¼-½teaspoonred chili flakes(according to your tastes)
¼teaspoonblack pepper
5cupstomato pasta sauceroughly 2 jars
500gramsRigatoni pastaabout 1 lb
2cupsshredded mozzarella cheese
2tablespoonsshredded Parmesan cheese
fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
In a large saucepan, stir and cook ground beef and onion over medium heat until browned and onions have softened. Drain any juices released.
Add the Italian seasoning, garlic, salt, red chili flakes and pepper and cook 1 minute.
Add the pasta sauce and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium heat, for 5 minutes. Set aside.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over high heat. Add rigatoni, reduce heat to medium-high, and cook just until al dente (it will continue to cook slightly in the oven).
Reserve ½ cup pasta water and drain pasta. Stir reserved pasta water into meat sauce.
Combine pasta and pasta sauce in saucepan. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13" or similar baking dish.
Cover with a lightly greased piece of foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 20 minutes or until heated through.
**Optionally, cover and refrigerate up to 2 days. Bake at 350 degrees F until heated through, about 30-40 minutes.
Uncover and sprinkle with mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake an additional 10 minutes (or broil 2-3 minutes), until cheese has started to brown.
Video
Notes
Ingredients and Substitutions:Ground Beef: feel free to swap the ground beef for ground Italian sausage (mild or spicy according to your tastes), or ground pork, chicken or turkey.Vegetables: onion provides a great flavor base for our sauce, but this is also a great time to add in other vegetables. Finely chopped or shredded carrots, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, celery and more are great additions. You can also stir some spinach into the sauce after simmering.Rigatoni: this recipe works just as well with any cut of pasta! Feel free to use what you have on hand. I often use a whole grain variety.