Servings: 3-4

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

1 package (12 oz.) of Mezzi Rigatoni Pasta

8 oz. of fresh Mozzarella Cheese

1 tablespoon of salt for pasta water

Tomato Sauce Ingredients:

1/3 cups of Sutter Home Sweet Red Wine

2 cans of 14 oz. cherry tomatoes

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

3-4 cloves of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme plus 1 teaspoon fresh thyme to garnish

2 tablespoon of olive oil

1 teaspoon of white granulated sugar

1 ½ teaspoons of salt

Meatball Ingredients:

1 lb. 80/20 ground beef

1 lb. 90/10 ground beef

1 egg

2 cloves of minced garlic

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

¼ cup of breadcrumbs

1 teaspoon of dried oregano

½ teaspoon of salt

½ teaspoon of black pepper

1 minced red chili pepper

Directions:

1-Meatballs: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place a parchment on a large cookie sheet or just spray with a cooking spray.

2- Add all the meatball ingredients in a large bowl and mix gently until combined. Try not to overmix. Form into 1-inch balls and place them on prepared cookie sheet.

3- Bake in preheated oven about 10-15 minutes until meatballs are browned. Remember they will be cooked again with pasta.

4-Tomatoe Sauce: Add all the tomato sauce ingredients into a large saucepan and cook about 3-5 minutes over high temperature until it boils; then reduce the temperature to medium low and cook about for 10-12 minutes stirring occasionally.

5-Meanwhile bring 4-6 quarts of water to boil. Add 1 tablespoon of salt and pasta to boiling water.

6-Cook the pasta about 8-10 minutes until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta. 

7-Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

8-Add half of the sauce into a 9×13 baking sheet or you can use ½ inch cast iron skillet like I did.

9-Place the pasta over the tomato sauce and add the rest of the sauce, meatballs, and the fresh mozzarella cheese on top.

10- Bake covered 20 minutes and then uncovered 10 minutes.

11- Remove the pasta from the oven and let sit for about 5-7 minutes. Serve topped with fresh thyme.

Happy Eating!