Baked Rigatoni With Kalamata Olives Recipes

BAKED RIGATONI WITH TOMATOES, OLIVES AND PEPPER

Steps:

• Pulse tomatoes with juice in a food processor to a coarse purée. Put a large pot of water on to boil.
• In a large heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat and add yellow pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 5 to 8 minutes. Add garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 seconds to a minute.
• Add tomatoes, sugar and salt to taste, and turn up heat to medium-high. When tomatoes begin to bubble briskly and sputter, turn heat to medium. Cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down to a fragrant, thick sauce, about 15 minutes. Add olives, black pepper and basil, stir together, taste and adjust seasoning.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil a 2 1/2- to 3-quart baking dish or gratin with olive oil.
• When water in pot comes to a boil, salt generously and add rigatoni. Cook al dente, removing from the water 1 minute sooner than indicated in the package instructions. (Reserve some of the cooking water.) Transfer pasta to a large bowl.
• If the tomato sauce seems very thick, thin out as desired with 2 to 4 tablespoons pasta cooking water. Scrape into bowl with pasta, add cheeses and toss well. Scrape into prepared baking dish. Drizzle remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top. Cover with foil.
• Bake 25 minutes. Uncover and continue to bake another 5 to 10 minutes, until bubbly and beginning to brown in spots. Serve hot.

BAKED RIGATONI WITH KALAMATA OLIVES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Cook pasta according to directions, making sure to keep it al dente. Drain and place back in cooking pot. Set aside.
• Meanwhile, in skillet cook sausage and onions until sausage is done (crumble sausage as it cooks). Drain well and set aside.
• In same skillet add olive oil and garlic and cook 1-2 minutes.
• Return sausage and onion to pan with garlic.
• Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, and water. Stir well. Cook at a high simmer. Add olives. Cook until sauce has reduced slightly, about 15 minutes. Turn off heat. Stir in basil.
• Pour tomato sauce over pasta and toss to coat well.
• Place layer of 1/3 of pasta in bottom of Pam sprayed casserole. Top with 1/2 of mozzarella. Top with another third of pasta. Top with remaining mozzarella. Repeat with final layer of pasta. Cover with foil.
• Cook in oven for thirty minutes.
• Remove foil and top with parmesan. Cook an additional 15-25 minutes. (We like it crunchy on top so cook the full 25 minutes. Cook it how you like it.).