Baked Rigatoni Cake

So I was in search for a meatless recipe for our Lent observing friends. What came to mind was a pasta "pie". A friend of my had made a spaghetti pie once that was really good, but of course the one recipe I found that I wanted to try had meat. Sorry! It's called Bake Rigatoni Cake.

Bake Rigatoni Cake

• 1 pound rigatoni pasta
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound ground meat , (beef, pork, or turkey)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
• Butter, for pan
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, coarsely grated

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Add pasta; cook until slightly underdone. Drain, rinse in cold water, and drain.Toss pasta with 1 tablespoon oil to coat. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add meat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more. Add tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
3. Butter a 9-inch springform pan.Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end.

4. Spread 2 cups meat sauce on top of pasta, pushing it into holes. Bake 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella on top. Bake until cheese is pale golden, 10 to 15 minutes more. Remove from oven, and let stand 15 minutes. Run a knife around edge to loosen; unmold. Cut into wedges. Serve with remaining sauce.

My Review: This was really easy to make and was really good. Mike and I had it with a nice a bottle of wine. Definitely something good to make for a family gathering. The sauce makes enough for two cakes. I only made one so I froze the remaining sauce for another time. I told Mike that I was going to make this for him when he goes hunting because it's something you can make ahead of time and then reheat. The only thing that I did differently was I didn't use the tablespoon of oil to cook the meat, oh and I drained the meat after cooking it. Enjoy!