Rigatoni With Ricotta Recipes

RIGATONI WITH RICOTTA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425°F
• In a small saucepot, heat EVOO over medium to medium-high heat
• Add butter and melt
• When it starts to foam, add garlic, stir a minute and add tomatoes, mashing them up
• Add onion, basil and bay
• Season with salt and pepper; simmer 30 minutes over low heat
• Remove onion
• Add butter to sauce to finish
• Bring a pot of water to a boil for the pasta
• Combine ricotta with salt, pepper, thyme, parsley, mint, lemon zest, half the mozzarella and half of the Parm
• Salt pasta water
• Boil rigatoni about 7-8 minutes, under-cooking it a minute or so from al dente
• Reserve about 1 cup of starchy cooking liquid
• Drain pasta and return to hot pot, stir in ricotta mixture, peas and adding starchy cooking water to combine as needed
• Transfer to a baking dish
• Pour red sauce evenly over top of pasta in baking dish, top with remaining mozzarella and Parm cheese
• Bake until bubbly and the cheese is browned, 15-18 minutes--be careful not to dry the pasta out

RIGATONI WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°.
• Spray a 9x13-inch pan with Pam.
• Cook rigatoni as per directions on package; drain.
• Beat eggs in a small bowl.
• Stir in ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese and parsley.
• To assemble casserole:.
• Spread 2 cups pasta sauce to cover bottom of pan.
• Place 1/2 of the cooked rigatoni over sauce; top with 1/2 the ricotta mixture dropped by spoonfuls.
• Layer 1 cup mozzarella cheese, 2 cups pasta sauce, remaining rigatoni, and remaining ricotta mixture.
• Top with 1 cup mozzarella, remaining pasta sauce then the last 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
• Cover with foil and bake 60-70 minutes until bubbly.
• Uncover and continue cooking for another 5 minutes until cheese melts.
• Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

RICOTTA-STUFFED RIGATONI PIE WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the meat sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a high simmer, then adjust to a low simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. (You can make and cool the sauce the day before. Reheat before using the next day.)
• For the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the pasta until slightly less than al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining tablespoon oil, then spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Stand the rigatoni on their ends in the pan until it is completely filled.
• For the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag, snip off just enough of the tip to make a small opening and pipe into each rigatoni tube. Pipe small mounds of any leftover ricotta mixture on top of the pasta and spread out into a thin layer. (You can cook and fill the pasta the day before.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the filled springform pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Pour 2 cups of the meat sauce over the pasta, spreading it with the back of a spoon so that it drips in between the noodles. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the pan with foil, doming it slightly to avoid touching the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes more. Let the pasta cool for 45 minutes (do not skip this part or your noodles will fall apart when serving!). Sprinkle with parsley, if using, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with the reserved meat sauce on the side.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• For the topping: Add the ricotta, basil, and salt to a small bowl. Stir together with a rubber spatula. Set aside.
• For the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Season well with salt and cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Drain well, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat a large braiser or ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil and sausage to the pan. Cook, stirring often and breaking apart the meat with the back of a spoon, until beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook to marry the flavors, about 3 minutes. Stir in the marinara and 1/4 teaspoon salt until fully combined. Add the pasta to the pan and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese. Toss well to coat. Add the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce slightly.
• Dollop the ricotta cheese mixture evenly over the top. Nestle the ricotta mixture into the pasta and cover with some of the pasta. Sprinkle with the mozzarella and remaining 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese and bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

RIGATONI WITH MARINARA SAUCE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• If using fresh tomatoes, cut a shallow X in bottom of each with a paring knife and blanch tomatoes in 3 batches in a large pot of boiling water, 1 minute per batch.
• Transfer blanched tomatoes with a slotted spoon to a cutting board and, when cool enough to handle, peel, beginning from scored end, with knife, then halve lengthwise and seed. Chop tomatoes (fresh or canned), reserving juice (from cutting board or can).
• Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 4-quart heavy pot over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 5 minutes. Discard garlic, then add tomatoes with their juice and 1 1/4 tsp salt and simmer, uncovered, until sauce is thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in basil and salt to taste.
• Cook rigatoni in boiling salted water, uncovered, until al dente, then drain.
• Toss pasta with warm marinara sauce in a large bowl. Serve with ricotta and grated Pecorino.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND FONTINA

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Oil a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
• In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the rigatoni until almost done, about 12 minutes.
• Drain.
• Put the pasta in the prepared baking dish and toss with 1 tablespoon of the oil.
• Meanwhile, squeeze as much of the water as possible from the spinach.
• Put the spinach in a food processor and puree with the ricotta, 3 tablespoons of the Parmesan, the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
• Stir in half the fontina.
• Stir the spinach mixture into the pasta.
• Top with the remaining fontina and Parmesan.
• Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the top.
• Bake the pasta until the top is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
• VARIATION:.
• You can substitute another chunky pasta, such as penne rigate, penne, ziti, or fusilli. Boil all of these one or two minutes less.