Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables

                                          Baked Penne with Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients

• 2 red peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
• 2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 cremini mushrooms, halved
• 1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
• 1 pound penne pasta
• 3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
• 1 cup grated fontina cheese
• 1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella
• 1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
• 2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
• In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
• Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

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How to cook pasta, straightforward steps

I adore pasta, although it receives a poor name due to having high carbohydrates and the white type containing processed white wheat. A great top quality whole grain pasta served in modest servings may be a flexible and important part of a healthy well-balanced eating routine and I may go as far to say that for me even white pasta can be enjoyed included in a healthy diet. It may be served many ways with a tremendous rank of sauces readily available such as tomato base, cream based, pesto and more. Pasta is great in bakes, soups and mixed into salads to have cold. Oh and most importantly it tastes great!

I enjoy my pasta best served with a good top quality selfmade basil and walnut pesto or a dense vegetable crammed tomato based sauce. Arriabiata and Putenesca type sauces get my top vote but even a simple spaghetti sauce tastes fantastic.

Prior to starting you should realize that although the low cost pasta may be right for your budget like the majority of things in daily life it may not always give the greatest flavor. Spending extra to get a high quality pasta can be beneficial and it's also usually truly worth trying several brand names and keeping track of the ingredients.

How to cook pasta, straightforward steps

If cooked poorly pasta gets sloppy and starchy. Flawlessly cooked it simply tastes so much better. Al Dente, Italian for Just Right (not undercooked as more often than not thought) asks for the pasta to be a lttle bit firm.

You should measure Oven pasta in a ratio of 4 cups, which is 1 quart, of water to 3 ounces of pasta and a big flat wide pot functions best.

1. Top up the pot with the correct volume of water for the amount of pasta you would like to prepare and put about 1/8 of a t-spoon of sea salt per cup of water. In addition put a little drizzle of olive oil to the water, this prevents the pasta sticking to the pan.


2. Bring the water to a quick boil.


3. Add your pasta and let the liquid go back to the boil but turn down the heat slightly if needed to keep the nice rolling boil.


4. After 8 minutes has passed it's the perfect time to test the pasta. use a fork and very carefully taste a piece. The pasta should be firm but easy to bite through and it should taste cooked as you expect. If it's not ready keep testing each minute until it is ready.


5. Go ahead and take pasta off the oven and strain immediately. If it is going to be used in a hot meal serve without delay, for cold meals drain and run cold water through the pasta and refrigerate for a few hours.

As you have seen it is not a big problem to make superb pasta however the key minutes of tasting are where everything can go wrong. Once over done there is no way to recover it.

Pasta E Fagioli: Pasta Fazool

Pasta Fazool: every time I hear that term, especially from a non-Italian it makes me cringe a bit. The words are often used as something of a joke, even, I must say, by Italian Americans. I will admit that the words themselves have a funny sound. "Zool" is indeed a funny syllable. It's just that that one someone says "pasta fazool" I conjure that somewhat stereotypic image of an oversized Italian Giuseppe with a napkin tucked in his shirt collar shoveling spoonfuls of red sauce into his mustachioed mouth while Rosa his rotund, polka-dot aproned wife ladles even more into his bowl. There may even be an organ monkey hopping about on the adjacent sideboard.

What few people know is that the popular name of this dish, "pasta fazool" is something of an Italian American corruption of the correct Italian"pasta e faggioli" (pasta eh fah-jo-lee) which means "pasta and beans." Here's the conundrum. When I say "pasta e fagioli" as it should be said, I feel that I am being somewhat artificial and untrue to tradition. On the other hand, to say "pasta fazool" makes feel a little too, how shall I say it?, too "South Philly." As a born and raised suburban boy, I'm not South Philly as such. But, by virtue of my aunts and uncles who stayed on in the city when the rest of the family made the great migration at the close of "The War," South Philly is the home of many of most cherished kitchen memories. Like many of my generation, from all ethnicities, I live between two worlds. The trick is to take full benefit of the opportunities of the new world, without forgetting the traditions of the old.

The history of pasta e fagioli is close to timeless. Dishes that feature beans mixed with other starches go back to ancient times. Clifford A. Wright's "A Mediterranean Feast," offers a wonderful Venetian version called in Venetian dialect, "Pasta e Fasioi." The Venetian recipe as Wright has it is made with a pork bone base. The addition of the pork bone unites the recipe in the family of many peasant dishes from the Italian feudal baronies to the plantations of the American south where the field workers got the remnants of the pig while the landowners ate "high on the hog," in other words, on the better cuts. Today's "pork and beans" shares in this lineage.

Yet, many recipes for pasta e fagioli do not start with a pork base. Traditionally, at least in America, pasta e fagioli was a meatless dinner. As such it was a Friday night standard that in years gone by obeyed the rule that forbade meat on Fridays. Vey often the pasta e fagioi meatless dinner was often accompanied by or even supplanted by Mrs. Paul's Fish Sticks.
As with all traditional domestic recipes there are numerous variations. While most include tomatoes as the foundation there are those that do not. Some start with the base of carrots, onions and garlic while others exclude carrots.

Celery is also often included. In short, I think, the traditional recipe used whatever was on hand to accompany the pasta and beans. One of the most interesting variations, and I find a good one, reserve half of the beans which are then smashed and returned to the pot to thicken the broth. In Italy, from what I have found on Google.it the beans are almost "barlotti," a kind of fat cranberry bean. In America, at least in the traditions I know, the beans are usually "cannellini."

The type of pasta is also another consideration. In most recipes the pasta of choice is ditalini but on Italian sites I have seen a fair variety of pasta types to include even short flat noodles. Ditialini, I think are the best because they match in texture and size with the beans.

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Pasta Alla Carbonara Recipe

Some carbonara facts:
There are so many varieties of carbonara that it is hard to sort them out. Typically carbonara is made with pancetta or guanciale, egg yolk, and parmesan cheese mixed in spaghetti. Pancetta is a bacon that has been salt cured and spiced with nutmeg, pepper, fennel, dried ground hot peppers and garlic usually and dried for about three months. It is typically not smoked (I will show you how to make it in a later article).

On the other hand, guanciale is a smoked bacon with pigs jowls mixed in. I lean toward pancetta and rarely use guanciale (can't get used to the taste). In the US, sometimes cream is used in the recipe, but this is not typical in Italy. I give some variations on carbonara, but the recipe below is my favorite. Oh, by the way, carbonara is Italian for charcoal and has led to the idea that it was a coal miners spaghetti (nonsense - no one probably knows the origins of carbonara).

A delicacy
I would like to think that my carbonara is more of a delicacy than a staple. It is a less traditional recipe than one would find in homes in Italy. But it is so creamy and delicious that my mouth waters just thinking about it. Try my recipe below and then move on to some of the variations I suggest to see what you prefer. It is a great dish for social gatherings.
Ingredients (4 to 5 servings):

8 slices pancetta (you can substitute applewood smoked bacon if you want a more typical American dish)
1 large onion chopped (you can use leeks but make sure you only use the white tender parts)
2 large eggs at room temperature
½ cup parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 pound linguine (you can use spaghetti but I don't like it because it is hard to mix with the other ingredients)

Pancetta
Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium high heat until done - about 8 minutes (I don't like it crisp but you may wish to reduce the fat by cooking until crisp). Remove the pancetta with a slotted spoon to a plate covered with a paper towel to drain (dice or chop into fine pieces). Add the onions and sauté over medium high heat until tender (about 6 minutes).

Pasta
At the same time, cook the pasta in salted water al dente style (it literally means cook the pasta enough to still have a slight resistance to the pasta when chewed - but this is a matter of taste and I recommend what you are comfortable with). Drain the pasta but reserve at least ½ cup of the liquid that you cooked the pasta in.

Mixing
Whisk the eggs and parmesan cheese in a bowl and then whisk in ¼ cup of the reserved pasta liquid. Meanwhile, add the pasta to the onions and stir while heating. Remove the pasta and onions and then pour the egg mixture over the pasta. Stir until the sauce is a wonderful creamy consistency and the eggs are no longer raw (less than 2 minutes). Return the mixture to a very low heat (do not overcook because the eggs will curdle). Add some of the pasta liquid if the pasta seems dry. Stir in the pancetta and parsley and serve adding salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese to taste.

Voila
I love the opportunities for variation with this dish. The most common carbonara calls for egg yolks instead of eggs. So you can substitute 4 egg yolks for the 2 eggs in the above recipe (I hate to waste the whites). If you have a trim waste line you can add ½ cup heavy cream to the egg mixture and 2 garlic cloves (diced).
Jack Botticelli

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How Much Protein is in Pasta?

If you're on a weight loss program or even a muscle building program you probably have some sort of protein guideline you're following.

There is most likely a daily protein intake you've read about that is supposed to help you achieve or muscle building or weight loss goal. Knowing how much protein is in certain foods will go a long way to help you choose what to eat for dinner.

Many diets try to categorize foods as carbs or protein, but in reality this is too simplistic as there are many foods that have a significant amount of both. Pasta is a good example of just such a food.

As soon as you hear the word pasta you probably imagine that it is a high carb food mostly composed of starchy carbs. But that's not all that is in pasta. Depending on the type of pasta you get there is a significant amount of protein in it too.

For example: 100 grams of plain cooked pasta has about 5 grams of protein and 25 grams of carbs. Add 50 grams of cooked ground beef (in a tomato sauce) and you'll have added another 12 grams of protein to your pasta meal.

This example is a pretty small portion, in reality most people would be eating more than 100 grams of pasta per serving. A realistic serving might be more like 200 grams, which would have 10 grams of protein before adding any meat at all.

The point is that there is a significant amount of protein in foods that you would traditionally think of as a carb. Bread is another good example: 1 slice of regular whole wheat bread has almost 4 grams of protein (in a 28 gram slice)

If you made a regular sandwich with two slices of bread you would be getting around 8 grams of protein just from the bread slices alone. That same slice of bread would have about 12 grams of carbs so the ratio of protein to carbs is already in a pretty good balance.
Choosing foods and eating a diet based on hitting a specific protein content is fine if that is what you like to do. But you should be aware that this can quickly lead to overeating if you're assuming that protein is a separate type of food from items like pasta that get mistaken as a carb only food.

It's entirely possible to eat a high protein diet while not mass consuming eggs/chicken/meat if you don't want to.

Check out the labels of your food items like pasta, bread, yogurt, dairy products and other things that seemed to be either protein or carb foods. You'll find out that it's not so black and white when it comes to protein and carbohydrate content with many of these food items.
Various forms of pasta and bread can have even more protein than I've described. You just have to read your labels and pay attention to the content of each.

Pasta and bread aren't commonly viewed as food that you would choose to eat for weight loss, but they can easily be incorporated into an effective weight loss diet. Making sure you know how much you're eating and paying attention to the protein and carb ratio in the pasts and bread can help you choose how much more food you can eat around the pasta without overdoing it.

Viewing pasta as part protein and part carbs will remind you that you don't need to add an entire chicken breast to a pasta bowl just to get your protein for the day. This way you can enjoy 'carb' foods like pasta, get all the protein you want and still lose weight.

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Pasta is not just for Italians....

Pasta is not just for Italians. People all over the world enjoy a good plate of it. And actually, if you want to be technical, the origin of pasta is not from Italy but from China, however that is not the point or focus of this article. Our mission is to simply make you aware of all the different types of pasta and pasta dishes you can enjoy.

Probably the most common pasta dish is spaghetti. There probably isn't a kid in the world who doesn't love spaghetti and meatballs. As a matter of fact, this dish is so popular that they even put it in cans now. Just pick up a can of spaghetti-O's and you'll see for yourself. But real good spaghetti is not something you're going to get from a can. Your quality spaghettis come in a box and need to be cooked well, not just thrown in a microwave. Cooking spaghetti is a matter of taste. Some people like it very firm while others prefer it cooked a little longer, about 10 minutes or so. The less you cook it the harder it will be to digest. Just a warning.

There are also many types of spaghetti as far as the thickness of thinness of each strand. If you check out your supermarket, you will probably find about six or seven different thickness' of spaghetti, including linguini which is actually a flat spaghetti, with most spaghetti being round.

Does any of this really taste any different though? Well, yes and no. Depending on the brand of spaghetti and what kind of wheat it's made of, there can be slight differences in taste. But the truth is, the taste of your spaghetti is going to depend more on what you serve it with, on, or under. Pasta has many uses and there are many dishes you can make out of it.

But spaghetti and linguini aren't the only forms of pasta you have available to you. There's also elbow macaroni which is great for making chop suey and of course every kid's favorite dish, macaroni and cheese. While it's probably easier to just buy the Kraft Macaroni And Cheese and cook it up, there's nothing wrong with making home made.

But getting back to all the things you can do with pasta, while there are just way too many to list all the dishes, there are a few that are quite popular besides the old spaghetti and meatball standby.

For starters, there's the classic dish, linguini and claim sauce. This is something that you will find in your finer Italian restaurants and pizzerias. It's not suggested you order this dish from an American restaurant as it's not likely to be all that good.

Then of course there is the very popular pasta primavera, which actually didn't come into vogue until the 1970s, at least in America. This is actually an Italian-American dish. Pasta primavera has everything but the kitchen sink thrown into it, including tomato, broccoli, asparagus, zucchini, snow peas, mushrooms and a ton of other ingredients. Preparing this dish is not for those who have just made their first hamburger. This one takes skill.
And the list of pasta dishes goes on and on. It's a favorite of just about everybody, which explains why there are so many of these dishes available.

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Is Whole Wheat Pasta Really Healthier?

Whole-wheat pasta is generally known to be better for you because whole-wheat pasta contains the entire grain seed. Whole-wheat pasta contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, some of which are lost in the refining process when pasta is made from refined and processed flour.

The main reason that so many people prefer processed pasta, to whole-wheat pasta, is that the processed pasta has a slightly different taste and texture than the whole-wheat variety, and many people have become accustomed to processed pasta. It is true that whole grain pasta is better for you, and offers health benefits that you won't find in processed pasta.Whole-wheat pasta is brown and has a stronger taste than the pasta that most people are accustomed to eating. It comes in many different shapes and sizes.

Some people say the differences take some getting used to while others notice very little difference.Whole-wheat pasta is not only higher in natural nutrients but it also contains more fiber. In addition, whole-wheat pastas tend to have a lower glycemic index. What this means is that it will not raise your insulin level. This is very important if you are a diabetic or attempting to lose weight.

Though people have grown accustomed to the mellow taste and texture of refined pasta, whole-wheat pasta is higher in protein, and tends to be more filling, so you eat less. It becomes lighter as it cooks and can be quite delicious when served with flavorful sauces.It is a common misconception that pasta is a very fattening food.

 Pasta is not necessarily fattening as it is made from grain, which is a naturally low fat food. It is the sauce that you put on the pasta that adds the calories to the meal. If you want to eat pasta but keep your calorie count low, you could eat whole-wheat pasta topped with a low calorie sauce.

As a result of new technology, today's whole-wheat pasta has improved in the past few years to be even more palatable with better texture. Some of today's whole-wheat pasta is very tasty when cooked correctly and complimented with the right sauces.

Dieticians and doctors will usually tell you that whole-wheat pasta is your best choice for health. You will get far more nutrition and fewer calories that you will with refined pasta.By choosing whole grain pasta, you can put your favorite Italian dishes back on the menu without sacrificing your health.

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How to Prepare Traditional Lasagna Pasta With 3 Cheeses?

When it comes to Italian pastas, they easy, quick and fun to prepare! There are several of these lip-smacking delicacies from the land of Italy that will leave your taste buds mollycoddled. So, whether it's a fun-filled weekend party or a sumptuous Sunday dinner, a platter of creamy and saucy pasta will give you and your family a taste of heaven! There are several recipes that you can try at home such as Spaghetti, baked or Lasagna pasta. In this article, we are going to learn how to make a special Italian dish - Lasagna Pasta with three cheeses. You will love preparing this delicacy because your family and friends will love savouring the rich taste of it.

This is one recipe that's prepared by our grandmothers following conventions and can be passed onto generations to come. So, let's get started with the preparation method.

INGREDIENTS REQUIRED

1. One and a half Lb. of Lasagna Pasta
2. 2 teaspoons of tomato paste
3. 6 cups of peeled tomatoes
4. Lb. of minced veal
5. Lb. of minced beef
6. Lb. of Italian pork sausage detached from the covering
7. One large shallot
8. One large sized onion
9. 5 pieces of garlic
10. One and a half Lb. of Mozzarella cheese
11. Grated Parmigiano cheese
12. 1 Lb. of Ricotta cheese
13. stick of butter
14. Two chicken or beef broth cubes
15. 2 teaspoons of fresh parsley
16. 1 teaspoon of hot pepper
17. Extra virgin olive oil
18. 3 fresh basil leaves

PREPARING THE SAUCE

• First take a large pan and cover the base with extra virgin olive oil & put it on average flame.

• Cut the onion, garlic and shallot into small pieces and add them to the pan.

• Once the onion pieces become golden brown, add the beef, veal, and the pork sausage (broken in small morsels) so that the meats can be fried more evenly.

• Wait for a while for the meats to brown. Then, add the tomato paste and peeled tomatoes.

• Next, take an immersion blender to chop the meat and tomatoes very finely.

• Next you have to add the basil and parsley.

• Add hot pepper and butter.

• Let these ingredients cook for about 30 minutes at average heat to reduce the sauce.

MAKING THE LASAGNA

• Prepare the Lasagna in a way so that it is still firm when bitten, i.e. half cooked (Al Dente). This is important because the pasta will continue to cook in the oven later.

• Add a little olive oil to the water to ensure that the Lasagna sheets do not cling to each other.

• Once cooked, remember to replace hot water with cold water to discontinue cooking. This will help you touch the Lasagna sheets without getting burned.

• Next take a deep baking pan and cover the base with a substantial coating of sauce.

• Then, put a coating of Lasagna followed by a coating of sauce, again a Lasagna layer, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella, and Parmigiano cheese. Keep layering till you reach the top or brim of the pan.

• Make sure the final layering is of the sauces, Mozzarella cheese and Parmigiano cheese.

• Finally, you need to bake it in an oven at a temperature of 400o Fahrenheit for approximately 40 minutes.

Now, allow your delicious Lasagna pasta to rest for about 15 minutes or so. Serve after 15 minutes and delight your guests with a yummy creamy taste!

If you have less time and wish to avoid cooking, you can book a table in one of the renowned Italian restaurants and relish a delectable platter of yummy traditional pasta.

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Have Trouble Cooking Pasta?

Do you love pasta but have a terrible time cooking it properly? 

It happens all the time. You prepare your pasta to have with a great sauce, but after it's finished, the noodles are either overcooked or not quite finished, causing it to taste bad. There is hope, and with a little help from some easy tips, you too can learn how to cook great pasta regardless of what kind you're trying to cook or the recipe. You can prepare basic dishes like spaghetti and meatballs, or attempt chicken in the crock pot recipes that direct you to put the pasta in during the last half hour of cooking time.

An area that lots of folks have trouble is in knowing just how much water should be used when boiling the pasta. Simply remember that a good suggestion is to add about 4 to 6 quarts of water to the pot for each pound of pasta. Additionally, another hint you might not know about is to never put your pasta into the pot of water before the water has come to a full boil. Lots of folks think that it doesn't make a difference, but most likely those same folks have yucky, sticky spaghetti as a result. As soon as the water starts to boil, add the pasta while you stir it in and then let the water reach a boil again.

Perhaps you've always heard people say to not stir the noodles while cooking, but this is probably one reason why your spaghetti turns out badly. Stirring the pasta helps the noodles to remain separate and not stick together or to the pan. Read the package cooking directions and follow them so you'll know how long to cook.

Dishes such as chicken in the crock pot recipes like chicken noodle soup, may require pasta that is cooked alone and added to the slow cooker. A great tip to remember is to let the noodles cook to 'just done' and not limp so that it will hold up in the crock pot during the last 30 minutes of cooking. Same goes for casseroles that will be baked in the oven for additional cooking time.

So the big question, and the biggest challenge, is how to know when you've cooked the pasta long enough. Here comes the easy part. Just taste and see. Using a fork, remove a piece of pasta or spaghetti and eat it. The pasta is done if it's firm but not hard. Pour the water out of the cooking pot and do not let the noodles lounge around in the water. Another falsehood: you only have to rinse the pasta if you need it to be cold for a specific recipe or it you don't want to eat it warm. Makes sense doesn't it?

Well, there you go. A few simple tips on how to prepare awesome pasta. You love pasta, and your family adores it, so don't continue serving them sticky noodles. Practice makes perfect and it results in perfectly wonderful Oven Baked Pasta too!

Baked Pasta with Gorgonzola

INGREDIENTS

* 1 pound penne pasta (or sub your favorite similar pasta)
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 4 ounces portobello mushroom(s), cut into 1/2 inch pieces
* 2-3 roma tomatoes
* 1 teaspoon dried basil
* 1 teaspoon dried oregano
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce (add more for moister bake)
* 4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
* 4 ounces Gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
* 4 ounces shredded parmesan cheese


1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain. Pour a glass of ice water over the pasta to stop the cooking, but do not rinse thoroughly. Blanch roma tomatoes in boiling water for approximately 30 seconds; peel and crush.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9 x 13 glass pan with olive oil. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in large skillet. Add mushrooms. Cook for 2 minutes then add basil, oregano and garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add sauce and crushed tomatoes to mushroom mixture and stir.

3. To assemble, pour enough sauce in the bottom of the pan to cover. Combine the remaining sauce and the pasta. Place one-third of sauced noodles on top of sauce in pan. Top with 1 cup of mozzarella and one-half of the gorgonzola. Repeat for a second layer. Put the final third of the noodles in the pan and top with the final 2 cups of mozzarella.

4. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until cheese is browned. Serve.

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Easy to make Baked Pasta on Oven

INGREDIENTS

• 1 pound/450 g rigatoni pasta
• 4 tablespoons/60 ml extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large eggplant, cubed
• 10 large sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
• 15 infornate olives, pitted and chopped
• 2 dried chile peppers, crushed, optional

• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (25-ounce/750 ml) jar tomato puree
• Salt
• 12 ounces/400 g freshly grated mozzarella
• Smoked scamorza cheese, as much as desired, roughly chopped
• Freshly grated Parmigiano cheese, for sprinkling

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

While the rigatoni cooks in salted boiling water, prepare the sauce. In a saucepan heat up the olive oil and saute the eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, olives, chile peppers, if using, and garlic, for a few minutes. Add the tomato puree and salt. Let the sauce cook for approximately 10 minutes on medium heat. 

Drain the rigatoni; add the pasta to the saucepan, sprinkle with some Parmigiano and cook for another 30 seconds. Then place 1/2 the rigatoni in a baking dish, adding a layer of 1/2 the mozzarella, 1/2 the scamorza and another sprinkle of Parmigiano cheese over the pasta. Add the remaining rigatoni, and follow with a final layer of all the cheeses. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until golden brown.

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Baked Pasta With Sausage and Baby Portobello Mushroom White Sauce

Difficulty (Scale from 1-10): 6

Makes 1 pound of pasta (serves 6-8)

Ingredients

1 pound dried penne pasta
1 pound of sweet Italian sausage taken out of it's casing
3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 pound of baby Portobello mushrooms sliced
3 cloves of fresh garlic - pressed
1 1/2 cups of heavy cream
1/4 teaspoon rounded of salt
1/4 teaspoon of cracked black pepper
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese - grated
8 oz of whole milk mozzarella cheese - shredded

1) Cook Pasta in a salted boiling pot of water until al dente; drain pasta & transfer to a large bowl, put aside a 3 quart flame proof casserole dish, for the baking process.
2) Preheat broiler
3) Cook sausage in one tablespoon of olive oil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat. Stirring occasionally to prevent sticking/burning while breaking up and large pieces of sausage, until no longer pink. Transfer sausage to a bowl leaving behind the fat in the skillet.
4) Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the already existing fat in the skillet. Add pressed garlic and mushrooms to the skillet over medium-high heat until mushrooms are cooked (do not over-cook - garlic should not burn), garlic should not get darker than golden brown. Cook time should be 5 - 7 minutes.
5) Return sausage to skillet along with heavy cream along with salt & pepper. Boil over medium-high heat until thickened, about 5-6 minutes. Pour over pasta (in large bowl) and mix in parmesan and 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Salt to taste.
6) Pour into casserole/baking dish and top with remaining mozzarella cheese.
7) Broil 3-4 inches from broiler until golden brown in spots, about 5-7 mins.

Remove from oven and enjoy your meal.

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How to Make Amazing Baked Pasta Quickly and Easily

Baked pasta is a great dish for any buffet party or a lunch or dinner at home. It provides great left overs and can easily be frozen for another meal. I always recommend serving oven baked pasta with a green side dish such as a fresh salad, or Italian green beans.

Here are the ingredients you will need:

1 Box of short tube pasta such as Rigatoni.

32oz. pasta sauce - for real quick, use a "good" Italian jar sauce

15 oz. ricotta cheese - low fat will not take away from the taste, so I recommend using it for this dish.

1 1/2 to 2 Cups grated romano cheese

13x7 baking pan or 2 smaller ones

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt.

2. Add the entire box of pasta and give a stir.

3. Cook for just over 1/2 the normal time. For rigatoni, I time it about 7 minutes. Here is one of the secrets... only cook the pasta 1/2 just under aldente. It will continue to cook in the oven.

4. Drain the pasta and set to the side.

5. Place one scoop of pasta sauce on the bottom of the pan.

6. Add a layer of pasta, do not be shy, it only requires 2 layers.

7. Put a layer of sauce over the pasta making sure to cover it all. Do not be shy.

8. Put a layer of ricotta using about 3/4 of the container.

9. Mix it all together gently so it is evenly dispersed.

10. Add the rest of the pasta on top, then the sauce, ricotta and then add the romano.

11. Mix all together and make sure the sauce covered all the pasta to prevent it from drying out.

12. Cover the pan with foil and bake at 365 degrees F. for 25-35 minutes.

- Note - Once the sauce starts bubbling up from the bottom of the pan, you know it is finished. I always recommend a taste test however.

A few tips I would like to mention however. First, you can add meat to this dish such as meatballs. Make sure the meat is precooked. Second tip, do not tell anyone how easy it is to make! It took me less than 15 minutes to prepare this dish.

As they say in Italian... "Mangiamo!" ("Let's Eat!")