Rigatoni and Cheese With Peas and Mint is a perfect dinner to make in advance and cook at the end of a hard day. Who doesn’t love a pasta bake? Baked pasta is the heartiest, most comforting, crowd-pleasing meal and this one is no exception with a rich bechamel sauce and not one but two types of cheese.
To make this bake, start by preparing the béchamel sauce. Stir in Parmesan and Cheddar cheeses and an egg. While you heat the oven, cook rigatoni pasta to al dente. Don’t worry, the pasta will continue to cook while baking in the oven. Mix the cooked pasta with the sauce and peas and add spinach, herbs and salami. Assemble the pasta bake and add ricotta cheese and lemon zest before baking in the oven. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and mint.
To make Rigatoni and Cheese With Peas and Mint, you will need the following ingredients:
Place ¼ cup of butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of flour and whisk together with the butter for a minute or two.
Gradually pour in 4 cups of milk and whisk continuously as it comes to a simmer. Once the sauce is simmering, reduce the heat to medium and cook, while whisking continuously for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat.
Add 1 cup of Cheddar cheese and 1 cup of Parmesan. Whisk the cheese into the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Whisk in 1 large egg until it is fully incorporated. Cover sauce and keep warm until you are ready to use it.
Preheat the oven to 375 °F and lightly butter a 9-inch baking pan. Dust it all over with ⅓ cup of Parmesan.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to the package directions. Stir occasionally and remove from the heat when almost al dente.
Add peas to the pasta water and leave to sit for about 1 minute until just tender. Drain the peas and pasta and set to one side.
Combine the pasta and peas with the cheese sauce.
Add 2 cups of spinach, 1 cup of parsley, and ½ cup of mint and ¼ - ½ a cup of salami to the pasta mixture. Stir well until fully incorporated.
Spoon half of the pasta into the lightly greased pan. Dot half of the ricotta cheese over the top of the pasta and sprinkle with half of the lemon zest. Transfer the remaining pasta to the pan and dot with the rest of the ricotta. Sprinkle the remaining lemon zest on top along with the rest of the Parmesan.
Bake for around about 40 minutes until bubbling and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 20-30 minutes.
Serve wedges of the pasta bake garnished with chopped parsley and mint.
This Rigatoni and Cheese With Peas and Mint recipe is a delicious pasta bake that the whole family will love! Try it soon and make sure you tag your pasta bakes with the #cookmerecipes hashtag.
Delicious cheesy goodness! Made this with my kids after a long day, and we all laughed while prepping. They loved mixing the sauce, and the mint made it so refreshing. It was a hit at dinner!
I made this Rigatoni & Cheese with Peas after a long day. It reminded me of my grandma’s cooking! The two cheeses melted perfectly, and the peas added a nice touch. Thanks for this comforting recipe, it's a new favorite.
Man, this Rigatoni & Cheese with Peas is a game changer! Whipped it up after a long day, and my fam went nuts. Super easy to make, and that cheesy goodness hit the spot. I added some bacon for extra flavor! Definitely gonna make this again soon—so cozy and delish!
This Rigatoni and Cheese with Peas was a hit at our family dinner! My kiddos loved the cheezy goodness, especially with the mint. I made it after a long day, and it felt so comforting. Definately adding this to our regular menu!
Simply delicious meal!
Family loves it
Dude, this Rigatoni & Cheese with Peas is a game changer! Made it after a long day and it was super easy to whip up. My kids gobbled it up, especially with that cheesy goodness. Gotta say, it’s perfect for making ahead. Props to whoever thought of this one!
So easy, love it.
I whipped this up after a hectic day. The creamy cheese and fresh peas hit the spot! My new go-to comfort food!
Yummm! This dish was a hit with my kiddos! I prepped it while they played, and we devoured every last bite. It’s creamy, cheesy, and those peas add a nice touch. Perfect for busy nights. Definitely making this again! 🍽️
This Rigatoni & Cheese with Peas was a hit with my family! I prepped it the night before after a busy day and baked it just in time for dinner. The cheesy goodness and added peas made it a comforting meal everyone enjoyed. Will make again soon!
OMG, this Rigatoni & Cheese with Peas is a total dinner game changer! Whipped it up last night after a crazay day. The kids devoured it, even my picky eater! So gooey and delish, def make this again! #WinnerDinner
Well done! Approved!
