Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Rated: 5 stars out of 5Rate itRead users' reviews (31)

RECIPE
COMMENTS & REVIEWS(31)

Cook Time:
45 min
Level:
Easy
Yield:
6 servings

Times:

Prep: 30 min
Inactive Prep: --
Cook: 45 min
Total:: 1 hr 15 min

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Ingredients

1 stick unsalted butter (4 ounces)
1/2 cup and 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart whole milk, at room temperature
Pinch fresh nutmeg
Sea salt and white pepper
1 cup grated fontina
1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto, julienned
1 pound dry rigatoni
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Bechamel sauce:

In a 2 quart saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Always stirring, gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. This will take approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg, 1/2 cup fontina, prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper. Set aside.

In a large pot, bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water. Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander. Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce. Using a wooden spoon, mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish, pour the pasta with cream sauce. Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup fontina. Dot the top with diced butter and bake in oven for 25 minutes or until bubbling and the top is golden brown.

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Comments & Reviews

recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
Norm Colorado Springs, CO 01-06-2010
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Awesome meal, one of my favorites
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

Easy to make, tastes great. I substitute Provolone to try to save some money.
recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
Brandi Wappingers Falls, NY 11-29-2009
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Simple and Delicious
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This dish was perfect for a week night. Not too much prep, easy to make and delicious! This will definetly land a permanent... spot on our monthly family menu! I found julienning prosciutto is not easy, so I ended up chopping it instead. Also figure that you could substitute the proscuitto with ham for those who don't lke proscuitto. Usually pasta left overs are better the second day, but this dish I found to be better the first day.Read more
recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
Robert Palm Harbor, FL 11-02-2009
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Awesome Dinner - Fresh Nutmeg is Key
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I have made this dish 4 times and always to rave reviews. My family (and many friends) are Italian so pasta dishes are... scrutinized. This came out great and was easy to make. 1x I used ground nutmeg instead of using fresh nutmeg and grinding it myself - the difference was noticeable to me. Definitely use the fresh nutmeg. The prosciutto adds great flavor, but I found ham works fine too (I did 1/2 and 1/2).Read more
recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
Audra Hayward, CA 10-07-2009
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Delicious, rich, and a great treat!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

This recipe is so simple, but just so delicious! Its super easy and fun to make. I don't usually use as much prosciutto... that the recipe calls for and it comes out delicious. Watch your salt, because the prosciutto is super salty, if you add too much salt to your bechamel, your dish can come out salty! Read more
recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
mary pat wilmington, DE 06-20-2009
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great flavor - double it to feed a crowd!
Rated: 5 stars out of 5

I doubled the recipe so I used 1/2 prosciutto and 1/2 regular ham - to cut cost. I also added sauteed cremini... mushrooms. I made it a week ahead and froze it, after it thawed I made a topping of bread crumbs, melted butter, fontina, fresh parmesian to sprinkle over top before baking. I took it to the beach and the family LOVED it!Read more
recipe Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce
Claudia Citrus Heights, CA 10-29-2008
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Great with some modifications
Rated: 4 stars out of 5

I have made this recipe periodically for about 2 years when I first discovered it. I thought the original recipe lacked... something, so I made the following modifications: added sauteed mushrooms (baby bellas), used plain black forest ham (don't want to spurge on prosciutto) and the real flavor booster: added chopped dill to the sauce. If you like dill, it works really well with this sauce. Everyone who eats this always, always wants the recipe. Enjoy!Read more