Recipe: Baked Rigatoni...with a twist

I'm a huge fan of baked pasta dishes, and this one is a great dish with tons of flavor throughout.  Here's what you will need:[FN1]

2 lbs Rigatoni
1 Package Chicken Sausage
2 Broccoli Heads
1 Package of Cherry Tomatoes
1 Can Pitted Olives
Shredded Mozzarella
Fresh Mozzarella

1. Brown the sausage pinwheel in a skillet with a little olive oil, and then leave on the stove until the center goes from pink to white.  You don't want to cook the sausage completely because it will continue to cook when you bake the entire dish later.




2. Bring water to boil and cook the pasta.  Leave it a touch on the al dente side, because like the sausage, the pasta will cook some more in the oven.  While the water is boiling, cut up the broccoli, tomatoes, olives, sausage, and fresh mozzarella.



3. Once the rigatoni is cooked[FN2], place a layer in a glass baking dish that has been coated on the bottom and sides with a light layer of olive oil to prevent sticking.  Cover with a layer of shredded mozzarella, sausage, tomatoes, olives, and broccoli.

4. Cover that layer with another layer of rigatoni and repeat step 3.  This time, include the small cubes of fresh mozzarella.

5. Add one final layer of rigatoni, the remaining sausage and vegetables, and some more shredded mozzarella.  Then add the thicker slabs of fresh mozzarella.

6. Take a second to admire the beauty of the dish and then place the monstrosity into the oven.  Make sure to bend your knees when lifting into the oven - Safety first!

7.  Bake in the oven at 350 for about 15 minutes.  Then, change the oven to broil and leave in until the cheese begins to bubble and brown on the top.  There is no exact time for this, so make sure you keep an eye on it.

8. Mangia!!

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FN1: I have a huge appetite, so the ingredient proportions are probably higher than what most normal people would use.  So adjust accordingly.

FN2: By the way, how beautiful of a sight is a scolobast (also known as a strainer) that is overflowing with pasta!