Rigatoni cake

Method

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease the prepared tin with butter and coat the base with breadcrumbs.
2. To make the tomato sauce, heat the olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat, add the garlic and sweat for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and basil leaves, season with salt, then cover with a lid and cook for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally. At the end of cooking, discard the garlic.
3. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta according to the pack instructions until al dente. Drain well and mix together with the chopped basil, half the mozzarella cubes, some black pepper, half the tomato sauce and half the grated parmesan or vegetarian alternative. Leave to cool slightly until you can handle the pasta.
4. Arrange the rigatoni standing upright in the prepared tin until you have filled the entire tin. Pour over the remaining tomato sauce, scatter with the remaining mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining grated parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 25 minutes until golden.
5. Remove from the oven, leave to rest for 5 minutes, then carefully remove the tin, slide onto a plate and serve scattered with the extra basil leaves and parmesan.

This recipe is is from Gennaro’s Pasta Perfecto! Published by Pavilion Books. Grab yourself a copy here.