When Boxed Pasta Is Best
Author: Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
A homerun pasta bake with homemade Italian sausage and plenty of mozzarella.
Over the last 12 months of Wide Open Table, I have inundated you with a vast array of options on the homemade pasta front. From hand-rolled pici to hearty semolina pasta to silky egg pasta, I have been a relentless DIY pasta proselytizer. But missing from those pitches have been avenues to utilize the stuff that occupies almost an entire aisle in most grocery stores: dried pasta in boxes and bags.
I will admit that I shunned the boxed stuff for several years as I focused on fresh handmade pastas. After growing up on convenient dried macaroni, ziti, penne, etc., I had a few years where my interest in those options was thoroughly back-burnered.
My culinary trip to Italy changed all that. While I indulged in many a meal featuring the fresh pastas of northern Italy, dining in Rome re-opened my eyes to the possibilities of dried pasta. After an extraordinary meal of pasta all’Amatriciana that used mezzi rigatoni (half rigatoni), I once again made room in my pantry for the dried forms of semolina pasta that are popular in Rome and southern Italy.
While I have tried to decode many of the meals I experienced in Italy, I have also used the reversal of my pretentious pasta preferences to explore uses for mezzi rigatoni that are reminiscent of the pasta bakes my mom used to serve us as kids. In this quest, I created a dish that my wife has dubbed her current favorite dinner. On her recent birthday, when I offered her the choice of any meal in my culinary arsenal, she chose this tomatoey, spicey, baked pasta that uses my homemade Italian sausage and plenty of mozzarella cheese.
If you missed the most recent Wide Open Table, I gave readers the roadmap to a simple, but special, spicy Italian sausage that we eat a lot of at our house. When you sear it up during the prep for this recipe, it will instantly put a smile on the face of everyone in your house.
The mozzarella brand I use for this recipe is usually either the Galbani or Frigo whole milk version in a one-pound package. I find them in most of Montana’s larger grocery stores, but you may need to look for them among the specialty cheeses if they aren’t stocked in the regular cheese section. If neither Galbani nor Frigo is available, feel free to go with another quality block mozzarella.
For the love of all that is good and holy, do not use pre-shredded mozzarella cheese. In fact, don’t ever buy pre-shredded cheese, period. You pay extra for the convenience, and that isn’t even the worst part. Shredded cheeses contain additives that prevent clumping, and also change the melting properties of the cheese. My advice goes for the parmesan cheese used in this recipe as well. Fresh is best.
I take my block of mozzarella and make 1/4 inch cubes for this recipe (which you can’t do with pre-shredded). The benefit of the cubes is better cheesiness all around with an occasional gooey cheese pull that everyone will appreciate. Just trust me on this one.
By now you should be sensing a theme: quality matters. Italian food isn’t about tossing 30 ingredients in a quickie dish. It’s more often a celebration of high-quality ingredients and simple, time-tested techniques that lead to a dinner-table masterpiece.
The tomatoes you use should meet that standard as well. While some canned San Marzano tomatoes would certainly qualify, my latest tomato obsession is the top-notch canned organic whole peeled tomatoes from Bianco DiNapoli that are grown and packaged right here in America.
The mezzi rigatoni I use in this recipe can be found in some Montana stores, but not all. If you can’t find it, order some online. I prefer the half rigatoni size because you will have better luck getting pieces of crumbled sausage, cubed cheese, and tomato sauce on the interior of this delicious shape compared to the full-size version. You may find some boxes that are slightly over 14 ounces or up to 16 ounces. I give instructions on how to adapt for variations in your pasta quantities when it comes to the sauce.
For me, the absolute best part of baked pasta is the little crispy bits of pasta at the top that have been exposed to direct heat and show a bit of color. If you’re the chef, take a piece or two as a reward for your work before your tablemates see it.
My wife gives this dish five stars, and I’m pretty sure it will immediately become one of your favorites, too.
BAKED PASTA RECIPE
One pound spicy Italian sausage
14-16 ounces of mezzi rigatoni
One pound block mozzarella cheese
One 28 ounce can of whole peeled tomatoes
One 8 ounce can of tomato sauce (if you’re using 16 ounces of pasta)
Two ounces of parmesan
One large garlic clove
Three tbsp of olive oil
Fresh basil or Italian parsley for topping
Kosher salt
In a pre-heated medium saucepan on medium heat, add two tbsp of olive oil and one roughly chopped garlic clove. Immediately turn off the heat and move off the burner. Swirl the oil gently around the garlic, which will flavor the oil without burning the garlic. Allow it to cool before adding your 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes (this keeps the tomatoes from bubbling up onto your shirt!). If you’re using a 16 ounce box of mezzi rigatoni, add an 8 ounce can of tomato sauce. Bring the tomatoes to a gentle simmer and then drop the heat to low with the lid on your saucepan. Cook for 20 minutes and then remove from the heat. Use an immersion blender to create a smooth tomato sauce and break up the garlic. Now set the sauce aside as you focus on cheese duty.
Take your block mozzarella and cube it into 1/4-inch squares. This takes a little time, but it’s worth it. Finely grate your parmesan cheese. Set aside as you switch to pasta duty.
Fill a large pot half full of water and add 1 tbsp of kosher salt. Bring to a full boil and add your mezzi rigatoni. You will cook it for only half the time the package recommends, since the pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Once you’ve cooked it for half the time directed on the package, collect one cup of the pasta water and set it aside. Drain the mezzi rigatoni and do not rinse with water.
Now preheat your oven to 450 degrees Farenheit. Add one tbsp of olive oil to a large casserole pan (no smaller than 7” x 11” and no larger than 9” x 13” depending on whether you used 14 or 16 ounces of pasta) and spread the oil around the interior with a paper towel.
In a large Dutch oven or a pan with high walls, preheat on medium. Add your pound of ground sausage and sear until it’s cooked through. I like to use a potato masher to break it into smaller pieces and allow some of it to get a bit crispy. Add your tomato sauce and stir to pull up any pieces of sausage stuck to the pan. Add the cup of pasta water and the half-cooked mezzi rigatoni and stir gently for a minute or two until the sauce starts to stick to the pasta and the sausage is evenly incorporated. Turn off the heat.
In your oiled casserole pan, add about 1/2 cup of the cubed mozzarella to the bottom. Divide the rest of your mozzarella into two portions. Place about half of the pasta/tomato/sausage in the pan, followed by a portion of the mozzarella. Add all but 5-6 rigatoni on top, followed by the rest of the mozzarella. Take those remaining rigatoni and spread them across the top (these will become those special crispy pasta bits that you may choose — or not — to share). Place half of your grated parmesan cheese over the top and cover with foil.
Place in the preheated oven for 20 minute on a baking dish. After 20 minutes, remove the foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes until the doneness and crispiness match your preference. Allow to rest 5-10 minutes before serving. Top with the rest of the freshly grated parmesan and freshly chopped basil or Italian parsley.
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PhotoCredit: Jon Bennion, Montana Free Press
Image 1 Caption: Baked Padta
