Baked Rigatoni

Total Time: 40 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 25 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
• 1 lb sweet italian sausage, casings removed
• 3 cups jarred marinara sauce
• 1/2-1 cup pitted black mediterranean olive, coarsely chopped (optional)
• 2 tablespoons salt (for the pasta water)
• 1 lb rigatoni pasta
• 1 3/4 cups fresh part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, grated

Recipe

• 1 preheat oven to 350°f lightly oil a very deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish. bring a large pot of water to a boil. in a large frying pan over med-high heat, warm 2 tbs olive oil.
• 2 add the sausage to the pan and saute, breaking up, until browned. drain any excess oil from the pan. stir in the marinara sauced and olives and set aside.
• 3 add the salt and pasta to the boiling water. cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than package directions. drain.
• 4 return the pasta to the pot and gently stir in the tomato-sausage mixture and the ricotta cheese. spread in the prepared dish and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.
• 5 bake until the cheese is golden, about 25 minutes. let cool 5 minutes, then serve.