Sun-dried Tomato and Croutons Pasta Bake
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Difficulty:
easy
Difficulty
Preparation:
35 min.
Preparation
ready in 1 hr
Ready in
Ingredients
for
8
- Ingredients
- 3 olive oil
- 2 shallots (chopped)
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (to taste)
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp ground Nutmeg
- 3.333 cups diced, canned Tomatoes (drained)
- kosher salt (for seasoning water)
- 9 cups Rigatoni
- 0.333 cup sun-dried tomatoes (julienne cut in olive oil)
- 5 Tbsps olive oil
- 1 cup italian Bread (cubed)
- 1 ½ cups shredded Parmesan (divided)
- 2 ¼ cups shredded, Italian blend Cheese
- parsley (garnish)
Preparation steps
1.
Preheat oven to 400°F and butter a 13inch by 9inch casserole dish.
2.
Fill a large 8 quart sauce pan with water, cover and bring to a boil.
3.
Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan (about 4 quarts) heat olive oil. Add the shallots and cook for 3-4 minutes, then season with the Italian seasoning, garlic powder and nutmeg. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer then add the canned tomatoes. Allow to cook until pasta water comes to a boil.
4.
Add a handful of salt to boiling pasta water. Cook pasta to al dente; meaning it still has a little bite to it (approximately 7 minutes). Al dente pasta absorbs sauce better while it cooks and this is going into the oven. Once cooked, drain pasta and add to a large mixing bowl with sun-dried tomatoes and sauce, mix well.
5.
Heat oil in a large skillet and add bread cubes. Cook in oil for 5-10 minutes, string constantly, and cook until the croutons are golden brown. Remove from oil, add to the pasta mixture and toss to combine. Spoon the pasta and croutons into the casserole dish and top with the parmesan and Italian cheese blend.
6.
Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Garnish with parsley leaves before serving.
