This substantial crowd pleaser is from Food Network’s Sandra Lee.
I’d equate it to Italian concrete — kudos to Sandra. (It’s a wonder she doesn’t weigh 350 pounds.) The amount of fat in this recipe is enough to put a pork-rind processing plant out of business.
Ingredients:
1 lb rigatoni (one box)
1 can (15oz) of diced tomatoes w/ basil, onions & garlic
1 cup fresh chopped onions
1 box (10oz) frozen chopped spinach
2.5 cups of jarred Alfredo Sauce
1.5 cups ricotta cheese
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper
Topping:
1/3 cup dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup fresh-grated hard parmesan cheese
1 tbs. olive oil
Preparation:
Heat oven to 425 degrees. Coat a 13×9″ bake pan with nonstick spray.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta al dente. Drain and return to pot. (do NOT rinse with cold water.) Stir in tomatoes & onions.
Cook spinach according to directions. Be sure to squeeze out all liquid. (I push the liquid through a colander with a spoon.)
In a separate mixing bowl, add alfredo sauce, ricotta, spinach, garlic salt & pepper. Stir well. Add this sauce mixture to the noodle pot. Stir to combine.
Place the pasta mixture into the bake pan and level evenly with a spatula.
Mix together the breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese & oil in a small bowl. Using your fingers, distribute the crumb coating evenly over the pasta.
Bake at 425 for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Remove, let stand two minutes and serve.
Makes: 8-10 servings
Prep: 20 minutes
Bake: 25 minutes
