Gluten Free Standing Rigatoni Pie

Rigatoni receives a modern makeover with this fun and whimsical pasta dish!

Feeds 2 adults; 1 toddler

The thing that intrigued me and drew me into this dish was the peculiar way it's served. I must admit, I've never had pasta that was still standing. I was expecting this dish to be far more complicated than it was. To be honest, it doesn't take much longer than a rigatoni dish where the noodles are relaxing on their sides, instead of standing like gap-mouthed trout. 

Still, no one ever said that easy was synonymous with flavorless. Fact of the matter, this is one of the most flavorful and pasta dishes I've ever made or even tasted! It's perfect for busy weeknights or would be great on the weekends with a bit of help from the smaller-handed folk. Even my kid loved poking at the standing noodles before I poured the sauce over them!

---

Ingredients:

For the standing rigantoni pie
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 onion, diced
1 tbsp olive oil
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp basil
1 tbsp oregano
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 garlic cloves, mince
300g beef mince
500g gluten free rigatoni pasta
handfuls of 2 types of cheese

---

Instructions:

Standing Rigatoni Pie

1.  Warm the olive oil in a skillet and brown the mince with onion, garlic, herbs and cayenne pepper. Cook until fragrant an the mince is browned.
2. Add the tomatoes, sugar and tomato paste and simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Preheat oven to 200C/400F.
4. Cook the pasta according to the instruction on the packet, but undercooking it slightly. (According to the my packet, the pasta needed 12 minutes, I boiled it for 9.)
5. Strain the pasta and allow it to col enough to handle.
6. Grease the sides of a 9-inch springform tin. Spread a thin layer of the tomato sauce on the bottom.
7. Stand the pasta upright with one end on the tomato sauce layer. Tightly pack in each noodle.
8. Spread over half of the remaining sauce, allowing some to fall inside and between  the rigatoni. 
9. Sprinkle over a layer of cheese, covering the sauce. Spread the remaining sauce on top, followed by some more cheese.
10. Bake until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Allow to stand two minutes before release the tin from the base.