Baked Rigatoni With Sausage And Broccoli Rabe |
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Prep Time: 0 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 30 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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This delicious, hearty baked-pasta dish includes cipollini onions, an Italian variety that is slightly larger than a boiling onion. (Cipollina means small onion in Italian.) These disk-shaped onions have a sweet, mild flavor and are ideal for roasting and braising. Read more . However, its not always easy for me to find cipollinis, so you can sub the same amount of your favorite onion and it'll be great. This is a meal in itself and full of flavor. Add a simple salad and/or some crusty bread and enjoy! Ingredients:
24 garlic cloves, peeled |
1/3 cup olive oil |
1 1/2 lb. italian sausage, halved and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices |
1-2 tbsp. olive oil |
2 bunches broccoli rabe/rapini or broccolini, cut into 1-inch pieces |
note: i love broccoli rabe/rapini, but it does have a bitter bite. if you don't mind it, then cook according to the recipe. however, if you want to take the bite out of the broccoli rabe, parboil it for five minutes. (you could use the water leftover from cooking the rigatoni.) drain well and continue with recipe as written. |
1/2 cup dry white wine |
8 oz. cipollini onions, peeled and halved (feel free to use regular onions, as cipollini can be hard to find) |
3 fresh thyme sprigs |
1/2 lb. rigatoni, cooked until al dente |
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste |
1 cup ricotta cheese |
pinch or two of red chili flakes |
2 oz. parmigiano-reggiano cheese, grated |
Directions:
1. Preheat an oven to 400°F.
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3. In a small pan over medium-low heat, bring 1/3 cup of olive oil and garlic cloves to a simmer. Cook until garlic cloves are soft and just starting to take on color, 10-12 minutes.
4. Remove garlic with a slotted spoon and reserve the garlic-flavored oil.
5. NOTE: The recipe only uses the garlic cloves to season the oil. You can discard them at this point OR use them in garlic butter or to smear, as is, on tasted bread, etc. The soft simmering of the garlic in olive oil will make the garlic soft, subtle and a bit sweet.
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7. In a sauté pan over medium heat, add 1-2 tbsp. of olive oil and brown the sausage for 2 to 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a large bowl.
8. Add the broccoli rabe to the pan and cook until tender, 6 to 8 minutes, adding the wine after 3 minutes. Season with salt, then add the broccoli rabe and any cooking liquid to the bowl with the sausage.
9. In the same pan over medium heat, warm the reserved garlic oil. Add the onions and thyme, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and caramelized, about 15 minutes.
10. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to the bowl with the sausage and broccoli rabe; reserve the oil. Add the pasta and garlic to the bowl and season with salt and pepper.
11. Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a 3-quart baking dish and dot with half of the ricotta. Top with the remaining pasta and ricotta.
12. Drizzle with the reserved oil and sprinkle with the chili flakes.
13. NOTE: This is not a saucy recipe as written. It has very little liquid to make it so and as written, makes for browned, slightly crunchy outer edges. The ricotta stays in pats where you place them - it gets hot surely, but doesn't melt. The components stay distinct, yet melded in flavor, in my opinion. This appeals to me and perhaps others, but maybe not for everyone. Please feel free to doctor the recipe to your liking and let us know what you did and how you liked it.....it's all good and I welcome all input! =)
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15. Bake for 20 minutes, then sprinkle with the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and bake until hot and golden brown, about 10 minutes more.
16. Serves 6.
17. Adapted from a recipe by Loretta Keller, Chef/Owner, COCO 500, San Francisco and found at Williams-Sonoma
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