Rigatoni al Forno with Gorgonzola Sauce

By á-18

Whip up this delicious dish in less than an hour! When I made this for the first time for my husband, he said that it was "restaurant-quality". This is a great dish for (unexpected) guests!

Ingredients

• Gorgonzola Sauce:
• 1 pkg (250 g or 300 g) Philadelphia cream cheese
• 1 cup (4 oz) grana padana or parmesan
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 oz (100 g) gorgonzola cheese, cubed
• 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• Pasta al Forno:
• 250 g (1/4 kg) rigatoni pasta
• 1 recipe for Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce
• 150 g speck (pancetta or bacon), thinly sliced
• 1 cup of frozen peas
• 1 tbsp bread crumbs for garnishing (optional)

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F / 180 deg C.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook rigatoni according to package instructions, about 12 minutes.

3. In the meantime, prepare the Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce. In a medium sauce pan, mix together the ingredients for the sauce (except for parsley) and cook over medium-low heat until melted and well blended. Occasionally stir the sauce until it thickens up. Remove from heat and add parsley. Set aside.

4. As the sauce is cooking, heat a small non-stick frying pan, about 1 minute, and then add the speck, pancetta or bacon. Cook until the meat doesn’t appear to be raw, anymore (not browned), about 1 minute. Remove from heat and set aside. I added a bit of salt so the speck wouldn’t taste bland when mixed with pasta.

5. Drain pasta when done and transfer back into the pot. Add speck, frozen peas, and Creamy Gorgonzola Sauce. Mix well and then transfer to a 1.5-2 L baking casserole and sprinkle with bread crumbs on top (optional).

6. Bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before serving. Serve with a tossed green salad and garlic bread, if desired.