Pasta al Forno
Dive into Pasta al Forno! An Italian comfort dish featuring rigatoni, ricotta, and layers of homemade meatballs and mozzarella cheese.
- Yield: 6-8 servings
- Prep Time: 1 hr
- Cook Time: 45 min
Ingredients
Pasta & Sauce
1 Garlic Clove, minced
1 Onion, chopped
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Lb Rigatoni
½ Lb of Mozzarella, chopped and divided
1 Cup Ricotta
1 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, grated, divided, extra for garnish
Fresh Basil, for garnish
Meatballs
1 Lb Ground Beef
1 Lb Sweet Italian Sausage, casing removed
1 Cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese, grated
½ Cup Breadcrumbs
¼ Cup Milk
1 Tablespoon Parsley, chopped
2 Eggs
1 Teaspoon Salt
Instructions
Sauce
- In a large sauté pan over medium heat, add Olitalia Extra Virgin Olive Oil, onion, and garlic. Sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes.
- While the onions are cooking, take the Ciao Italian Whole Peeled Tomatoes whole and crush them by hand in a large bowl.
- Once the onions are cooked, add the hand-crushed tomatoes and salt.
- Bring to a simmer and cook for about 45 minutes.
Meatballs
- In a large bowl, combine beef, sausage, grated cheese, breadcrumbs, milk, parsley, eggs, and salt.
- Mix to combine, then form marble-sized meatballs.
- Place them on a sheet tray drizzled with 1 tablespoon of Olitalia Extra Virgin Olive Oil and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Pasta
- In a large pot, boil 4 quarts of water and cook the pasta for about 6 minutes to ensure it is al dente.
- Don’t forget to salt your pasta water!
Assembly
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- In a 13x9 baking dish, spread 1 cup of sauce on the base.
- Then divide the remaining sauce: mix half with the cooked meatballs and the other half with the cooked pasta.
- Put half the pasta in the baking dish as the first layer. Then spread half the meatballs on top, followed by ½ of the grated cheese, ½ of the mozzarella, and dollops of all the ricotta.
- Layer with the remaining pasta, meatballs, grated cheese, and mozzarella.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes, until golden.
- Serve with fresh basil and more grated cheese on top!