Jacquiline
Sometimes, I just want a big bowl of comforting pasta.
And I mean a HUGE bowl of pasta and nothing else. No healthy salad to go with it, no veggie, no fruit. Just pasta, and maybe some bread….and I will enjoy every massive carbohydrate bite!
Because, it’s comforting, and sometimes “adulting” is hard and well, it’s one of the fun things about being an adult. Every once in awhile I think it’s okay to just indulge and have that bowl of pasta for dinner, or cereal, or that bowl of watermelon or whatever just sounds good to you. It’s totally okay!
And you better believe it will be a DELICIOUS and hearty bowl of pasta, like this crave worthy Garden Rigatoni Baked Pasta!! It’s creamy, full of in season summer veggies, (just in case you don’t feel like making a veggie side dish/salad) and has something that is almost nearly a requirement according to my carnivorous husband, meat. 😉
What I love about pasta bakes, and especially this This Garden Rigatoni Baked Pasta, is that it’s completely adaptable to whatever you’re craving, or have on hand. It’s you’re a meat lover, like my husband, just load this puppy up with meat and make a little more of the sauce by adding more crushed tomatoes and marinara. Same is true, if you’re just not that into meat. Load it up with all the veggies you can handle!
Note: Like many pasta bakes, moisture is your friend since the pasta, veggies and meat will soak up every drop of the yummy sauce while it’s baking in the oven. If you find that after you’ve assembled the pasta bake, (BEFORE you put it in the oven) that you don’t quite have sauce to cover the noodles due to adding extra veggies, or meat, don’t fret! Add in a few tablespoons to maybe even a quarter cup of water to the dish. If you happen to have extra marinara sauce, or canned crushed tomatoes that would be even better.
ENJOY!
- 3/4 pound rigatoni pasta
- 1 medium zuchinni
- 1 cup chopped carrots
- 1 small onion
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound italian chicken sausage You can also use italian pork, or turkey sausage. I used 3 italian chicken sausage links. If you want your pasta dish extra meaty throw in a whole pound or roughly 5 links.
- 2 tablespoons olive oil split
- 1 can low-sodium crushed tomatoes Diced works too if you want your sauce chunkier.
- 1 cup marinara sauce
- 4 ounces marscapone cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Romano cheese
- 1/2 cup Romano heese
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Throw in the rigatoni and cook according to the package instructions. While the pasta is cooking, start chopping the zucchini, and carrots, into small bite sized pieces. (I cut both the zucchini and carrots in to quarters.) Mince the onions, and garlic as well and chop the fresh thyme. Set the veggies aside.
- When the pasta has finished cooking, drain, and toss with a little olive oil in a separate bowl so the pasta doesn't stick together. Set aside for later.
- In a large frying pan heat the olive oil up on low heat. Add in the sausage, (Take the casings off first, if you bought links.) With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, break the sausage up into bite sized pieces while it's cooking. Cook for 10 minutes, or until done, and cooked through. (Note: the "low" setting on my stove tends to run very warm so I kept my heat on low the whole time. If you find that your sausage is not cooking fast enough by all means turn up the heat, just be sure to not burn it, as sausage tends to cook fast.
- Once sausage is cooked, transfer to a plate and set aside. Using the same pan as the sausage, no need to wash it, add in the additional olive oil and throw in the zucchini, and carrots. Let cook on medium heat for 5 minutes.
- Next, add in the onions, garlic, fresh thyme, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally, for an additional 5 minutes.
- Now add back in the sausage, and throw in the canned crushed tomatoes, marinara sauce, marscopone cheese and half of the Romano cheese. Stir until the marscopone is melted and everything is combined. Cook on medium heat for 5 more minutes.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a 9x13 baking dish, combine the pasta and your pan of the sauce you just made together. Stir until everything is evenly coated and top with the remaining Romano cheese. NOTE: If you find that not all of your pasta is covered in sauce, or if it just does't feel like enough add in a little bit of water or additional marinara sauce.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbly on the sides.
