Baked Rigatoni with Fresh Tomato Sauce

Create this Sunday dinner-worthy casserole made of garden-fresh sauce tossed with rigatoni (or penne, gemelli, or fusilli pasta) and draped with luscious melted cheese, all in well under an hour.

Ingredients

• 9 medium (1 kg) roma tomatoes
• ½ small (60 g) onion, peeled, halved
• 1 small (125 g) carrot, peeled, halved
• 3 Tablespoons (45 g) tomato paste
• 1 small garlic cloves, peeled
• ¾ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon salt, optional
• 1 lb (454 g) pasta, rigatoni or ziti, dried
• 2 cups (225 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded [or provolone]

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C) .
2. Place tomatoes, onions, carrots, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, basil, fresh lemon juice, brown sugar, and salt into the Vitamix container in the order listed and secure lid.
3. Run the Hot Soup program or start the machine on its lowest speed, then increase to it highest speed and blend for 5 minutes and 45 seconds.
4. While the sauce is blending, cook the pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Transfer pasta to a 9 inch x 12 inch prepared baking dish.
5. Top with 4 cups (960 ml) warm tomato sauce and 2 cups of shredded cheese. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes until cheese is melted.

Nutrition

1 serving (208g)

• Calories: 320

• Total Fat: 6g

• Total Carbohydrate: 50g

  • Dietary Fiber: 2g
  • Sugars: 8g

• Protein: 16g

• Cholesterol: 15mg

• Sodium: 180mg