Ziti Rigati Al Forno
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.
Equipment
- 1 large baking dish 11 x 13 x 2
- 1 saute pan 12-inch
- 1 stockpot 6-quart
- 1 Microplane
- 2 mixing bowls 1 large and 1 medium size
- 1 rubber spatula Large
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cutting board
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage Casings removed
- 1 pint Shitake mushrooms Cleaned, stems removed, and sliced
- 1 pint Cremini mushrooms Cleaned and sliced
- 12 tbsps (1 1/2 sticks) 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 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup yellow onion Diced
- 2 tbsps garlic Minced
- 2 cups radicchio Finely slice (2 heads)
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
- 3 tsps kosher salt
- 1 1/2 tsps black pepper Freshly-ground
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Freshly-grated, plus extra for serving
- 4 tsps ricotta cheese Whole-milk
- 3/4 cup Fontina cheese Freshly-grated
- 1/4 cup good-quality Gorgonzola Crumbled
- 1 1/2 pounds Ronzoni's Ziti Rigati 1 1/2 boxes
- 8 fresh sage leaves Julienned
Garnish:
- 4 tbsps 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.