Ingredients
- Butter, for greasing pan
- 2 tablespoons (or more) olive oil
- 6 ounces pancetta, chopped
- 4 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 7 cups whole milk
- 8 ounces Fontina cheese, grated
- 4 ounces mozzarella cheese, grated
- 3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 6 ounces provolone cheese, grated
- 1 pound rigatoni pasta
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 cups fresh coarse bread crumbs
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Directions
Butter a 13 by 9 by 2-inch baking dish. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add the pancetta and saute until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the pancetta to a small bowl. Pour off all but 1/4 cup of the pan drippings (if necessary, add more oil to the pan drippings to equal 1/4 cup total). Reduce the heat to medium. Add 3 teaspoons of garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the flour and whisk for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, whisking often, about 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in all the Fontina, mozzarella, Parmesan, and provolone cheeses.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni and cook until almost al dente, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. (The pasta will continue cooking in the oven.) Drain pasta and add directly into the cheese. Add the parsley, basil, and pancetta and toss to coat. Season the pasta mixture, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the pasta mixture to the prepared dish.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the remaining garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat. Add the bread crumbs and toss to coat. Sprinkle the bread crumb mixture over the pasta mixture. Drizzle the top with extra-virgin olive oil and bake until the sauce bubbles and the bread crumbs are golden brown, about 20 minutes.
















Review This Recipe
You must be logged in to review this recipe.
or Sign Up to Review
Newest Ratings and Reviews
Read all 185 reviews
By lektrogrrl_8714694
Rochester, NY
on February 21, 2013
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
This is a great recipe, and yes it does take a bit of work. However, with a food processor, grating the cheese was much easier (takes seconds. Also, has anyone else realized there is WAY too much sauce in this?? I had to use half as much milk/cream/cheese in order to have the right amount of sauce for the 1 pound of pasta. The first time I made this, I had so much sauce, I needed to make a second pound of pasta to balance it out. I opted to use pre-made seasoned breadcrumbs for the topping and it works perfectly (and less hassle. People complaining of taste, you should be seasoning it to taste before putting it in the oven. Also I like to experiment by adding different cheeses in this recipe - like smoked gouda. :
By calwyn408
Turku, Finland
on August 28, 2012
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
This recipe was very flavorful with all the cheeses, though it was a bit of work with all the grating and the sauce. One thing you NEED to watch out for, in this recipe is to use cream instead of half and half because if you subsitute and go the cheaper way for this recipe, it will get ruined, and turn out gritty and not very well mixed. And even with the pancetta, if you want this as a main dish, I would suggest putting some meat of vegetables in this, since it is plain in the way that it's just pasta.
By wardybunch
on July 19, 2011
Flag
Flag This Review?
Please provide the reason why you think this review is inappropriate.
or Cancel
I made this dish a few years ago and loved it but misplaced the recipe print out and finally found it again! It was a bit more work for me because of all the cheese grating but it was totally worth it, can't wait to make it again now that I found it!
Read all 185 reviews