Maybe my grandmother wouldn’t have approved of adding sausage to this traditional Italian dish. I could hear her now saying, ” Linda, you’re supposed to use the pasta shells with the ridges, not Rigatoni, that’s why it’s called Conchiglie al Forno with Shitake Mushrooms and Radicchio.”

I like to put my spin on a traditional dish, so you’ll see that’s what I’m doing here. You can certainly leave out the sausage, and it will be just as delicious. I call this dish Ziti Rigati al Forno.

Prep Time: 30 to 35 minutes (this includes prep and cooking all the components for the dish)
Cook Time: 8 to 12 minutes
Total Time: 47 minutes
Yields: 8 servings
Equipment: 1 (11 x 13 x 2) large baking dish, 1 (12-inch) sauté pan, 1 (6-quart) stockpot, Microplane, medium-size mixing bowl, large mixing bowl, large rubber spatula, chef’s knife, cutting board

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds of sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pint of Shitake mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced
1 pint of Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) of butter, unsalted (2 tablespoons for mushrooms, 4 tablespoons to *dot the top of the dish, and the remaining butter to grease the baking dish)
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons of garlic, minced
2 heads (2 cups) of radicchio, finely sliced
1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes
3 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 teaspoons of black pepper, freshly-ground
2 1/2 cups of heavy cream
3/4 cup of Parmigiano-Reggiano, freshly-grated, plus extra for serving
4 teaspoons of ricotta cheese, whole-milk
3/4 cup of Fontina cheese, freshly-grated
1/4 cup of good-quality Gorgonzola, crumbled
1 1/2 boxes (1 1/2 pounds) of Ronzoni’s Ziti Rigati
8 sage leaves, julienned
Garnish:
4 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped 

Instructions:
To start, in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, diced onions, red pepper flakes, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 a teaspoon of fresh-ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally until the onions start to soften, 2 minutes. Add the sausage, breaking the sausage up with the back of a wooden spoon. Cook, stirring occasionally until sausage is no longer pink and cooked through, 15 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned sausage into a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside.

Remove any remaining grease and replace it with 2 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced mushrooms, stir, and cook, allowing the mushrooms to release their water and brown, 4-5 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh-ground black pepper, cook for an additional 1 minute, and stir to combine. Transfer the cooked mushrooms to the same bowl with the browned sausage. Add freshly chopped sage to the bowl, and stir to combine.

Preheat oven to 500°F.
Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish.
In another large mixing bowl containing the sliced radicchio, add the ricotta, grated Fontina cheese, 1/2 cup of the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, crumbled Gorgonzola, heavy cream, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of fresh-ground black pepper. Mix to combine.

Combine the cooked sausage and mushroom mixture in the large bowl with the radicchio and cheese. Mix until everything is combined well.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, add the pasta. Cook for only 5-6 minutes (approx. half the time recommended on the back of the box). Drain the pasta well before adding it to the rest of the ingredients. Using a large rubber spatula, gently toss the pasta through, not breaking any of the rigatoni, while stirring all the ingredients.

In a large buttered baking dish, pour in the pasta mixture. Using the large rubber spatula, spread out the pasta mixture evenly throughout the dish. *Dot the top (taking 4 tablespoons and cutting into small pieces) with butter. Bake for 8-12 minutes (keep a close eye on the dish) until bubbly and the top becomes golden brown.

Once out of the oven, garnish with fresh chopped flat-leaf Italian parsley and freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. Let rest for 15 minutes before cutting.

There you have it, my Ziti Rigati al Forno.

Notes:
1) *Dot is to scatter small bits of butter over food.

2) If you are not a fan of sage, substitute freshly chopped thyme leaves.

3) Linda Lou Hamel is not a nutritionist or dietitian, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and nutritional value are important to you, I recommend running the ingredients through the online nutritional calculator of your choice. Calories and values can vary depending on the brands you choose.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/