Baked Rigatoni (Dallas Morning News)

This came from the local paper. I made it recently, and there were not many leftovers to be had. It's a great recipe to make adjustments to, depending on personal tastes. I added italian sausage that I browned, and it was absolutely delicious. I also increased the recipe by about half, since there were 4 hungry kids to feed as well. Next time I am going to add some mushrooms as well.

• Ready In: 55 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 4  garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 1 (28 ounce) can whole canned tomatoes, undrained
• 1⁄4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  cup heavy cream
• 3⁄4 cup parmesan cheese, grated (divided)
• 16  ounces rigatoni pasta

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until golden but not browned, about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices, red pepper flakes, oregano, salt, and sugar. Bring to a boil.
3. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer (crushing tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon, if using whole tomatoes) until sauce thickens slightly, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in cream and 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni according to package directions.
5. Add the drained rigatoni to sauce and toss to coat.
6. Transfer to a 2 quart casserole and top with remaining cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.