Ricotta Stuffed Rigatoni Pie With Meat Sauce Recipes

PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a large saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When hot, add the meat and cook, without stirring, until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Break it up with a wooden spoon, then add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until starting to soften, about 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the crushed tomatoes and oregano and season with salt and pepper. Simmer until thickened and the flavors come together, about 1 hour.
• About 20 minutes before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt liberally. Drop in the pasta, give it a stir and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce. Remove from the heat, toss in the cheese and serve.

RICOTTA STUFFED RIGATONI PIE

Steps:

• Pre-heat oven to 400ºF and rub olive oil on the bottoms and the side of a 9" springform pan and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Cut two long strips of parchment paper slightly taller than the height of the springform pan and line the sides of the springform pan. This makes it easier to unmold the pasta dish at the end, and this step is optional.
• Heat oil over medium heat in a large dutch oven. Once hot, add ground sausage and beef and cook until no pink remains, about 7 minutes. Add Italian seasoning, garlic powder, salt, onion powder, and tomato pasta and stir. Cook for 1 minute, until fragrant. Then add in tomato sauce, and water to combine. Bring the sauce to a boil, reduce the heat to simmer, and loosely cover the pot. Continue to simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, while you assemble the rest of the ingredients, which should be about 15-20 minutes. The sauce should be thickened.
• Prepare ricotta mixture: Add ricotta, egg, parmesan, herbs, salt and pepper to a bowl and mix together until fully combined. Transfer ricotta filling to a plastic piping bag either with a piping tip smaller than the whole of the rigatoni pasta, or a plastic storage bag with a small hole snipped off of the end.
• Meanwhile, cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Do not add oil. Add rigatoni and cook, uncovered, until the pasta is al dente-about 2 minutes less than the package instructions state. Drain the pasta through a colander and rinse with cool water until it is no longer hot.
• One by one, stand up the rigatoni pasta in concentric circles in the prepared springform pan. Pack them so that they all stand up vertically on their own, but not so tightly that there is no space at all between them.
• Fill each rigatoni tube with just enough ricotta filling to reach the top. Place 1 cup of meat sauce on top, and smooth it over with a spatula so that the sauce fills in the gaps in between the rigatoni. Place another 1 cup of meat sauce, and smooth it over. Top with 2 cups of mozzarella cheese.
• Lightly oil a piece of aluminum foil, and loosely cover the top of the springform pan.
• Bake in the center of the oven for 35 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and continue to bake until the cheese is bubbly and golden on the outer edges and beginning to darken in spots towards the center. The middle of the rigatoni pie should have reached an internal temperature of at least 165ºF.
• Let the pie cool for at least 20-30 minutes before unmolding.
• To unmold, run a knife around the edges of the pie. Unsnap the springform pan and carefully remove the sides of the pan. If the rigatoni pie is still steaming hot, wait a bit longer to cut in to keep the structure of the pie intact.
• Slice and serve with warmed additional meat sauce, and garnish the pie with additional parmesan cheese and fresh herbs.

CHEESY SPAGHETTI PIE WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Brush the bottom and sides of a 9-inch deep-dish pie plate with olive oil.
• Add the spaghetti to the boiling water and cook as the label directs for al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain the spaghetti and shake the colander to remove the excess water. Put the spaghetti in a large bowl and toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the beaten eggs and 1/2 cup Parmesan, then toss.
• While the spaghetti cooks, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and zucchini and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until softened, 1 more minute. Crumble in the beef, season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the oregano and red pepper flakes, then clear a spot in the center of the skillet and add the tomato paste. Let it toast for 30 seconds, then stir into the beef mixture. Add the tomato sauce, 1/2 cup of the reserved cooking water and 1/4 teaspoon salt, then bring to a simmer and cook until very thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with more salt to taste.
• To assemble the pie, transfer the spaghetti mixture to the pie plate and press to form a crust with a flat bottom and slightly higher sides. Spread the ricotta in the spaghetti crust, leaving a border around the edges. Spoon the meat sauce on top, then sprinkle with the mozzarella and the remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan. Bake until the bottom and sides of the pie are golden and the cheese is browned, about 25 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool 5 minutes before slicing.

RICOTTA PIE (OLD ITALIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Beat the 12 eggs, 2 cups sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips, if using (see Cook's Note). Set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar together. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 4 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two deep-dish pie plates.
• Roll out 2 of the balls to fit into the pie pans. Do not make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Do not flute the edges of the dough. Roll out the other 2 balls of dough and cut each into 8 narrow strips for the top of the crust. (Alternately, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.)
• Pour the ricotta filling evenly into the pie crusts. Top each pie with 8 narrow strips of dough or cookie cut-outs. Brush top of pie with milk for shine, if desired. Place foil on the edge of crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.

RIGATONI WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and oregano and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beef and garlic and cook, breaking the beef into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon, until the onion and beef are lightly browned, 9 to 10 minutes. Pour in the wine and cook until it is nearly evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, and zucchini; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly thickened, 2 minutes.
• Stir in the rigatoni, salt, pepper, and 3 cups water; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until the sauce is somewhat thickened, about 18 minutes. Add 1 cup water and continue cooking until the pasta is tender, 9 to 10 minutes more.
• Serve the rigatoni topped with the Romano and basil.