Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

seahorse73's Note:

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis This is a great side dish or main dish!

• Total Time: 55 mins
• Prep Time: 25 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

Bechamel sauce

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 10 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
• 1 pinch fresh nutmeg
• sea salt
• white pepper
• 1 cup grated fontina
• 1/2 lb thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
• 1 lb dry rigatoni pasta
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Bechamel sauce: In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.
3. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes.
4. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.
5. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
6. This will take approximately 10 minutes.
7. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper.
8. Set aside.
9. In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water.
10. Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes.
11. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard.
12. Drain in a colander.
13. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce.
14. Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.
15. Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce.
16. Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina.
17. Dot the top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

Reviews

[Kathy at Food.com]

Delicious! Hubby usually likes red sauce with his pasta, but he raved about this dish when we had it last night for dinner.

[MARIA MAC *]

I have been making this for awhile now. We love it. Thanks for posting

[FriendlyChefy]

Such a good stick to the ribs meal and one we will be repeating according to the family!