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lattice chicken pot pie
Mexican street corn pasta
chicken Ghiveci
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Pasta Pie

When I first saw this recipe on Noble Pig, I knew I had to try it. The key should have been not to try it on a weeknight when I got home a little late from work with a whining C and Miss F hovering around the kitchen like two starving vultures. I am not sure whether this was a resounding success or not. Next time I will double the sauce recipe (which I included in this recipe here), because a lot of my pasta was sauceless and I would have like some extra. C said next time to just bake the pasta "normally", I am guessing like baked ziti. He has no appreciation for "pretty" food and at this point was irritated that the food had to be photographed at all, since he had been ready to eat for hours.
Pasta Pie
printable recipe

1 pound rigatoni
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound ground turkey
½ onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cans (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes
Butter, for pan
Salt
1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone. One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and onion. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, basil and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.

Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.

Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.
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7 comments:

Jessica - The Novice Chef said...

That is seriously the coolest thing I have seen in a while! So awesome!

Karen Perry said...

Hey girl! I made this recipe tonight and it was a BIG hit in my house! It turned out perfect, just like your pic.

I love your blog! I hope you, Mr. C and Miss F are doing great! :) Zane and ZJ say Hi

Anonymous said...

It looks great even though you went through a lot to get it to that point.

My husband moans when I tell him to wait so I can take photos. I am not sure I can cook anymore, without taking pictures. I go everywhere with my camera.

Action Jackson said...

This looks delicious AND very pretty. I'm going to have to try it for my dear husband. He likes to eat late, so I might even get a picture in without whining. I'll let you know if/when I do it.

bobeager said...

What makes Pasta pie different from other Italian dishes. Such as baked zitti. Can you make an alfredo pasta pie or a regular red meat sauce one.
Trying to look up where pasta pie originated from. Do you happen to know the history of it. I am writing a fictional story which has a section entitled Pasta Paradise

Lillian (My Recipe Journey) said...

I'm making this right now! I hope it looks as good as yours!!! Great job!

Lillian (My Recipe Journey) said...

Oh, and BTW...I'm your newest follower! =)

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