Baked Rigatoni With Ricotta And Sausage

Total Time: 1 hr 25 mins Preparation Time: 1 hr Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lb italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 cups pasta sauce
• 1 cup pitted black mediterranean olive, coarsely chopped
• salt
• fresh ground pepper
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 3/4 cups fresh ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350 degrees and lightly oil a deep 2 ½ quart baking dish.
• 2 bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• 3 in a large frying pan over med-high heat, warm the oil.
• 4 add the sausage and sauté, breaking up the sausage with a spoon, until browned, about 6 minutes.
• 5 drain any excess fat from the pan.
• 6 stir in the tomato sauce and olives, season to taste with salt and pepper, and set aside.
• 7 add 2 tablespoons salt and the pasta to the boiling water.
• 8 cook, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking, until the pasta is not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
• 9 drain, rinse under cold running water, and drain again.
• 10 return the pasta to the cooking pot and gently stir in the tomato-sausage mixture and ricotta cheese.
• 11 spread the pasta and sauce in the prepared dish and sprinkle with the parmesan cheese.
• 12 bake until golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes.
• 13 let cool for 5 minutes and serve.