Baked Rigatoni Pasta with Homemade Garlic and Basil Marinara Sauce

Pasta is such a staple dinner item in so many homes, it can get kind of challenging to make it interesting! But of course, thanks to hundreds of different types of pasta varieties, and also the packaged sauces that supermarkets horde for you, there are plenty of options to choose from, especially when different people in the same house have different tastes. Like I love penne and rigatoni, but my dear husband settles for nothing but linguine or fettucine. So if I have to feed him something else, I have to package it in a clever and tasty way so he can crib a little but still enjoy his food:) I generally like the sun-dried tomato alfredo sauce for my pasta, but this time I tried making the traditional Italian Marinara sauce at home, just to see if I could compete with Raagu and Bertoli!! It is so simple to make this sauce at home, and you'd save so much money, not to mention the flavor that a fresh Homemade Garlic and Basil Marinara sauce can add to your pasta! I tried the Baked Rigatoni with my homemade sauce; Sprinkled with fresh parmesan and mozzarella cheese, and flavored with fresh herbs and garlic, you just cannot resist this dinner dish!

Ingredients

For the Marinara Sauce
2 cans tomato puree
1 can diced roma tomatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 large cloves of garlic - minced
2 tbsp dried basil leaves
2 tsp dried oregano leaves
1/2 small onion - finely chopped
2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
lemon juice - add to taste if necessary
water - add to adjust consistency

Pasta Ingredients
10 oz Rigatoni pasta
1/2 capsicum - finely diced
1 cup mozarella cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
2 tsp dried thyme leaves

Method

Pasta Sauce
Place the olive oil in a small frying pan and warm to medium heat. Add the garlic and onions, and cook until onions are slightly tender.

Now add the tomato puree and the diced tomatoes, add 1/2 cup water and allow to cook. for 5 minutes so the tomato pieces get almost mashed and tender. Then add the dried basil and oregano leaves, salt, sugar and more water if needed, then cover and let it simmer on medium-flame till all flavors are mixed well.

Once cooked, remove from flame and allow to cool a little. If you like a smoother texture, you can blend this mixture after it has cooled down to form a puree. I like a chunky texture, so I left it as it is.

Baked Rigatoni
Take the Rigatoni and cook it according to package instructions.

Take 1 tbsp olive oil and heat it. Add the chopped capsicum to it and cook until slightly tender.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a square or rectangular glass baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray. Layer the cooked pasta in the dish, top it with the sauted capsicum, then gently pour the marinara sauce over it. Add the parmesan and mozzarella cheese to it. Sprinkle some more dried basil and thyme leaves on the top if you like.

now bake at 375 degrees for about 20-25 minutes, until the pasta and sauce is cooked well and the cheese begins to melt. Change the setting to Broil and cook for another 2 mins, just so the cheese on the top gets a little golden in color.

Remove from oven and allow to cool a little. Serve the hot Baked Rigatoni Pasta with a side salad or garlic bread for a delicious Italian Meal! This goes to Mathy's JFI-Garlic event!!

Similar Recipes:
Fettucini Alfredo with Basil
Spagetti with garlic and Cilantro
Ravioli in Saffron and Cream Sauce

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Event Announcement - WBB#20 - Balanced Breakfast

WBB, short for Weekend Breakfast Blogging, was started by Nandita of Saffron Trail almost a year ago with the aim of collecting interesting recipes for a weekend breakfast. Travelling through a series of top-notch hosts, the honor lands with me this time. Breakfasts are the most important meal of the day, and we often tend to neglect them completely, or just gulp something down with a cup of caffeine or juice! But I guess we all know that we need to pay more attention to our breakfasts as this is the meal that lays the foundation of your day, giving you energy and invigorating your brain cells so you can meet the challenging tasks ahead! At least during the weekends, we should have enough time to make something delicious yet wholesome for our families, right??!! So to give justice to this first meal of the day, I choose "Balanced Breakfast Meals" as this month's theme for WBB#20.

The rules for sending in an entry are as following:

1. Your breakfast should contain at least one item from the above list. But I'm really expecting all you fabulous foodies to come up with entrees that have more than 2 items from the list!

2. All dishes must be vegetarian; eggs and cheese is allowed, just no meat or seafood (sorry, but this is a vegetarian blog:))

3. Send me an email at mansibshah@gmail.com with your name, entry, picture of your dish and permalink to the post with the subject WBB#20. Please link back to this announcement in your post. You can use the above logo in your posts.

4. Deadline for sending in entries is March 31st. The roundup will be done in the 1st week of April

That's it, simple and sweet. So all you fabulous cooks out there, get ready to don your aprons and dish out delicious balanced breakfast recipes to share with others. After all, there can never be enough "balanced breakfasts"!!

This event's roundup is now available at WBB-Balanced Breakfasts Mega Roundup

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Gary Danko Restaurant - San Francisco

Continuing its winning streak, Gary Danko again secures a place in the Zagat Guide charts as the most popular restaurant in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is indeed quite a feat for a restaurant on the high end of the cost spectrum. This quaint restaurant located on Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco downtown serves Californian and French Cuisine, and attracts not only locals, but foodies from around the world! Plantation shutters, dark wood and warm earth tones create a soothing setting for his seasonal fare. Impeccably dressed waiting staff adds an air of elegance, along with an excellent wine list and cheese service. The fixed-price menu definitely ranges on the higher end, yet the award-winning food draws huge crowds every single day.

James Beard Award-winning chef Gary Danko presides is the heart and soul of this restaurant. Reflecting the white-glove formality of fine dining, Danko offers impeccable cuisine and perfectly orchestrated service in an untraditionally spacious environment. The two adjoining rooms are elegant without being stiff, and the banquette seating provides both luxury and comfort. Taupe-toned walls are the perfect backdrops for museum-quality modern paintings from artists Hunt Slonem, Erin Parish, and Angelina Nasso. The wooden panels and shutters combined with well-spaced tables create an intimate yet open environment. Even their bathrooms are spa-style!!:)

The food at Gary Danko centers on lively, seasonal dishes prepared with classical french techniques. The 3-5 course seasonal menu is freestyle, and offers several seasonal ingredients paired with meats and veggies. You definitely have to try their trademark buttery-smooth glazed oysters with lettuce cream, salsify, and Osetra caviar; seared foie gras, which may be accompanied by peaches, caramelized onions, and verjus (a classic French sauce); horseradish-crusted salmon medallions with dilled cucumbers; and adventurous Moroccan spiced squab with chermoula (a Moroccan sauce made with cilantro) and orange-cumin carrots are other attention grabbers. For strict vegetarians, salads might be your only option, but the chef was kind enough to accomodate our special requests. The items on the menu range from $50-80, so be prepared to lighten your pockets!

The wine list is stellar, but expensive, and holds over 1,500 wines including an exceptional selection of grand vintages. They also boast an extensive cheese collection, and diners can take a glimpse of the spread through a handsome cheese case. For desserts, a plate of petit fours, Baked Chocolate Souffle or the Pineapple Consomme will be perfect to end a memorable meal!

On the whole, Gary Danko offers a pleasing dining experience, albeit expensive, and hence reserved for special occasions. Reservations are strongly recommended, unless you are prepared for at least half-hour wait! The quality of food and service is unparalleled, and you have to hand it to the chef for maintaining the standard as Gary Danko moves to its 8th successful year. They are also opening a new branch in the Napa Valley, so look out for more great food in the romantic city!!



Address
800 North Point St. (at Hyde)
San Francisco
(415) 749-2060
Gary Danko Restaurant

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