Baked Rigatoni

Make sauce. If you already have sauce, you can skip this step. In a large pot on medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and diced onions. Sauté until softened. Next add in minced garlic, cooking for a few minutes. Add in the rest of the remaining marinara sauce ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer till desired consistency, about 30 minutes to an hour. Remove bay leaf and discard.

Boil pasta according to package. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray nonstick olive oil cooking spray into a 2-quart baking dish. In a large bowl combine 1 cup of marinara sauce and 15 ounces of ricotta cheese. Mix well and set aside. Shred mozzarella cheese and set aside.

Once pasta is cooked, drain well and gently fold into ricotta cheese and sauce mixture. Pour rigatoni into prepared baking dish.

Pour remaining marinara sauce onto the top of the rigatoni.

Sprinkle rigatoni with mozzarella cheese, cracked pepper and fresh grated parmesan cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is melted and browning and pasta is heated all the way through.

Allow rigatoni to cool for 12-15 minutes.

Enjoy!