Rigatoni Al Forno

Ingredients

• •1 lb ground beef
• •2 Tbsp olive oil
• •1 cup onion
• •1 Tbsp garlic
• •28 oz canned tomatoes
• •3 oz tomato paste
• •8 oz mozzarella cheese
• •4 oz pecorino romano
• •8 oz rigatoni
• •¼ cup pasta water
• •½ tsp kosher salt
• •½ tsp cracked pepper
• •2 Tbsp flat leaf parsley

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Method

From maplewoodroad.com — read the original

1. 1Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. 2Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet.
3. 3Add the ground beef. With a wooden spoon, break apart any clumps. Season with 1/2 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp freshly cracked black pepper.
4. 4After browning the ground beef for about 5 minutes over medium heat, add the chopped onions and mix. Cook for another 5 minutes, until the ground beef has nicely browned and the onions become translucent.
5. 5Add the minced garlic for just a minute.
6. 6Add the whole can of plum tomatoes (including any juices) and 3 oz of tomato paste. Bring to a simmer. Stir regularly and use tongs to help break apart the plum tomatoes.
7. 7In between stirring the sauce, finely grate 4 oz Pecorino Romano and cut 8 oz mozzarella into 1/2“ cubes.
8. 8Keep simmering and stirring the pot — smell, taste. Be careful with the salt. If it tastes just slightly under-salted, that’s perfect. The salty Pecorino Romano will close that gap when added before baking.
9. 9In the meantime, bring a pot of salted water to boil, add 8 oz rigatoni, and cook. Before draining the pasta, scoop out 1/4 cup of the pasta water and add to the sauce.
10. 10Now we’re ready to put everything together and finish cooking in the oven. If you made the sauce in an oven-safe skillet, add the grated Pecorino Romano cheese and the cooked pasta.
11. 11Mix well. Top with cubed mozzarella and in the oven it goes.
12. 12Bake for 30 minutes. Otherwise, transfer the sauce to a baking dish, mix everything as above, and bake.
13. 13Once it’s ready to serve, remove from the oven and start heaping it on plates.
14. 14Garnish with some roughly chopped fresh Italian flat-leaf parsley.