PASTA PIE from THE NOBLE PIG...

I made this BEAUTIFUL Pasta Pie last night for dinner. PJ took one look at it and said that I have too much time on my hands! Little did he know, but this was soooo easy to make! I cheated and added a jar of ready made sauce to the browned beef. Other than that, I followed the directions to a T.

Pasta Pie

From The Noble Pig

Adapted from Martha Stewart

1 pound rigatoni

2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 pound ground beef

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1 can (28 ounces) good quality crushed tomatoes

Butter, for pan

Salt

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

8 ounces coarsely grated mozzarella

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.

Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.

Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.

Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.

Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. I used the back of a wooden spoon and just poked around!

Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. That step is VERY important if you want your masterpiece to stay together!

Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold. Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.

For step by step pictures of this, go to the Noble Pig...

http://noblepig.com/2009/03/18/when-the-moon-hits-the-sky.aspx