Rigatoni Ricotta Bake

Growing up my mom would make cavatini on a regular basis. Our whole family really liked it. After I had our first child, just over two years ago, she brought a big pan of it for us. I remember how good it tasted! Since then we have made it more frequently. Recently we were making up another dish that called for a small amount of ricotta cheese. We needed to use the rest of it up, so I decided to make up a new dish. This is when Rigatoni Ricotta Bake was created! It was an instant hit with everyone!

Ok, maybe not everyone. Our 2 year old didn’t want to touch the rigatoni. I guess they looked ‘weird’ to him! However, after some quick thinking, I sliced each piece of rigatoni into little rings. He LOVED it. They fit perfectly on his little fingers and he gobbled it up quickly and asked for more! Funny how just the shape of the pasta can be a BIG deal to a 2 year old.

1 package rigatoni pasta, cooked per package instructions
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup pepperoni, cubed (we only buy our pepperoni in logs then slice however we want for a particular meal. it’s cheaper this way and the flavor is so much better!)
1 1/2 cup ricotta
1 egg
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon parsley
1/4 teaspoon oregano
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Melt butter in a small saute pan. Add onion and green pepper and cook until translucent. Stir in garlic and cook for an additional 30 seconds. In a large bowl, combine cooked rigatoni, sauteed vegetables, pepperoni and spaghetti sauce. Stir together.

In a separate bowl combine ricotta, egg, parmesan cheese, salt, parsley and oregano. Beat until well mixed.

Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a greased 13 X 9 baking dish. Top with cheese mixture, then layer remaining pasta on top. Cook at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until cheese is nice and bubbly!