Rigatoni Pasta Pie Martha Stewart Recipes

BAKED RIGATONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook until onion is translucent, about 4 minutes. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and sugar. Season with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Cook until slightly reduced, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add rigatoni, and cook, stirring occasionally, 9 minutes. Drain in a colander, and rinse under cool water until cool. Set aside.
• In a medium nonstick skillet, heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage, and cook, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to break up any large pieces, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain, and set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta with half of the mozzarella. Stir to combine. Season with a pinch of salt and a pinch of pepper.
• To assemble, spread 1 cup of the sauce in the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add half of the rigatoni in an even layer. Spread with 1/2 cup sauce, ricotta mixture, sausage, and 1 cup more sauce. Top with remaining rigatoni, and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Any remaining sauce may be reheated and served on the side or reserved for another use. Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella over the top to cover. Place baking dish on a baking sheet, and transfer to oven. Bake until bubbly, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve hot.

RIGATONI WITH TOMATOES AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente, according to package instructions; drain.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine tomatoes, vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt; set aside.
• In a small skillet, heat oil over low heat. Add garlic; cook, stirring often, until tender and just beginning to take on color, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat, and stir in red-pepper flakes.
• Stir garlic mixture into reserved tomato mixture. Add parsley, oregano, mozzarella, and pasta; toss.

RIGATONI WITH SPICED MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente; drain, and return to pot. Set aside.
• While pasta is cooking, cook lamb in a large saucepan over medium-high, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink, 3 to 5 minutes. Add onion and garlic; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Stir in tomato paste, cinnamon, and cayenne, and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until slightly thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in vinegar, and season again with salt and pepper. Add sauce to pot with pasta, and toss to combine.

SIMPLE BAKED RIGATONI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in garlic; cook 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste; cook 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, oregano, and red-pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Reduce heat; simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 15 minutes.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add 1 tablespoon salt. Add rigatoni; cook until just al dente. Drain; rinse under cold water. Stir together ricotta and half of mozzarella in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add half of rigatoni; spread into an even layer. Top with 1 cup sauce and the ricotta mixture, spreading with a rubber spatula to cover. Top with remaining rigatoni and 1 1/2 cups sauce. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella on top to cover. Bake until sauce is bubbling and cheese has melted, 35 to 40 minutes.

RIGATONI PASTA PIE (MARTHA STEWART)

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.
• Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.
• Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.
• Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.
• Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

ITALIAN RIGATONI PIE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until al dente (13 minutes for my pasta). Drain the pasta, rinse in cold water and drain again. Stir in 1 tbsp of the olive oil and set aside. (This keeps the pasta from sticking.).
• Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan. Add the beef, pork and veal to the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Stir and cook the meat until it is no longer pink. Drain the meat and return it to the pan (draining is optional). Stir in the crushed tomatoes, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, garlic powder, oregano and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Gently stir the finely grated Parmesan cheese into the cooked rigatoni. Stand the rigatoni up vertically in a greased springform pan. You should use the entire pound of the cooked pasta for this.
• Gently spread the ricotta cheese on top of the rigatoni in a thin, even layer.
• Carefully pour the meat sauce over all. This is the most time-consuming part. With clean hands, use your fingers to carefully push the meat sauce down into the rigatoni. As you push the meat sauce down, you will also push the ricotta cheese into the rigatoni, which will help keep this dish from being dry. The more time you spend on this step, the better results you will obtain - allow your obsessive-compulsiveness to shine! I spent about 8 minutes on this step.
• Set the springform pan on a baking sheet and place it in the oven. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven. Sprinkle the mozzarella and cheddar cheese evenly over all. Return the pie to the oven and cook for 15 minutes longer.
• Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to stand in the sprinform pan for at least 15 minutes. Carefully run a knife along the edge of the pan to loosen the pie from the pan. Remove the sides of the sprinform pan.
• Slice the pie and garnish with parsley, if desired.
• HELPFUL TIPS: Use the rigatoni that is approximately 1 inch long. Make sure you freshly grate your Parmesan cheese because the pasta will not stick together if you use the grated cheese from a green can. Also, as mentioned above, allow your obsessive compulsiveness to shine while pushing the meat sauce down through the rigatoni. The more time you spend on this, the better results you will obtain.

RIGATONI WITH GOAT CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, according to package directions; drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking water.
• Return pasta to pot, and toss with goat cheese and Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper, and add some of the reserved pasta water as desired. Sprinkle with preferred topping, and serve.