Creamy Tomato & Mascarpone Pasta Bake

• 500 grigatoni
• 2 tbspolive oil
• 2onions, finely diced
• 4garlic cloves, finely grated
• ½ tspchilli flakes
• 2 tbsptomato purée
• 1 tspdried oregano
• 1 tspcaster sugar
• 400 mlpassata
• 1 x 400 gtin chopped tomatoes
• 250 mlhot vegetable stock
• 250 gmascarpone
• 200 gfrozen chopped spinach
• 250 gmozzarella, drained and torn
• 50 gparmesan, finely grated, divided
• 15 gbasil leaves, torn
• Fine salt and black pepper

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 200°C fan. Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni for 2 minutes less than the packet timing. Reserve a mugful of cooking water, then drain.
2. 2Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof casserole over a medium heat. Add the onions with a pinch of salt and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, until soft and golden at the edges. Add the garlic and chilli flakes for 30 seconds, then stir in the tomato purée and oregano for 1 minute.
3. 3Add the passata, chopped tomatoes, stock and sugar. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is glossy and thick enough to coat a spoon. The sugar is there only to round off sharp tomatoes, not make the sauce sweet.
4. 4Pull the pan off the heat and stir in the mascarpone until the sauce turns silky. Fold in the spinach, half the parmesan and most of the basil. Taste and add salt or black pepper if needed.
5. 5Turn the rigatoni through the sauce, loosening with a splash of cooking water if it feels tight. Scatter over the mozzarella and remaining parmesan, then bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling at the edges and deeply golden on top.
6. 6Rest for 5 minutes before serving. The pause lets the sauce settle onto the pasta instead of running across the plate. Finish with the remaining basil.

Per serving

kcal

759

protein

30.2g

fibre

6.2g

carbs

81.2g

fat

35.2g