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Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs
Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs

Before you jump to Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs recipe, you may want to read this short interesting healthy tips about Try Using Food to Improve Your Mood.

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Put together a trail mix from seeds and/or nuts. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, etcetera are all good for improving your mood. This is because these foods are loaded with magnesium, which helps to boost serotonin levels. Serotonin is the “feel good” chemical that directs your brain how you feel all the time. The more serotonin you have, the more pleasant you are going to feel. Not only that but nuts, in particular, are a great source of protein.

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We hope you got benefit from reading it, now let’s go back to baked rigatoni and meatballs recipe. To cook baked rigatoni and meatballs you need 19 ingredients and 5 steps. Here is how you cook it.

The ingredients needed to prepare Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs:
  1. Provide 1 box (16 oz.) rigatoni noodles
  2. Use 2 cups ricotta cheese
  3. Get 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  4. You need Sauce:
  5. Take 1 tbsp. olive oil
  6. Prepare 3 cloves garlic, minced
  7. Get 3 cans (8 oz.) each unsalted tomato sauce
  8. Use 1/4 cup heavy cream
  9. Provide 1 tsp. each dried basil, dried parsley
  10. Take 1/2 tsp. each salt, granulated sugar, onion powder
  11. Take 1/4 tsp. pepper
  12. Get Meatballs:
  13. You need 1 lb. ground beef
  14. Get 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
  15. Prepare 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  16. You need 1 large egg
  17. Provide 1 tsp. dried parsley
  18. Use 1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, basil
  19. Provide 1 tbsp. olive oil
Instructions to make Baked Rigatoni and Meatballs:
  1. First thing to do is get your sauce going. In a large pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Once it's hot, add the garlic. Cook and stir just until it's fragrant… only a minute or two. Then pour in the tomato sauce, cream, sugar and seasonings. Once it starts to simmer, reduce the heat down to low and start preparing the meatballs.
  2. For the meatballs, place the ground beef, breadcrumbs, cheese, egg and seasonings into a large bowl. Use your hands to mix and incorporate everything together. Then roll the meat mixture into mini meatballs. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Once it's hot, add the meatballs to the skillet in batches. Cook and roll them around in the skillet every few minutes until they are browned on all sides. Then remove them from the skillet and stir them gently into the sauce.
  3. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13" baking pan and set it aside. Heat a large pot of salted water over high heat. Once it begins to boil, stir in the rigatoni pasta and cook according to package directions, until al dente. Drain and return to the pot. Then stir the ricotta cheese into the hot pasta. Add the sauce and meatballs to the pot and stir it all together. Then turn it out into the greased pan and sprinkle the mozzarella cheese evenly over the top.
  4. Bake uncovered for 20 minutes, or until heated through and the cheese has a nice golden color. Serve immediately.
  5. If you only wanted to bake a smaller serving at a time, you could turn out the pasta mixture into two greased 8x8"baking pans instead of the larger 9x13". Top one with cheese and cook it immediately. Let the second one cool down completely, then top with the cheese, wrap it up tightly and place it in the freezer. The night before you're planning on baking it, place it in the fridge to thaw out overnight, then bake it for 30-40 minutes or until 165°F throughout. Each 8x8" pan will serve 4 people.

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