John Scargall, a musician out of Philadelphia, PA, sent me a note to let me know that he loves rigatoni. He added that his music goes great with it, too.
You know what?
I think he’s right.
John is a vegetarian, so I prepared for him this recipe for Baked Rigatoni With Sautéed Vegetables. The dish has a Mediterranean flair and is packed with colorful ingredients. The soft vegetables, crunchy nuts, and creamy mozzarella perfectly partner with the rigatoni.
Baked Rigatoni With Sautéed Vegetables
Ingredients:
1 lb rigatoni
1 small red onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 Tbs olive oil
1 tsp oregano, divided
Black pepper
1/2 lb mushrooms, quartered
1 (14 oz) can stewed tomatoes, drained and chopped
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, halved
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 tsp fennel seed
4 garlic cloves, sliced
1/4 lb bocconcini, halved
Garlic bread, to serve
Directions:
1. Prepare rigatoni per package directions. Drain.
2. While pasta is cooking, sauté the red onion and green pepper in olive oil until slightly tender; season with 1/2 tsp oregano and black pepper. Add mushrooms and cook until lightly sautéed.
3. Pour rigatoni into a lightly greased 13 x 9-inch baking dish.
4. Mix sautéed vegetables, tomatoes, olives and pine nuts into pasta. Top with Romano, remaining oregano, fennel seed, and sliced garlic.
5. Bake at 425°F for 15-20 minutes or until the garlic slices on top just begin to brown.
6. Spoon pasta into serving bowls and add a few of the bocconcini halves to each. Serve with garlic toast.
Serves 6
Recipe from Kitchen Convivial
John Scargall’s debut EP, “Breakthrough”, will be released in early 2015. The tracks I’ve heard are country heavy with plenty of swagger.
I love the smooth, deep vocals and hot guitar in “Harder They Fall”.
Check out John Scargall on his Website, where you can learn of an upcoming gig in Philadelphia and get his music.
Cheers!