Recipe: Baked Rigatoni with Meatballs

This is simply a carby, meat and cheese filled recipe of foolishness.

Ingredients:

3 cups dry pasta

3 cups baby spinach, chopped and separated

1 large egg

kosher salt

Pepper

1 clove garlic

½ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup fresh breadcrumbs

¼ cup grated Parmesan

1 pound ground beef

1 pound Italian sausage

1 jar marinara sauce

8 oz. part-skim mozzarella

½ cup part-skim ricotta

2 tablespoons fresh basil

1 tablespoon fresh oregano

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons tomato paste

½ cup burgundy wine

1 tablespoon sugar

Lo Note: The recipe calls for short rigatoni, but we used rotini because we happened to have some lying around.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cook the pasta according to package directions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.

2. Meanwhile, chop 1 cup spinach. In a large bowl, whisk together the egg, 2 tablespoons of water, and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Stir in the garlic and parsley, then the bread crumbs and Parmesan. Add the beef, sausage, and chopped spinach and mix to combine.

3. Form the meat mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls (about 26 total) and place on the prepared baking sheet. Broil until cooked through, 20 minutes.

4. Toss the pasta with the marinara sauce. Fold in 1 cup mozzarella, ¼ cup of ricotta, then the remaining 2 cups of spinach, oregano, basil, red pepper flakes, tomato paste, wine, sugar and the meatballs. Transfer to a baking dish. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and dollop with the remaining 1/4 cup ricotta. Broil until golden brown, 10 minutes.

Recipe inspiration found HERE.