A traybake is the easiest thing in the world to cook when you need to feed more than a couple of people and Pepperoni Rigatoni Pasta Bake is my new favourite! It’s the perfect marriage between pizza and pasta, but easily becomes a full meal with the addition of some kind of bread and an easy side dish. Even if I’m not feeding a lot of people, I’m happy to have the leftovers in the fridge for microwaved lunches.
When I’m making this recipe I like to use the mozzarella that comes in a solid block because it doesn’t need much draining and it’s easier to chop into cubes for a recipe like this. That said, you can do whatever works for you whether that’s a bag of the shredded stuff or traditional balls of mozzarella. If you decide to use the mozzarella balls, you’ll need to ensure you drain them very very well, cut them in advance and leave the cubed cheese on paper towels to drain further otherwise you’ll end up with a wet, watery mess. They are always wetter than you think, so don’t skip this step. If you ask me, you’re better off using the block of mozzarella cut into small cubes because it’s dryer and it melts very nicely.
If you want to prepare some of this dish in advance, you could absolutely make the sauce the day before and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. I love Pepperoni Rigatoni Pasta Bake for when I’m having guests over because I can prepare the sauce the day before and then finish the rest and assemble the dish before my guests arrive. I’ll then leave the assembled dish on the countertop until everyone arrives and then put it in the oven once they’re here to give us time for a quick glass of champagne before sitting down to eat. It’s so convenient.
If you don’t find rigatoni easily, any short pasta shape will work, but do use it if you can. Rigatoni is a bit thicker and stodgier than other pasta shapes so it holds up really well in the sauce as it bakes. The ridges of the pasta also hold that tomatoey sauce nicely. This is a real comfort food treat, so let’s get started!
Serves 6
Ingredients
- 500g rigatone (or other short pasta shape of your choice)
- 2 tablespoons garlic oil (or regular olive oil)
- 20g unsalted butter
- 1 shallot, very finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/4 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
- 500g minced beef
- 90g sliced pepperoni, all roughly chopped except 8 slices reserved and kept whole
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 750g passata
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 400g mozzarella cheese, cut into very small cubes
- Drizzle of olive oil
- Black pepper
Method
- Prepare a large glass roasting dish (casserole dish) or other oven-proof dish by spraying it with some non-stick cooking spray.
- Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, but check it about a minute or two before the end of the cooking time to check it’s al dente. Strain, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water and set aside to keep warm until needed.
- Meanwhile you can make the sauce. In a large pot that has a lid, melt the butter with the garlic oil over medium heat and when it starts to sizzle a bit add the shallots and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon for about 5 minutes or so until the shallots are softened and translucent. Add the garlic, basil, oregano and chilli flakes and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly.
- Add the minced beef and use your wooden spoon to break up the meat as it cooks. Cook, stirring occasionally until all the meat is browned with no spots of pink and then add the chopped pepperoni. Cook while stirring for another 2 minutes and then stir in the tomato paste. Again, cook for about 2 minutes.
- Pour in the passata and the sugar, stir and bring the mixture to the boil. Once it’s bubbling, pop on the lid, reduce the heat to low and leave the sauce to simmer for about 15 or 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- When the sauce is finished simmering, remove it from the heat and toss in the cooked pasta. Stir to combine and add a spoonful or two of the starchy, reserved pasta water if need to help the sauce bind to the rigatoni. Now pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle the cheese cubes as evenly as you can across the top.
- Place the reserved whole pepperoni slices evenly spaced across the top of the cheese and drizzle with some olive oil (this helps the cheese to brown in the places the oil touches). Sprinkle the top with some freshly ground black pepper and bake in the pre-heated oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until the cheese is completely melted and starting to turn golden. To serve, cut into 6 squares and serve hot.
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