Italian Casserole (Rigatoni and Cheese With Tomato Sauce)

"Cheap and easy and tasty."
 
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photo by *Parsley* photo by *Parsley*
photo by *Parsley*
photo by *Parsley* photo by *Parsley*
photo by *Parsley* photo by *Parsley*
Ready In:
1hr
Ingredients:
8
Serves:
10-12
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ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat oven to 350°F.
  • In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook rigatoni according to package directions until al dente; drain.
  • Combine tomato sauce with seasonings, and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minuntes.
  • Add sauce to pasta and toss to coat.
  • In a baking dish, arrange pasta and cheese in layers, ending with cheese.
  • Pour melted butter over all.
  • Bake, covered, for 15 minutes.
  • Uncover, and bake for another 15 minutes.
  • To freeze: Undercook pasta by a minute or two. Assemble dish as directed. Wrap with plastic wrap and then foil. Label and freeze.
  • To serve: Thaw in fridge. Remove plastic wrap and recover with foil. Bake as directed for 20 minutes. Then uncover and bake 15 more minutes.

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Reviews

  1. yum - looks like I'll be giving this a go tonight.
     
  2. I made some changes to the recipe: Used one large tin of 4 cheese spagetti sauce (or whatever kind you like), 1/8 cup butter mixed in with the tomato sauce and used mozzarella, a bit of cheddar and a sprinkle of asiago on each layer, maybe 1/2 lb. of cheese. I also only cooked the noodles about 3/4 of the time called for. It was definitely a hit at our house and I look forward to trying to freeze this recipe. The reason I gave it a 4 rating is because it is so easy to change to what your own family likes, i.e. changing the sauce to spagetti or tomatoes or whatever you like. I also think you could add mushrooms, onions, peppers etc. This is only my second time using Recipezaar and I am very impressed with everything on this site and how it is set up!!!! Thanks everyone!
     
  3. Family ate it well enough hence the 3 star rating for "liked it"...However, it was suggested that next time we skip the melted butter, change the cheese from sliced to shredded and instead of the tomato sauce concoction, we'll use a good jarred spaghetti sauce or make our own...Good news, is that the dish IS freezable...I slightly under boiled the pasta (since I'd heard pasta softens from freezing), I followed the recipe instructions putting it together, but used a disposable 11X9 tin pan since it was being freezed...Then I wrapped the pan in plastic wrap, then in foil and placed it in the freezer...2 days later I removed it from the freezer, thawed it in the fridge...When it was time to bake I removed the plastic wrap, recovered it in the foil and placed it in the oven...I baked it for 20 min, then removed the foil and baked for 15 min more...Thanks for posting this recipe!
     
  4. Very good and very easy to make! I chose to use the swiss cheese (I shredded it) and I was very pleased with the results. At first I thought it read "1/4 CUP butter; melted"..... then I realized it was "1/4 LB butter; melted". I did use the full 1/4 lb, but I think you could get away with half the amount..... especially if your watching fat/calories. Thanx for sharing this. We enjoyed it!
     
  5. This went over big with us! A very tasty meatless meal. I stuck to the recipe except for one variation - I used crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. I'll definitely be making this again. Thanks!
     
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Tweaks

  1. Family ate it well enough hence the 3 star rating for "liked it"...However, it was suggested that next time we skip the melted butter, change the cheese from sliced to shredded and instead of the tomato sauce concoction, we'll use a good jarred spaghetti sauce or make our own...Good news, is that the dish IS freezable...I slightly under boiled the pasta (since I'd heard pasta softens from freezing), I followed the recipe instructions putting it together, but used a disposable 11X9 tin pan since it was being freezed...Then I wrapped the pan in plastic wrap, then in foil and placed it in the freezer...2 days later I removed it from the freezer, thawed it in the fridge...When it was time to bake I removed the plastic wrap, recovered it in the foil and placed it in the oven...I baked it for 20 min, then removed the foil and baked for 15 min more...Thanks for posting this recipe!
     
  2. This went over big with us! A very tasty meatless meal. I stuck to the recipe except for one variation - I used crushed tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. I'll definitely be making this again. Thanks!
     

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