Baked Rigatoni with Tomato and Sopressa Salami Recipe

Pasta, tomato, and salami oven baked with melted cheese topping

2 teaspoon olive oil

150g Sopressa salami, thinly sliced from the deli, cut in 6 pieces

1/2 small brown onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1 small carrot, peeled and grated

8 medium ripened tomatoes, (about 800g), roughly chopped

350g rigatoni pasta

1 tablespoon roughly chopped basil

100g mozzarella from the deli torn into large pieces

1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano parmesan cheese, finely grated

Preheat oven to 200°C

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil

Place a large heavy based saucepan over medium-high heat and add olive oil

Add salami and cook stirring occasionally for 3 minutes or until browned

Remove salami from pan and set aside

Drain half the oil from pan and return to heat

Add onions and cook stirring often for 2 minutes or until onions are soft

Season lightly with salt and pepper

Add garlic, thyme, bay leaf and carrots and cook for a further 2 minutes

Add tomatoes and cook covered, over medium heat for about 10 minutes until tomatoes have broken down slightly and sauce has started to thicken

Add salami back to sauce and cook a further 5 minutes

While sauce is cooking, place the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to packet directions

Drain pasta in a colander and add to the pan of tomato sauce along with the basil and stir well to coat

Season pasta with salt and pepper to taste and pour into a 20 x 20cm baking dish

Sprinkle the mozzarella and parmesan evenly over the top

Place pasta in oven on top rack and cook for 8-10 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden brown on top

Remove pasta from the oven and allow to sit at room temperature for 5 minutes before serving

Curtis Stone's Recipe