Three Cheese Stuffed Rigatoni Pasta Cake
This bake is best made a few hours ahead of time for easy serving.
An Original Recipe by Lorraine Elliott
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
- 500g/1.1lbs Rigatoni
- 3.5 cups three cheese mix, grated (I used 1/2 cup ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan)
- 1/3 cup cream
- 2 eggs
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 1 cup pasta sauce plus 2 tablespoons extra
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat parsley
Step 1 - Line a 20cm/8inch springform tin on the base and sides and preheat oven to 180C/350F.
Step 2 - Cook the rigatoni in a very large pot of salted boiling water for 4 minutes. Drain and separate on a large tray lined with parchment paper. Remove the broken ones - about a third of mine were broken so I put those aside to make a pasta salad.
Step 3 - Process the cheeses and cream reserving 1/2 cup for sprinkling afterwards. Add eggs and garlic and process until very smooth. You don't want any big lumps in this as you'll be piping the filling into the rigatoni. Place in a large piping bag fitted with a small plain nozzle that fits inside a rigatoni tube-I used a #9 plain nozzle.
Step 4 - Spread a layer of pasta sauce on the base of the tin and then place the rigatoni standing vertically. Start on the edge and build it across. Then pipe the three cheese filling into the rigatoni. Fill in any gaps with extra rigatoni or a squirt of cheese filling. Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and the reserved 1/2 cup of cheese and drizzle with olive oil. Bake for 15 minutes. Brush with the extra pasta sauce and bake at 200C/400F for 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
NB: This bake is best done a few hours ahead of time, and then reheated in the oven and that way the pasta cuts like a cake slice.