ADVERTISEMENT
Pasta al Forno
Ingredients
1 lb rigatoni pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb Italian dressing
1 (1 lb) can tomato paste
1 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon thyme
2 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, shredded
½ cups Parmesan cheese, grated
Make Pasta al Forno
In a large pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil on medium. Heat over fire temperature. Add the onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Add the sauce and break it into small pieces with a spatula. Cook until thickened and then skim off the oil.
Add the tomato paste, a glass of water, salt, black pepper and thyme. Reduce heat and cook for 30 minutes. While the sauce is cooking, cook the pasta in salted water until almost al dente (slightly undercooked). Measure 1 cup of pasta water, set aside and drain off remaining water.
After 30 minutes, add the cooked pasta to the sauce along with 1 ½ cups mozzarella and ½ cup water. Stir to combine and add remaining pasta water only when mixture dries.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Transfer pasta mixture to a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with remaining mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
Bake the pasta for 25-30 minutes or until the crust and cheese are golden brown.