BAKED RIGATONI WITH ITALIAN SAUSAGE

I’ve been watching cooking shows religiously, for years. One of my favorite cooks is Giada De Laurentiis. Not only is she pretty, but she also can cook! I remember watching her first episode and thought she was just a host, because I had never seen a pretty cook like that before. Then she started talking and grabbing her knife and cutting the vegetable, that’s when I knew from the way she held her knife. I was thinking… whaaaaa…. she’s really a cook! One of her recipes I watched the other day was this Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage. It’s simple and looked so delish, I ran to the store and grabbed all the ingredients and made it for lunch that day. It’s such a great recipe, especially if you have a party or want to have some leftovers. The recipe is for 6-8 people. It was just use two, so we had a bunch of leftover and was able to share with our favorite neighbor, Jane. She always gives us fresh eggs from her friend’s organic chicken farm. I love sharing my food with her and she loves everything I make. That’s so rewarding. Well, she said she does, I hope she’s just not trying to be polite. ha!

The other good thing, there’s also broccoli in it, so it’s not just carbs, meat and cheese. It’s everything we need in life. ha ha ha. I changed it up a little though, just a little. There are 3 cheeses in this recipe; Parmesan, ricotta and mozzarella. I used smoked mozzarella. It has a brown, edible rind. I love the the smoky flavor of it, but you can use fresh mozzarella if you can’t find it. Also, I used spicy Italian sausage because I’m from Thailand and I needed some heat, but you can use sweet Italian sausage if you don’t like it spicy.

For the sauce, it’s pretty simple. I used store bought marinara sauce or if you have plenty of tomatoes, you can make your own. I’ve made Roasted Tomato Marinara every summer when my friends gave me a bunch of tomatoes. It was divine. But summer hasn’t started so I don’t have garden tomatoes yet. Store bought will do just fine.

Let’s cook some food!

Preheat the oven to 400 º F.

Add the ricotta, basil, and a pinch of salt to a small bowl.

Stir together with a rubber spatula. Set aside.

Start boiling water with a handful of salt in a large pot for the pasta.

Heat a large ovenproof skillet, like a cast iron, over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage to the pan.

Break apart the sausage and stir until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic, cook about 3 minutes.

Add the pasta into the boiling water. Set up the timer for 5 minutes.

Add the marinara. and ¼ teaspoon salt into the pan. Stir until combined, about 2 minutes.

Add ¼ teaspoon of salt. Stir until combined, about 2 minutes.

Scoop and add the pasta directly into the pan after it’s been cooked for 5 minutes. I love using my handy dandy spider scoop. It makes my life so much easier.

Sprinkle with ½ cup of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well to coat.

Add about ¼ cup of pasta water to thin the sauce slightly.

Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture over the top. Nestle the ricotta mixture into the pasta and cover with some of the pasta.

Top with the remaining ½ cup of Parmesan cheese and sliced mozzarella.

Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

There you have it, Baked Rigatoni with Italian Sausage. It’s super yummy and everyone will love it! Hope you give this recipe a try. I also would like to hear from you. The recipe card and comment box are below.