Baked rigatoni pasta

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9"x13" pan with cooking spray.

2. FOR THE SAUCE

3. Heat the oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Add the ground beef and sausage to the pan. Season the meat with salt and pepper.

4. Cook the meat for 3-4 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces with a spoon. Add the onion to the pan. Cook for an additional 5 minutes or until meat is browned and cooked through and onion is softened.
Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the marinara sauce and tomato sauce to the pan and bring the sauce to a simmer.
Let the sauce simmer for 5 minutes or until just thickened. Add the spinach and wilt down.

5. FOR ASSEMBLY

6. Toss the cooked rigatoni with the sauce.

7. Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and top with mozzarella cheese.

8. Bake covered for 20 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 15-20 minutes or until pasta is bubbly and cheese is melted and browned.

9. Sprinkle with parsley. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.

10. NOTES
Shred your own mozzarella cheese. Don’t use pre-shredded cheese which often has anti-caking agents that prevent the cheese from melting well.
Use a high quality marinara sauce. I like Newman’s Own which has a nice complex flavor.
I use 90% lean ground beef – it has plenty of flavor but is not overly greasy.
If you can’t find rigatoni at your local grocery store, penne is a good substitute.