Veggie Rigatoni al Forno (baked veggie rigatoni)
Units
Temperature
Servings
Ingredients
Sauce
- 200 g zucchini, diced rounded
- 150 g bell pepper, diced rounded
- 100 g onion, finely chopped rounded
- 2 garlic cloves rounded
- 30 ml olive oil rounded
- 700 g chopped tomatoes rounded
- 10 g dried oregano rounded
- to taste fine salt rounded
Pasta and topping
- 350 g rigatoni rounded
- 200 g shredded cheese rounded
- 100 g mozzarella, torn into pieces rounded
Method
Method
- Heat the olive oil in a wide pot over medium heat. Sauté the onion and garlic for 4 minutes. Add the zucchini and pepper and cook for 6 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomatoes and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt.
- Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in salted water for about 5 minutes less than the package instructs, well short of al dente. Drain.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan). Toss the undercooked pasta with the sauce.
- Spread half the sauced pasta in a baking dish. Scatter over half the shredded cheese and mozzarella. Repeat with the remaining pasta and cheese.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is fully melted and golden brown and the pasta is tender all the way through.
Notes
- Undercook the pasta deliberately before baking. It continues absorbing the sauce and cooking through in the oven; pasta that’s already al dente going in turns to mush by the time the top has browned.
- Layer the sauce, pasta and cheese rather than mixing everything in one bowl. Layering creates distinct pockets of melted cheese throughout the bake, while mixing everything together mutes and evens out the flavour.
- Cut the vegetables into similar-sized pieces. This keeps them all at a consistent texture through the sauce’s simmer time.
- It keeps and reheats well for 3 days.
Ingredient substitutions
- Any short pasta shape works in place of rigatoni, such as penne or ziti.
- A pinch of chili flakes in the sauce adds a little heat.
- A layer of ricotta between the pasta layers is a nice addition.