Baked Rigatoni with Bechamel Sauce

  • Level: Easy
  • Yield: 6 servings
  • Total: 1 hr 15 min
  • Prep: 30 min
  • Cook: 45 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

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
  2. Bechamel sauce:
  3. 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.
  4. 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.
  5. 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.

Let's Get Cooking!

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willow b.

I love this recipe. I made it a long time ago when it called for Penni pasta. But wanted to make it again so came looking for the recipe since I lost the original print off version. I learned there is a world of difference between Fontinella cheese and Fontina cheese. Never the less, it is edible and unique. But don't make my mistake. Make sure it is the real Fontina cheese and not the USA version. Fontinella cheese has a bit of a bite to it, not as "sweet" a cheese as Fontina.

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