Recipe by Shaun Myrick
Celebrating the 40th vintage of Laurel Glen Vineyard Estate Cabernet Sauvignon calls for a delicious meal, and when you celebrate calories don’t count right? This Baked Cheesy Rigatoni is simple to prepare and a classic cheese and wine pairing meal. The different cheeses all marry together to complement this wine.
Serves 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 ½ cups heavy cream
½ cup whole milk
1 can (14.5 oz) crushed fire roasted tomatoes in puree
¼ cup freshly grated smoked gouda
½ cup grated fontina
½ cup crumbled Gorgonzola
½ cup grated aged white cheddar
¼ cup ricotta cheese
1 fresh mozzarella ball (4 oz), diced
2 fresh mild Italian chicken sausage links, removed from casing*
½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 pound rigatoni pasta
Parmesan for topping
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Bring salted water to a boil in a large pot.
- Sauté the crumbled chicken sausage until cooked thru, remove from pan. Sauté the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil in same pan until browned and water released.
- Drop the rigatoni into the boiling water and parboil for 5 minutes. Drain well.
- Combine the cream, milk, cheeses, tomatoes, and basil in a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
- Add the pasta to the bowl of ingredients, toss to combine, add the mushrooms and sausage and combine.
- Pour mixture into a 9×13 baking pan and dot the top with the butter and sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 25-30 minutes until its hot and bubbly, if top starts to burn cover loosely with foil.
*Note – omit the sausage for a vegetarian version.
