Baked Rigatoni With Béchamel Sauce

Nothing like opening up a post with some jazzy hamsters promoting spring water.

Today’s recipe is a lot more comforting and substantially more satisfying than any bottle of water.

Baked Rigatoni With Béchamel Sauce will warm you up as the weather turns cooler. The rich, white cream sauce gets a flavor boost from some nutty fontina and salty bits of prosciutto.

Baked Rigatoni With Béchamel Sauce

Ingredients:

4 ounces unsalted butter
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons flour
32 ounces whole milk, at room temperature
Pinch fresh nutmeg
Sea salt and pepper
1 cup grated fontina cheese
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 pound dry rigatoni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Grease a 13 x 9-inch baking dish.

2. In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes until it thickens and it can coat the back of the spoon.

3. Remove sauce from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, and prosciutto. Season with salt and white pepper then set aside.

4. Cook rigatoni in a large pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain then return pasta to the pot.

5. Pour béchamel sauce over the pasta and mix well.

6. Spoon pasta mixture in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina and then scatter with diced butter.

7. Bake for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden.

Serves 6

Recipe from Giada De Laurentiis

We’re gonna kick up the jazz and go over the top with some art-psych jazz-rock. That’s what British band Hill is offering up. This weird meandering tune checks all my get in a good mood boxes for today.

“We want to have fun”

Damned straight, we do!