Description
Rigatoni and zucchini baked in an herb tomato sauce topped with a combination of Italian cheeses. Perfect for a hungry crowd or large family dinner.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus 2 tablespoons for the pot of water
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 medium onion, diced
- 1 lb medium zucchini, sliced
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 28oz can San Marzano tomatoes crushed by hand
- 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves, chopped
- 1 lb rigatoni pasta
- 8 oz Fontina cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated
Instructions
- Set your oven to heat to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil, adding the salt. In a 12″ inch skillet with deep sides, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until softened and just starting to brown. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring frequently, for another 5 minutes or it begins to soften. in the meantime, pour the can of tomatoes into a mixing bowl and crush by hand. Save the can.
- Add the 1/2 teaspoon of salt, the red pepper flakes to the skillet and stir for about 30 seconds then add the crushed tomatoes to the skillet, filling the empty can with water and pour into the skillet as well. Bring the sauce to boil, and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce thickens. Don’t let the zucchini over cook and fall apart.
- While the sauce is cooking, add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta and add to the skillet. The sauce should be about done at this point. It’s okay if it needs to cook for one to two minutes more with the pasta in it to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the basil.
- Spray a 9 X 13 inch pan with cooking spray. Ladle one half of the contents of the skillet into the pan. Sprinkle 1/2 of the cheeses onto the top. Ladle the second half of the pasta and sauce into the pan and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top. Bake in the oven for about 20 minutes, until brown and bubbly.
- Serve. Sprinkle individual servings with additional cheese if any is left over.
- Prep Time: 35 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: Entree
- Cuisine: Italian