You’ll notice that Rigatoni is not the first ingredient in this recipe. That’s because this isn’t just another pasta dish. This is all about the roasted veggies with sausage and pasta finished with cheese…in that order! You can use a block of mozzarella cheese and shred it but this dish calls for the king of mozerella, fior di latte. It’s an exquisite cheese that’s unique flavour and texture amps up this recipe!
This fior di latte cheese comes in a brine. Pat dry and using a very sharp knife to slice up. Try not to eat it all before getting it into this dish!
You’ll need to have already made my Traditional Tomato sauce which really should be made weekly for this very reason! Having prepared sauce on hand will save your life! It can be added to so many dishes, like chili, soups, roasted potatoes and baked pasta dishes like this.
I like to use a medium spice sausage for this dish. If you like your food really spicy then you could use a spicy sausage or you could add chili flakes to the tomato sauce.
I also like to use green and yellow zucchini, although the yellow zucchini is more commonly known as a squash, depending on where you live. If you like eggplant that could also be added to the meal! The point of the veggies is to add balance to the sausage and sauce and give it some texture to compliment the cooked pasta.
There are a few steps to this relatively simple dish, but you can also combine your sausage and veggies and roast them together in case you’re short on time…or just too hungry to wait!
This recipe is adapted from Giada DiLaurentis book Everyday Pasta, which was given to me about 7 years ago. I love that book. I love Giada! But when I moved to Belize I wanted to make it a fuller meal since her’s is just veggies and sauce with pasta. And sometimes I couldn’t get yellow zucchini so that’s how eggplant wove its way into this dish. It’s quite versatile, so feel free to adjust it and create from it like I did!
Roasted Veggies, Sausage, Rigatoni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 Red pepper, sliced aprox 1" thickness
- 1 Green pepper, sliced 1" thicknesd
- 1 Medium sized green zucchini, halved and diced into 1" pieces
- 1 Medium yellow zucchini, halved and diced into 1" pieces
- 2 Large onion chopped Red onion is a great option instead of cooking onion
- 6 Whole cloves garlic, remove outer skin Opt for locally grown garlic
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 4 Links of sausage, choose one not too spicy but full of flavour. Avoid a sweet sausage They're easier to chop if frozen
- 500 Grams Rigatoni Penne would be a good substitute
- 3 Large mozerella balls, sliced Drain from brine & pat try before slicing
- 4 Cups Traditional Tomato Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375. Chop up all veggies except for garlic and place in 9x13 baking dish. Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle w salt and pepper. Set aside garlic for now
- In a separate baking dish place chopped sausage. Place both baking dishes in oven and bake for 30 minutes.
- Bring to boil a large heavily salted pot of water. Add rigatoni & cook just till soft but still slightly raw & chewy. Don't cook all the way through. Drain & run under cold water
- When veggies and sausages are done remove from oven. Using care, add sausages to veggies along with cooked pasta and 4 cups of sauce. Add garlic and gently mix well. Top with sliced cheese
- Cover with aluminum foil and return to oven for 30 min. Remove foil and bake another 10-15 minutes. Let cool slightly & serve with crisp garden salad!
- This amazing Italian salad can be found in my Instagram account ordinarydaywithmilena
