with cool water, then drain again and set aside.
• Heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut cauliflower in half from top to bottom. Cut out tough core and stem any extraneous leaves. Lay cauliflower flat side down and cut crosswise into rough 1/4-inch slices. Break into smaller pieces.
• Put 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over high heat. Add cauliflower slices, along with any crumbly pieces, in one layer. (Work in batches if necessary.) Let cauliflower brown and caramelize for about 2 minutes, then turn pieces over to brown the other side. Cook for another 2 minutes, or until the cauliflower is easily pierced with a fork. It's fine if some pieces don't brown evenly. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add capers, garlic, red pepper flakes, chopped sage, sage leaves and lemon zest and stir to coat.
• Put cooked cauliflower mixture in a large mixing bowl. Add cooked rigatoni and fontina and toss. Transfer mixture to a lightly oiled baking dish. Top with Romano cheese, then with bread crumbs and drizzle with about 1 tablespoon olive oil. (Dish may be completed to this point up to several hours in advance and kept at room temperature, covered.)
• Bake, uncovered, for about 20 minutes, until top is crisp and golden. Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley before serving.

RIGATONI AL FORNO

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat 1 tbsp oil in a non-stick trying pan. Add the sausage and cook, breaking it up as it browns, so you have quite small pieces. Add the garlic, fennel and rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes.
• Heat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5. Add the tomatoes then simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. Cook the pasta but keep an eye on it, and stop cooking when it is a couple of minutes away from being done - you will be cooking it more in the oven so you want it to still have a bit of bite.
• Mix the pasta with the sauce and tip into a baking dish. Scatter over the mozzarella and grana padano and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve with a salad, if you like.