Baked Rigatoni (+ Spring Garden Cleanup)

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I’ve opened up three emails today with the starting sentiment “I hope this email finds you well…”.

Truth be told, no emails are finding me in such a state because this time of year I’m chronically overwhelmed. As a homeschool parent, this is when I wish we could throw in the towel on all the book studies and turn our attention at full-capacity to our small farm. Seemingly overnight, there’s so much to take care of outdoors! Perhaps this email finds you chronically overwhelmed as well… 

After all, spring crops wait for no one. 

I currently have a flock of a dozen lambs roaming around the property (electric fencing needs to be fixed), a leaking outdoor faucet (irrigation needs to be patched), too many mouths to feed (a steer that needs to be driven to the butcher), and no less than forty-eight (million) unfinished garden projects awaiting my attention. 

In fact, my gardens are an absolute wreck, which you’ll see very vividly in today’s video. I guess I plum ran out of steam last autumn? What the heck happened out there? 

They’re not hopeless, but are in dire need of their gardener. Turns out, gardens left to their own devices don’t actually thrive. They need constant care, attention, planting, and pruning to really be at their best. At least Stu and I give it our best effort for a few hours… 

(You know how years ago everyone was so keen on defining their ‘love language’? Well, Stuart and I never took the test, but I will say this: when he’s helping me out in the gardens, va va voom!)

After labor outdoors is finished for the day, we come inside to make my very favorite baked pasta recipe with Juliette. It’s a wonderful make-ahead dish that serves a crowd - supper can easily be on the table when the work is finished. I briefly mention this in the video, but this is the time of year when it’s absolutely essential to have the pantry stocked with good food. We come in hungry and the only way to keep nourishment flowing is to have proper ingredients on hand. Ground meat is a big one for us, be it lamb or beef, because we can make almost anything with it. Just like in the video today.

I also just did my monthly order of Bona Furtuna pasta so that I could have my pasta-shelf stocked with my very favorite food in the world. Olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and their wonderful blends of seasonings are also on the monthly list for pantry-basics. 

If you ever get “pasta belly” from eating pasta or feel a big crash after eating a plate of pasta, I strongly encourage you to try these pastas made with heirloom grains. They naturally have a lower glycemic profile and higher protein content - yum!

Baked Rigatoni with Lamb Ragù and Ricotta

3 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 onion, peeled and finely chopped

3 stalks celery, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped 

3 cloves garlic

1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

1 cup white wine

1.5 pounds ground lamb

28 ounces tomato passata (available here from Bona Furtuna)

1 pound rigatoni (available here from Bona Furtuna)

1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

2. Melt the butter and olive oil together in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Add in the onion, celery, carrots, garlic, and chili flakes. Cook for 10 minutes until softened. 

3. Add in the white wine and ground lamb. Continue to cook until the ground meat is browned, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon as needed. Add in the tomato passata and bring the ragù to a simmer. Cover and let simmer over low heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

4. While the ragù simmers, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente. Error on the side of undercooking the rigatoni, as it will have time to finish cooking in the oven. Reserve the pasta water.

5. Butter a large baking dish. Add the cooked rigatoni into the dish. Pour the ragù over top of the rigatoni and gently fold it together until it’s well combined. Add 1 cup of the reserved pasta water into the dish. 

6. Sprinkle the top of the pasta with the Parmesan cheese and place generous scoops of the ricotta over top of the pasta. Drizzle with additional olive oil, if desired. 

7. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden. Enjoy! 

I hope you can enjoy a few moments break from your spring overwhelm, pour a glass, and enjoy some time in the garden and in the kitchen with us today. I often find that a bit of inspiration can take us a long way in our overwhelm.

I would love to hear what you’ve been up to outside and in the kitchen recently. Here’s to sunnier days and delicious food, my friends. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Shaye