Deep Dish Pasta Pizza
[I ran out of rigatoni because I only used and had one box. So I boiled leftover elbow macaroni I had, mixed it with the olive oil and cheeses again and added it to the middle. It actually made a fun like pizza surprise!! So feel free to make the same mistake I did and have some fun with it.]
Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta till its very al dente, about 7-8 minutes. Drain the pasta and RINSE with cold water to stop the pasta from cooking. Transfer pasta to a large bowl with 1 tablespoon of oil, 1/2 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup of parmesean cheese, gently stir to combine.
In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs and milk and season with salt and pepper.
Brush a 9 inch spring-form pan with oil and wrap the bottom of the pan in aluminum foil. Spread bottom of pan with 1/2 cup (or more) of sauce. Stand the pasta upright in the pan, tighly packing them in till the pan is filled. Pipe the ricotta cheese into each rigatoni and any extra on top. (OR you can top the pasta with the ricotta, spreading it over the pasta and pressing it into the rigatoni.) Spoon the remainder sauce on top. Top the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup parmesean cheese, then top with pepperoni.
[After eating it, I realized we all wish it had a bit more sauce. So if you fill each rigatoni with ricotta, pour some sauce between the noddles, top with any leftover ricotta if you want, add more sauce then the cheeses and pepperoni.]
Bake on a tray and bake for 30 minutes, until its golden and bubbly. Garnish with basil before serving, of you like, I forgot because I was too excited!
Ingredients
16-20oz rigatoni (You’ll need about a box and a half. I only had one and ran out)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesean, divided
2 cups (whole) ricotta
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons whole milk
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 large jar of organic pizza sauce or marinara, divided
1/4 cup, or more sliced pepperoni, optional for vegetarians
freshly sliced basil, for garnish, optional
