Sausage and Cheese Baked Rigatoni
Sweet Italian sausage, roasted red bell peppers and thick layers of ricotta and provolone cheese make this baked rigatoni pasta a family favorite.
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound ground sweet Italian sausage
- 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
- 1 small onion chopped
- 1 12 ounce jar DeLallo roasted red bell peppers
- 1 25 ounce jar DeLallo Pomodoro Fresco marinara sauce
- 1 16 ounce package DeLallo rigatoni
- 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 8 ounces grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup Italian flat leaf parsley chopped
- 6-8 slices provolone cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 2 ½ or 3 quart baking dish with a drizzle of the olive oil.
- In a large saucepan over medium high heat, add the sausage and the fennel seeds to the pan and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes or until browned. Add the onion and cook until the onion is tender. Add the roasted red peppers and the marinara sauce and cook for 3-5 minutes or until warmed through.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil and generously season with kosher salt. Cook the rigatoni for 5 minutes. Add the rigatoni to the sauce and stir well to combine.
- In a large bowl stir together the ricotta cheese, parmesan and parsley.
- Layer half of the rigatoni and sauce in the baking dish. Dot half of the ricotta mixture over the pasta and layer 3-4 slices of provolone over the ricotta. Repeat with the remaining rigatoni and ricotta and top with 3-4 slices of provolone.
- Bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden. Let cool for 5 minutes and serve.