Rigatoni Pasta with Meatballs, Italian Classic Recipe

Rigatoni with Meatballs is a classic Italian pasta recipe from the sunny South of Italy.

Get ready to bring the essence of Italian traditional cuisine to your kitchen with our mouth-watering Rigatoni pasta with meatballs recipe.

Serves: 4 | Preparation : 40 mins | Cooking : approx. 2 hours

Rigatoni Pasta : 350 g
Tomato Passata Bottle: 700 g
Plum tomatoes: 400 g
Minced meat (beef or pork): 400 g
Stale bread, about : 70/80 g
Pecorino cheese, grated: 60 g
Milk: to taste
Eggs: 2
Basil, fresh: to taste
Salt and black pepper: to taste
1 onion, finely sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
A fresh sprig of parsley, chopped
Breadcrumbs: as needed
Extra Virgin Olive Oil for deep-frying: to taste

Method

Soak the stale bread in milk until softened, then squeeze out excess milk, reduce the bread into pieces.

In a large bowl, combine drained bread, minced meat, grated Pecorino cheese, chopped parsley, minced garlic, two whole eggs, salt and black pepper. If the mixture is too soft, add more cheese or breadcrumbs to achieve the right consistency.

Shape the mixture into meatballs about 1 inch in diameter, then roll them in breadcrumbs to coat. Place them on a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.

Heat the EVOO in a large frying-pan over medium-high heat.Fry the meatballs until golden brown, finish them with a blast of hot oil to ensure they are cooked through.

Wipe out the frying pan and heat 2 tablespoons of EVOO over medium heat. Sauté the onion, then add the tomato passata along with crushed plum tomatoes, basil, a teaspoon of table salt and a pinch of black pepper. Simmer for about 10 mins. Afterwards include the fried meatballs, simmer for 40 minutes more over low heat, covered with a lid.

Bring a large pot of water to boil, once boiling, add coarse salt and Rigatoni pasta. Cook and drain al dente. Put pasta back to the pot, toss the pasta with tomato sauce, then serve Rigatoni with the remaining tomato and meatballs sauce topped with grated Pecorino cheese.