Rigatoni Pasta Bake

By á-40713

I love how this recipe will feed my large family and still yield a few leftovers. It’s also very simple to prepare. I admit that on occasion I use already prepared sauce, but it’s so simple to make this sauce and it truly does taste a lot better. Are you ready for this clean plate recipe?

Ingredients

• 12 ounces Rigatoni pasta
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 pound Italian sausage
• 2 (15 ounce cans) Contadina Tomato Sauce
• 28 ounce can Contadina Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 1/2 tablespoon Contadina Tomato Paste
• 1 1/2 cups Mozarella cheese
• 1/2 finely shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot of boiling water, cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente.
In a large saucepan, brown ground beef and sausage until crumbly and cooked through. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and tomato paste. Stir in garlic powder, Italian seasoning, sugar, salt and pepper. Allow to simmer 3 – 5 minutes, allowing the flavors to combine. Gently stir pasta into sauce.
Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Add half the pasta and sauce mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle half the Mozzarella and Parmesan over the pasta. Repeat with a second layer.
Bake in preheated 325 oven, covered with foil, for 20-25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 15 – 20 minutes, until hot and bubbly.