Comments by BettyR:This is a fun easy dish to make...I've made it several times. The first time I made it I followed the recipe and I thought it was very bland...so the next time I made it I used my own homemade spaghetti sauce and it was a lot better. The finely grated Parmesan cheese (I used a little more than a cup) acts like glue to make it really easy to put this together. I've served this to guests several times and it has always been a big hit. It's also a cheap meal that goes well with a salad which leaves more money in the budget to splurge on a nice wine and dessert.
Comments Posted by Bean: Let me start to say what a fun and tasty recipe this is. It is not hard to make at all. I did add some flavor to the meat sauce, red wine (1 cup), Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and extra garlic and Parmesan cheese. As for stuffing the noodles, I just used the back of a spoon and went back and forth until it went down the noodles. Easy and it didn't matter if every noodle was full because you have extra sauce for serving on the side. This will make an excellent company dish.
Baked Rigatoni Cake - A Stuffed Pasta Dish
Posted 02-04-2007 by Bean
Recipe By: Martha Stewart
Salt, to pasta cooking water
1 pound rigatoni, cooked as directed - SLIGHTLY underdone
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
Preheat oven to 400°. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add pasta; cook until slightly underdone. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain. Toss pasta with 1-tablespoon oil to coat. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, 1-teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece ON END Spread 2 cups meat sauce on top of pasta, pushing it into holes.
Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake until cheese is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge to loosen; unmold. Cut into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce.
Comments Posted by Bean: Let me start to say what a fun and tasty recipe this is. It is not hard to make at all. I did add some flavor to the meat sauce, red wine (1 cup), Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper, and extra garlic and Parmesan cheese. As for stuffing the noodles, I just used the back of a spoon and went back and forth until it went down the noodles. Easy and it didn't matter if every noodle was full because you have extra sauce for serving on the side. This will make an excellent company dish.
Baked Rigatoni Cake - A Stuffed Pasta Dish
Posted 02-04-2007 by Bean
Recipe By: Martha Stewart
Salt, to pasta cooking water
1 pound rigatoni, cooked as directed - SLIGHTLY underdone
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-pound ground beef
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or to taste
1 28-oz can crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
8 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated
Preheat oven to 400°. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add pasta; cook until slightly underdone. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain. Toss pasta with 1-tablespoon oil to coat. Set aside.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, 1-teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece ON END Spread 2 cups meat sauce on top of pasta, pushing it into holes.
Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake until cheese is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more.
Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge to loosen; unmold. Cut into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce.
