This is delicious, one of my favorites! It is a little more trouble to prepare, to make the meatballs, but well worth it. If you prefer you can make the meatballs with ground turkey or chicken instead of beef. An attractive dish.
Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs
Rigatoni with tomato sauce and meatballs, topped with cheese.
Ingredients
Meatballs:
- 1 egg
- 1/3 cup onion chopped
- 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 pound ground beef
Pasta:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 green pepper chopped
- 2 teaspoons basil
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper
- 1 can 28 oz. stewed tomatoes
- 1 can 5 1/2 oz. tomato paste
- 3 1/2 cups rigatoni pasta
- 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella cheese
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
For meatballs:
- In a medium bowl, slightly beat egg, add onion, bread crumbs, garlic, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Mix to combine, then mix in the ground beef. Shape into small meatballs using around a heaping tablespoon of mixture for a meatball.
For pasta:
- Heat oil in a large skillet. Brown meatballs on all sides and remove. Cook in batches if necessary.
- Drain excess fat from the pan. Add onion, garlic, mushrooms, green pepper, basil, oregano, salt and pepper, plus 2 tablespoons of water. Cook over medium heat about 10 minutes until vegetables are softened.
- Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste and meatballs. Simmer for 30 minutes.
- Cook pasta and drain.
- Add pasta to sauce and stir to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish. Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese on top, then the Parmesan cheese. Bake at 400 degrees F. for 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings.
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