Rigatoni With Corn Food

RIGATONI WITH SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs for al dente.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the squash and toss to coat. Cook, stirring, until the squash is almost tender, about 3 minutes.
• Add the garlic and corn kernels to the skillet and cook, tossing, until the corn is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle in ¾ cup of the pasta cooking water from the pot and add the lemon zest and juice. Bring to a boil and simmer until the liquid is reduced, 2 to 3 minutes.
• When the pasta is about 2 minutes from being done, add the sugar snap peas to the boiling water and cook until just tender. Drain the pasta and peas together.
• Add the pasta and peas to the skillet with the squash and corn. Add 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Toss to coat the pasta well. Remove from the heat. Throw in the mozzarella, sprinkle with the parmesan and dill and toss again. Sprinkle each serving with more parmesan.

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and a pinch of salt and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the sausage and use a fork to crumble the sausage into the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high, and fully cook the sausage, adding some of the pasta water to deglaze the pan.
• Cook the rigatoni until just shy of al dente. Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.
• Add the pasta to the pan with the sausage, reserving the cooking liquid, and add the parsley. Add the spinach and tomatoes and cook, tossing, until the spinach has wilted. Add some of the reserved cooking liquid, if needed. Remove from the heat. Crumble the goat cheese with a fork and add it along with the Parmigiano-Reggiano. Add a bit more of the cooking liquid if needed and serve.

CHEESY SAUSAGE RIGATONI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni according to the package instructions; drain and set aside to cool.
• Saute the onions in the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Crumble in the sausage, add the crushed red pepper and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the marinara sauce, mix everything together and cook for 5 to 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• To assemble, add about 2 spoonfuls of the sauce--just enough to coat the bottom--to a baking dish. Then layer half of the cooled noodles, half of the mozzarella cubes and half of the remaining sauce. Repeat the process: layer the remaining noodles, mozzarella and sauce, then top with the Parmesan. Cover and put in the fridge or freezer until ready to cook.
• When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Cook the rigatoni until heated through and bubbling, 25 minutes straight from the fridge, or 2 hours straight from the freezer. Garnish with minced parsley before serving.

RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE & FENNEL

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the fennel and onion and saute for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the sausage and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, crumbling it with a fork, until nicely browned. Add the garlic, crushed fennel seeds, red pepper flakes, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon black pepper and cook for one minute. Pour in the wine, bring to a boil, and add the heavy cream, half-and-half, and tomato paste. Bring back to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 2 tablespoons salt, and cook the rigatoni according to the directions on the package. Drain and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Cook over low heat for 5 minutes to allow the pasta to absorb the sauce. Off the heat, stir in the parsley and 1/2 cup of the Parmesan. Serve hot in shallow bowls with the remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan on the side.

CHICKEN RIGATONI

Steps:

• Heat oil, brown chicken on each side for about 5 minutes, remove from pan and set aside.
• In a large pot break up the whole tomatoes, add the onions, tomato sauces, water and mushrooms; bring to a boil, turn down heat and add chicken and spices.
• Cook uncovered for about 2 hours or until chicken is done and sauce thickens.
• CROCKPOT- If you prefer, brown the chicken and put everything together into a crockpot to cook, but allow more time for cooking.
• This is good served with noodles- rigatoni or otherwise.