This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my full Disclosure Policy for details.
I will be the first to admit, I only tried this Rigatoni Pie because I wanted to play with my new spring-form pan. 🙂 I’ve never owned one of those before, and when I saw this on Pinterest, I just had to try it. How cool is it to eat pasta on its end? Besides, my family loves baked ziti, so I figured it couldn’t hurt.This is the simplified, probably less healthy version of a recipe I found on Recipe Sweet. You really should hop over and check it out, because her photos are pristine. Mine- well, we eat whatever I’m posting about almost immediately, so I get what I can before the hungry masses descend upon the kitchen. 🙂
When I went to the freezer to pull out my ground turkey, I realized I had used it all the night before making tacos. Oops. So I improvised (per usual) and warmed up some frozen turkey meatballs. Perfect! They were already seasoned and all I had to do was crumble them up a bit in the sauce. I used one jar of Ragu for this.
While the noodles are boiling, grate the cheese. There is nothing like fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Yummmmmmmm. Its flavor is so much stronger than the bagged stuff. So do it yourself-it’s not that much harder and it tastes so much better.
Here’s the fun part: Take out the noodles before they are cooked all the way and toss them with the Parmesan. Then, add them to the spring form pan standing on their ends. It’s a little hard at first to keep them up, but as you fill it in, it gets easier. The melty cheese helps to hold them together, too. Then you pour the sauce over the top and use a spoon to help it get down into the pasta as much as possible. Throw it in the oven to cook, adding the mozzarella all over the top for the last 10 minutes of cook time. Let it sit for a full 10 minutes when it’s done. Then remove the sides of the pan and this is what it looks like when you cut into it. How cool is that? I’m saving this for a “fancy” company for dinner meal. 🙂
Rigatoni Pie
Ingredients:
1 lb. Rigatoni noodles
1 lb. ground turkey, beef, or meatballs 😉
1 jar Ragu sauce (or make your own if you’re so inclined)
1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 cups mozzarella cheese, grated.
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°
Boil noodles 1-2 minutes less than package directions. You want them just shy of al dente.
While noodles are cooking, brown ground turkey. Drain. Add sauce and simmer.
When noodles are done, drain and then toss with Parmesan cheese. Place each noodle upright in a spring form pan. One pound will just fill a 9″ spring form.
Pour meat sauce over the noodles, pushing it gently into the holes with the back of a spoon. (It will completely cover the noodles)
Bake for 15 minutes, then pull out and add the mozzarella cheese. Bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly. Let sit at least 10 minutes before you remove the ring. Slice and serve with some tasty garlic bread and salad for a complete meal!
Hurray! This post was featured on Marvelous Mondays link party!
- Chocolate Orange Cookies - November 2, 2024
- Nutella Banana Bread - October 14, 2024
- Bacon Onion Dip - September 13, 2024
Helen Diels says
I really want to try this. But a whole pound of rigatoni for just 2 of us would have us eating it the whole week. Normally I cut recipes in half, but I don’t see how I could do that with this. I may try it and invite the whole neighborhood over to eat it with us, but I have one question. When you take the sides off the pan and cut into it, doesn’t the rigatoni start to fall over?
Nicole Burkholder says
Yeah, you wouldn’t be able to cut this in half unless you have a tiny little springform pan 🙂 We eat the leftovers for lunch for a couple days. And no, it doesn’t fall down, as long as you let it sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing into it. I think the cheese “cap” helps keep it together, as well as the Parmesan that is melted in with the noodles. I’m eating leftovers at this very minute for dinner!
Abbi Cappel says
Thank you so much for linking up with Seasons of Homemakers! Please come back next week and tell your friends all about it!
Abbi
Anyonita says
I made this pie a few months ago as a guest post and I love it! 🙂 It’s so nice and is such an attention getter! I NEVER use my springform either and I was too eager to bring it up from the depths of my cupboard just for this recipe! 🙂 I followed you here from the Marvelous Mondays link party. Also, I’d like to invite you to come link up with me at my link party! I’d love it if you could stop by & link up some of your recipes! Here’s the link: http://anyonitanibbles.blogspot.co.uk/2013/06/tasty-tuesdays-16-dozen-delicious-desserts.html
admin says
Isn’t it impressive looking 🙂 shhh don’t tell anyone it’s so easy 🙂 I’d live to link up- I will head over soon!
Nicole Burkholder says
Oops-did it again. Replying from my mobile app defaults to the other admin’s profile 🙂 Pretend that was me.
Julie @ This Gal Cooks says
This is such a rad little pie. I love how all of the rigatoni are standing up. The sauce just drips right into them! Thanks so much for sharing on Marvelous Mondays. Pinned and sharing on my Facebook page tomorrow!
Nicole Burkholder says
Awesome! Thanks for the love! I’m sure I’ll see in a boost in traffic thanks to you! 🙂
Lisa@ Cooking with Curls says
YUM!!! I saw that on pinterest too, but haven’t gotten around to making it yet 🙂
Nicole Burkholder says
Well, you really should. It’s pretty easy and so yummy! And COOL. 🙂
AnnMarie says
How cool is this? I have to try this! I too have some new springform pans in all different sizes so I can make as much as I want. Pinned! Visiting from Marvelous Mondays and following you via Bloglovin!
Nicole Burkholder says
I love kitchen gadgets 🙂 I may have to make a torte just to have an excuse to play with the spring form again 🙂