Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

I get daily text messages at about 3:00 from Martha Stewart with the Recipe of the Day. My husband loves it {sarcasm}. Mostly because I announce the Recipe of the Day to everyone around me, so there's no avoiding it if I'm around. If I like the recommended Recipe of the Day, I can reply 'cook' and it will text me the shopping ingredients and email me the recipe. It's really quite wonderful. This is where my Cheesy Baked Rigatoni came from though, it was originally called Baked Spaghetti and Mozzarella, before I got to it.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can change it up and it's still going to turn out great; as long as you follow some of the basics. Feel free to click on the original recipe above, but this is how I would do it. 

*Caution: This is enough for a week's worth of leftovers for 3 people. If you don't want to make so much, cut the recipe in half.

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni

Serves 6-8

2 boxes dried pasta

1 larger-than-average jar of pasta or marinara sauce

1 ball or log of fresh mozzarella, cubed

5 slices of bacon, cut into small pieces

1 cup shredded Parmesan or Gruyère

Oregano (dried or fresh)

Directions

Cook pasta just before it becomes 'ready' - it will still have a little crunch to it. Drain in a strainer, but do not rinse. Sauce sticks better to un-rinsed pasta.

Preheat oven to 350*F

In a large dutch oven or oven-proof saucepan, fry bacon until crisp. Pour in tomato sauce and stir until boiling. Dump in cooked pasta and stir until fully incorporated. Toss in the cubed mozzarella and stir once more.  Top with shredded cheese and place in the oven. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and browned on the edges.

With potholders, carefully take out the cheesy goodness and sprinkle with the oregano.  Serve with garlic bread and a tall glass of milk.