A great party pleaser that can be made with as little as a half pound of ground bison. Can be prepared a day ahead. Serves 8 to 10.
Ingredients
½ to 1 lb.
1 tbsp
6 to 7 cups
1 tsp
3/4 lb. dry
1 cup
6 to 8 ounces
ground bison
olive oil
pasta sauce
salt
rigatoni pasta (about 6 cups, dry measure)
grated Parmesan cheese (about 4 ounces)
shredded mozzarella cheese
Directions
Put olive oil in small saucepan. Over medium heat, cook ground bison stirring until completely cooked. In a medium sized bowl combine cooked bison with pasta sauce to form pasta meat sauce.
To a large pot containing 6 quarts boiling water add the salt and rigatoni pasta. Cook for 12 minutes in boiling water, stirring often. Drain completely. Cooked pasta should still be relatively firm at this stage.
Spread a third of the pasta meat sauce in the bottom of a non-stick 13X9X2-casserole dish. Evenly layer half of the cooked pasta over the sauce. Top with a third of the grated Parmesan. Repeat layers. Finish layering with remaining third of sauce and Parmesan cheese. Top with shredded Mozzarella cheese. (Can be covered and refrigerated for a day at this stage if so desired.)
Bake at 350F for 25 minutes covered, then 10-15 minutes uncovered or until cheese starts to brown. Note: if casserole has been previously refrigerated, then remove to room temperature for 1 hour before baking. Serve with tossed green salad and garlic bread.
