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Baked Lamb Rigatoni

Servings: 7

Ingredients

Ingredients

  • 1 pound Choate Family Farms Ground Lamb
  • 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow onion (diced)
  • 3 large garlic cloves finely chopped
  • 1 large carrot grated
  • 1 cup of vegetable stock
  • 24 ounces of Tomato Puree
  • 2 tablespoon tomato paste
  • 16 ounces of Rigatoni Pasta
  • 1-1/3 cup of heavy cream
  • 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (add more cheese to your liking)
  • 10 ounces of fresh Mozzarella (add more cheese to your liking)
  • Fresh parsley or basil for garnish
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Spices
  • Salt to taste
  • Black pepper to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika
  • 1/2 tablespoon of dried Italian seasoning (add more or less to your liking)
  • 2 teaspoons of red crushed pepper (adjust spice to your liking)

To garnish:

  • Fresh Parsley or Basil

Instructions

Directions

  • In a medium pot or Dutch oven, over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and the ground lamb. Break up the lamb with a wooden spoon and cook for about 10 minutes or until it is no longer pink and some of its liquid has evaporated. Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside. Now add the onion, garlic and stir. Sauté for 2-3 minutes.
  • Add the carrots, turmeric, paprika and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables begin to get golden. Add back the lamb, red crushed pepper and cook for another 5 minutes.
  • Add in the tomato paste and stir. Pour the tomato puree, vegetable stock, Italian seasoning, bay leaf, salt, and black pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to low -medium and allow to simmer, partly covered, for about 30 minutes. Make sure to stir occasionally. * Note: USDA recommends ground lamb reach an internal temperature of 160F
  • Once cooked, taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Remove the bay leaf.
  • Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
  • Cook the pasta in salted boiling water, 2 minutes shy of the package directions. Drain the pasta.

Assembling the Baked Lamb Rigatoni:

  • Pour back the drained pasta in a large pot. Pour some of the lamb sauce over the drained pasta and mix thoroughly.
  • Layer 1/2 of the pasta and lamb sauce mixture in a large casserole dish and pour half of the heavy cream and sprinkle with half the cheeses (parmesan and mozzarella). Repeat the layers. Top with dried oregano and black pepper.
  • Cover the dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes. At the end of the baking time, remove the foil and bake for another 5 minutes until light golden brown and bubbling on top. Garnish with fresh parsley or basil and serve hot.