Rigatoni al forno with roasted asparagus

4 Servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
2 tablespoons Olive oil; may be doubled
3 cups Chopped onion; large chunks
¾ pounds Rigatoni; or similar grooved, tubular pasta
1 pounds Asparagus; cut into 2\" pieces
½ teaspoon Salt; plus more to taste
3 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar; (3 to 4 tbs)
Freshly ground black pepper
⅓ cup Grated parmesan cheese; (plus extra for the top)
½ cup Bread crumbs
Balsamic vinegar; to serve

Directions

Preheat oven to 375F/ 190C. Put up a large potful of water to boil.

Pour the oil into a 9x13-inch baking pan (preferably glass). Break up the onion chunks with your hands, add them to the oil, and stir them around a little so they get coated. Place the uncovered pan in the oven and roast for 5 minutes.

When the water reaches a rapid boil, add the pasta and let it begin cooking while you continue roasting the vegetables.

After the onions have been in the oven for about 5 minutes, stir in the asparagus and sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt. Spread everthing into a single layer, return the pan to the oven, and roast for 5 minutes longer.

Drain the pasts as soon as it is al dente, and stir it into the panful of onions and asparagus. Add the 3 to 4 tablespoons vinegar, black pepper, and parmesan, and mix well. Sprinkle the bread crumbs over the top, and return the pan to the oven. Bake uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the bread crumbs are brown and crisp. Serve hot, and pass around the pepper mill, extra parmesan and a cruet of additional balsamic vinegar, if desired. Yields 4 to 5 servings. Prep time 30 minutes. PER SERVING: 522 cals, 11.3 g fat, 19⅖%

"Al forno means 'oven-baked,' and that's one of the wonderful features of this dish. The vegetables are cooked in a roasting pan right in the oven and cooked pasta gets added directly to the same pan. Cover, return the pan to the oven, then bring it directly to the table when it's done. This is a great make-after-work dish, and the cleanup is minimal.

*To make this for a crowd, bake two pans simultaneously.

**The rigatoni can be cooked a day or two in advance, lightly oiled and stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, or you can boil it while you roast the vegetables, as indicated in the recipe.

MENU: Potato Soup with Rosemary and Roasted Garlic; Yuppie Platter: A Warm Salad of Radicchio, Belgian Endive, and Goat Cheese; Rigatoni al Forno with Roasted Asparagus amd Onions; Lemon Cloud.

Recipe by: Mollie Katzen's Vegetable Heaven (1997)

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