Rigatoni cake

By: Gennaro Contaldo

A knockout dinner for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this rigatoni cake makes a glorious centrepiece for the table.

Looking for more Italian vegetarian recipes? Take a look at this cannelloni and Swiss chard dish.

A knockout dinner for meat-eaters and vegetarians alike, this rigatoni cake makes a glorious centrepiece for the table.

Looking for more Italian vegetarian recipes? Take a look at this cannelloni and Swiss chard dish.

Ingredients

Butter for greasing
Breadcrumbs for lining the pan
325g rigatoni pasta
Handful fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
250g hard mozzarella, cut into small cubes – we used a block
of Galbani Mozzarella Cucina
50g parmesan or vegetarian alternative, grated, plus extra
to serve

For the tomato sauce

You’ll also need…

20cm round, loose-bottomed or springform cake tin, base and sides lined with non-stick baking paper

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Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/gas 4. Grease the prepared tin with butter and coat the base with breadcrumbs.
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.
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.

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.
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.

Leftovers will keep covered in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat in the microwave or low oven until piping hot.
A refreshing soave will pair beautifully with the torta (trade up from the very cheap).