Sian Redgrave’s Baked Rigatoni With Broccoli and Zucchini Pesto and Pangrattato

Welcome to Put on a Spread, a new recipe series that celebrates our Spreads. by Bed Threads. tableware collection. For this instalment food stylist, recipe developer and The Makers alumni, Sian Redgrave, shares her take on an Italian comfort-food classic, baked rigatoni with broccoli and zucchini pesto and pangrattato. 

If you’re craving some comfort food (who wouldn’t be right now), we’ve got the perfect weeknight-friendly solution. An Italian kitchen classic, this easy-to-make but ridiculously good, baked rigatoni, is not only the solution to your weeknight dinner juggle, but will soothe your soul in the way that only carbs can.

Also, did we mention this masterpiece only requires one pan!? Serve it straight to the table and you’ll be thanking your future-self (and Sian, of course) when it comes time to do the washing up.

Ingredients

• 500g rigatoni
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely diced
• handful of fresh sage leaves, roughly chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 small heads of broccoli or one large, roughly cut into small pieces
• 4 small zucchinis, cut into 1 cm pieces
• 100g Parmingano or Parmesan cheese, finely grated
• 200g pine nuts
• 200g fresh ricotta
• 1 cup fresh breadcrumbs (made from stale sourdough if possible)

Method 

Preheat your oven to 200C. Place a large pot of salted water on to boil for the pasta. Heat a large pan over a medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil.

Add the onion and a little salt and sautee until soft and translucent, around 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sage and stir for a further minute. Now add the broccoli and zucchini and stir to mix with the onions. Add half a cup of water to the pan and then pop on a lid to allow the vegetables to become soft.

Once the water is boiling cook the rigatoni until al dente, it will finish cooking through in the oven. Drain and reserve a cup of the cooking water, pouring the pasta back into the pot it was cooked in.

Transfer the broccoli and zucchini mix to a food processor or blender and blitz until smooth. Add a little extra of the pasta water to loosen to form a sauce, along with the parmesan and 150g of the pine nuts, blitz again and season well.

Add the sauce to the pasta as well as the ricotta and mix well, again adding a little more of the pasta water if it's too thick. Pour into a baking dish, top with the breadcrumbs and remaining pine nuts. Drizzle with the remaining oil.

Bake for 25 minutes until the breadcrumbs are golden and crunchy.

Shop Sian’'s look with our Olive Tablecloth, Sage Napkins and Bitossi Home accessories. 

For more from Sian, follow her at @sian_redgrave and check out her home tour.