Name: Rigatoni al forno
Total time: 1 h
Yield: Serves 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 300g rigatoni; 1 small ball mozzarella, diced; grated to make 2 tbsp Grana Padano; 1 tbsp olive oil; 6 pork and herb sausages, skins removed; 2 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tsp fennel seeds, crushed; chopped to make 2 tsp rosemary leaves; 2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

A baked rigatoni dish with tomatoes and sausages

300g rigatoni
1 small ball mozzarella
diced
grated to make 2 tbsp Grana Padano

PASTA SAUCE

1 tbsp olive oil
6 pork and herb sausages
skins removed
2 cloves garlic
crushed
1 tsp fennel seeds
crushed
chopped to make 2 tsp rosemary leaves
2 x 400g tins plum tomatoes

Method

step 1
To make the sauce, heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan and fry the sausages until browned, breaking them up with a wooden spoon so you have quite small pieces. Add the garlic, fennel and rosemary and cook for a couple of minutes more.
step 2
Add the tomatoes then simmer for 20 minutes until thickened. Cook the pasta but keep an eye on it, and stop cooking when it is a couple of minutes away from being done – you will be cooking it more in the oven so you want it to still have a bit of bite.
step 3
Mix the pasta with the sauce and tip into a baking dish. Scatter over the mozzarella and Grana Padano and bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbling and golden.