Shortcut Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs

By Maverick19

In a strange twist, you don't cook the pasta first. It goes right in the baking dish and into the oven

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb ground pork
• 1/2 lb ground beef
• 1/2 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup lightly packed torn basil, plus more for garnish
• 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, plus more for garnish
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• kosher salt and pepper
• 1 lb uncooked rigatoni
• 1 lb fresh mozzarella, torn into 1 inch pieces
• 3 cups marinar sauce

Preparation

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F

1. In a large bowl, combine the pork, beef, breadcrumbs, basil, cheese, eggs and 1 tsp each of salt and pepper; mix well. Roll tablespoonfuls of the mixture between wet palms to form 30 meatballs.

2. In a 9x13 inch ceramic baking dish, spread half of the pasta in an even layer. Arrange half of the meatballs and mozzarella over the pasta. Spoon half of the marinara sauce on top, and season with 1/2 tsp of salt. Repeat with the remaining pasta, meatballs, mozzarella, sauce and 1/2 tsp of salt. Add 2 1/1 cups of water to the dish and cover tightly with foil.

3. Bake until the pasta is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed, about 1 hour. Uncover and bake for 5 more minutes. Turn on the broiler, and broil 8 inches from the heat until the top is lightly browned. Let stand for 5 minutes, and then garnish the baked pasta with basil and cheese and serve.