Three Cheese Italian Rigatoni Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Heat 4 tablespoons of the olive oil with the garlic in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Once it begins to sizzle, cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic is soft and just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Stir in the chile flakes, then add the tomatoes and 1 1/2 cups water. Increase the heat to high and bring the tomato sauce to a boil, crushing the tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon. Lower the heat to maintain a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, stir in the basil and season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce cool for 10 minutes then puree in a blender until smooth.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil and bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until it is slightly less than al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain the pasta, spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Stand the rigatoni on their ends in the prepared pan until it is completely filled (you might not use all the pasta). Place the pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Pour the sauce over the noodles, spreading it with the back of a spoon (You might not use all the sauce.) Sprinkle the pasta with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
• Cover the pan with foil, doming it slightly to avoid touching the cheese. Bake for 30 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes more. Let the pasta cool for 10 minutes, then carefully remove the sides of the pan, cut into wedges and serve.

Steps:

• 1. COOK RIGAYONI IN LSRGE POT OF BOILING SALTED WATER COOK 1 MIN LESS THAN DIRECTIONS SO THE PASTA CAN STILL STAND UP . DRAIN PASTA AND RUN UNDER COLD WATER
• 2. TOSS PASTA WITH ONE TABLESPOON OF OIL AND GRADED CHEESE..SET ASIDE
• 3. IN LARGE FRYING PAN BROWN MEAT IN 1 TABLESPOON OF OIL..POUR OFF FAT WHEN COOKED
• 4. ADD WATER AND PASTA SAUCE TO MEAT . BRING TO BOIL. THEN LOWER HEAT TO SIMMER AT LEAST 20 MIN, CHECK IF IT NEEDS A LITTLE MORE WATER
• 5. REMOVE FROM HEAT AND COOL FOR 10 MIN.
• 6. MIX RICOTTA CHEESE AND EGG . SET ASIDE
• 7. PREHEAT OVEN TO 400 DEGREES
• 8. GREASE SPRINGFORM PAN
• 9. TAKE COOKED RIGATONI AND STAND EACH PIECE UP AROUND PAN . CONTINUE TILL PAN IS TIGHTLY PACKED
• 10. POUR CHEESE MIXTURE ON TOP AND SPREAD EVENLY
• 11. POUR MEAT MIXTURE ON TOP AND USE FINGERS TO MAKE SURE WHOLES ARE FILLED( PATIENCE WITH THIS IS BEST)
• 12. BAKE 15 MIN AT 400 DEGREES
• 13. REMOVE FROM OVEN AND TOP WITH MOZZARELLA CHEESE
• 14. BAKE 15 MORE MIN AT400 DEGREES
• 15. LET STAND 10 MIN THEN RUN KNIFE AROUND EDGE TO HELP REMOVE FROM PAN

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.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package. Return to saucepan.
• Stir remaining ingredients except bread crumbs and butter into pasta. In ungreased 2-quart casserole, spread pasta mixture. In small bowl, mix bread crumbs and butter; sprinkle around edge of casserole.
• Bake uncovered 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.