Lasagna Style Rigatoni Bake with Sour Cream Cheesy Bread

  I started with a recipe for Baked Ziti, and somehow ended up with this delicious casserole we dubbed “Lasagna Style Rigatoni Bake”.  

  I think Rigatoni is a VERY under used noodle, and I am proud to give it a day to SHINE.  Rigatoni are the big, fat, round noodles that look like tubes. They hold all kinds of yummy bits of cheese and sauce when  you use it in a bake like this.

Lasagna Style Rigatoni Bake

{click title for printable}

FOR THE MEAT SAUCE:

• 1 pound Sausage
• 1 pound Hamburger
• 1 whole Onion, Chopped
• 6 cloves Garlic, Pressed
• 28 ounces, weight Peeled, Crushed Tomatoes
• 2 cans (14 Oz Each) Tomato Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Oregano
• ¾ teaspoons Each Rosemary And Thyme
• ½ teaspoons Red Pepper Flakes
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
• 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder

FOR THE NOODLES:

• 1 box (16oz) Rigatoni Noodles, Cooked
• 16 ounces, weight Tub Of Cottage Cheese
• 5 ounces, fluid Philidelphia Italian Herb And Cheese Cooking Creme
• 2-½ teaspoons Italian Seasoning
• 1 whole Egg
• ½ cups Shredded Parmesan Cheese
• 2-½ pounds Of Freshly Shredded Mozzarella Cheese {Shredding Fresh Is SO Much Better Than The Pre-shredded Stuff!}
• Dried Parsley, For Garnish

In a large family sized skillet or stock pot, cook sausage and beef with onions and garlic. Drain most of the grease.
Add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce and seasonings. Allow to simmer for 10 minutes to meld flavors while you boil, drain and cool water rinse your Rigatoni noodles.
In a large, separate bowl, combine cottage cheese, cooking creme, one egg, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese and 2 cups of the mozzarella cheese. Stir in noodles.
Spray an oversized 10×14 baking dish, and over flow to a 2 qt casserole dish. That is because this dish is ALMOST too big for a 10×14, and rather than overflow it, we will make 2 dishes, one large and one small.

  Spread a layer of almost half the cheese covered noodles into main pan. Next, spread nearly 1/2 of the meat sauce, top this layer with mozzarella cheese.   Repeat layers, ending with more cheese.  Scrape remaining cheese covered noodles and sauce into your 1 qt baking dish, and top with mozz cheese.  

Sprinkle with dried parsley for pretty over the tops of both.

Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Pop the second pan into the fridge for an easy later day lunch, or run it next door to your favorite shut in.  

Serve with Sour Cream Cheesy Bread and a big salad.

  What is Sour Cream Cheesy Bread, you ask?  

  Well, it’s so gooey, creamy and rich, it makes me weak in the knees! YUMMO. 

  This recipe comes from my childhood, my pastor’s wife made it for us one time, and it was love at first BITE!

Please forgive me, I may or may not have forgotten the bread in the oven, and it may or may not look a little bit “DONE” in the photo. Boo.  

  Don’t burn yours, mk?  Just set a timer.  I did not, because I knew it would only be a moment until the cheese was perfect.  

Moment here, gone and good bye soft bread.

Oops.

Sour Cream Cheesy Bread

{click title to print}

• 1 loaf Of Whole Wheat French Bread
• 2 cups Colby Jack Cheese
• 8 ounces, weight Sour Cream
• ½ sticks Butter, Softened
• Garlic Salt, to taste

Slice french bread loaf in half. Spread each side to the edge with softened butter, then sprinkle with a generous amount of garlic salt.
Next, spread a nice layer of sour cream to the edge, and sprinkle with cheese.
Bake at 350* for 10 minutes or until cheese is melted. {set a timer!}

Dig in!

~T