Baked Rigatoni and Zucchini
by Lidia Bastianich on Nov 30, 2021
Baked pastas are my daughter Tanya’s specialty, and they are great to make when you have a large family gathering since you can make it ahead, put it in the oven and serve it later. It also works well for leftovers.
Photo Credit: Tanya Bastianich Manuali
- Servings
- Serves 6-8
- Prep time
- 15 minutes
- Total time
- 15 minutes
- Course
- Entree
Tags
Ingredients
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for the pot
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 pound medium zucchini, sliced
- One 28-ounce can whole san marzano tomatoes, crushed by hand
- 1 loosely packed cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 pound rigatoni
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 8 ounces shredded fontina
- 1 cup grated grana padano
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for pasta.
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In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.
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Add the onion, and cook until it begins to soften, about 5 minutes.
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Add the zucchini, and cook until it begins to soften, another 5 minutes.
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Add the salt then the crushed tomatoes, slosh the tomato can out with 1 cup water, and add it to the skillet as well.
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Bring the sauce to a boil, and simmer just until it thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes, but don’t let the zucchini begin to fall apart. Then toss in the chopped basil.
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Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni until al dente, a few minutes shy of the package directions.
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Drain the pasta, and toss it in the skillet with the tomato sauce and basil.
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Butter a -9–by–13–inch baking dish. In a medium bowl, toss together the two cheeses.
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Spread half the pasta and sauce in the baking dish, and top with half the cheese.
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Layer the remaining pasta and sauce, then the remaining cheese.
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Bake, uncovered, until browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes.