Ingredients:
- ¼ cup Olive Oil, divided
- 2 Garlic Cloves, finely diced
- 1- 2 teaspoons Crushed Red Pepper Flakes, depending on spice preference
- 1 – 28 ounce can Whole Peeled Tomatoes, crushed with hands
- 1 teaspoon Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
- 2 Tablespoons Flour
- 2 cups Whole Milk
- ¼ teaspoon Nutmeg
- 1 lb. Rigatoni or Ziti Pasta
- 2 cups Parmesan Cheese
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese
- 1 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Salt
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Heat 2 Tablespoons of the olive oil in medium saucepan over medium high heat. Add garlic and 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add tomatoes, with their juices, and salt. Bring to a boil.
- Reduce to simmer and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Add a good amount of salt to the boiling water. Add the rigatoni or ziti and cook according to package instructions, minus 2 minutes. You don’t want it to fully cook or it will overcook when you bake it in the oven. Drain the pasta.
- Melt butter in medium sauce pan over medium heat. Stir in flour and mix until a paste forms and it begins to show some color. Whisk in whole milk. Bring to a boil and cook for 5-7 minutes. Turn off the heat and add nutmeg and a pinch of salt.
- Add the bechamel sauce and tomato sauce to pasta and toss to coat. Stir in mozzarella cheese and 1 cup of parmesan cheese, reserving the remaining 1 cup of parmesan cheese for the topping.
- Transfer pasta to 9 x 13 baking dish. Top with remaining parmesan cheese.
- In small bowl, mix bread crumbs with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and garlic salt.
- Top pasta with olive oil bread crumbs and a touch of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Bake for 14-17 minutes or until pasta starts to bubble and the bread crumbs become golden.
- Let pasta sit for 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to set up.