Rigatoni Stuffed With Roasted Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin |

I’m not sure if you saw it but awhile back I made thisroasted pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon. We only ate about half of it. I could not bear to throw the rest away so I cut it up, ground it up in my food processor, spooned it into a food saver bag, sealed it up, and threw it into my freezer until I could figure out what to do with it. I did have noodle stuffing in the back of my head.

I have always loved stuffed cannelloni. Years ago OliveGarden had this Cannelloni al Forno dish on their menu that I would order every time I went. It was so good! It had a cheesy meaty filling and it was topped with a rustic marinara and a velvety béchamel. Ever since that time, I have toyed with the idea of stuffing tiny rigatoni noodles but never got around to it. Not too long ago I was perusing “The Food in myBeard” (a blog I enjoy for its tremendous creativity and daringness) And there it was! He had done it! He had stuffed tiny rigatoni! I was never going to be the first one! Now, I really did not think I would be the first to do this. I knew there would be many who attempted it before me. I had just not Googled it yet to see just how many! Sometimes if I have a thought that I think is even semi-pure or original I will try to make the dish before I look to see all of the different internet versions of it. I don’t want to taint my own brilliant thoughts, plus it makes me sad that I didn’t think of it first. And it is kind of fun to think of something, make it, then compare it to the rest of the world to see just how similar we humans really are. I love the internet and all of the fun mind games that come with it! So just before I post this I will Google, Stuffed Rigatoni and see what happens. It there are any brilliant ones I will link to them for fun!

Oh, yea, and just for the record this dish was full of flavor, bursting with cheesy goodness, and ultimately comforting. Like rustic winter cabin, fire roaring in the fireplace, snow falling outside, watching it fall from a window seat, while wearing plaid pajamas comforting!

Rigatoni Stuffed With Roasted Bacon Wrapped Pork Tenderloin

-2 c. minced roasted meat (I used the remainder of a roasted, bacon wrapped, pork tenderloin I ground up in my food processor)

-15 oz. container of Ricotta

-4 oz. of cream cheese

-S & P (1 tsp. each) optional

-1 lb. rigatoni noodles (cooked according to package directions, minus two minutes)

-1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce (I used Mezzetta, Napa Valley Bistro, Roasted Garlic)

-One 8 oz. container Mozzarella Fresca (cherry sized mozzarella balls, drained)

-One 16 oz. bag shredded mozzarella (I used Kraft, with a hint of cream cheese) divided in half

Preheat your oven to 350° F. Line a 9” X 13” baking pan with foil lined parchment paper (foil side up). Coat the foil with a little cooking spray. Cook noodles according to package directions for al dente noodles but then minus two minutes on top of that. (You want the noodles to stand up in a pan for you so that you can stuff them.)

While the noodles are cooking stir together the minced meat, the ricotta, the cream cheese, and the S & P. Spoon the meat mixture into a heavy gallon sized Ziploc bag. Snip off one corner of the bag so that you can pipe the mixture into each noodle. Make the hole big enough for the meat to escape, but smaller than the circumference of the noodle. Drain the noodles, while rinsing with cold water, and then stand them up on one open side. Pipe the meat mixture into each noodle. This will take the rest of the evening, so I hope you didn’t have anything fun planned!

Next transfer all of the filled noodles to a large mixing bowl. Add the pasta sauce, the mozzarella balls, and ½ of the shredded mozzarella. (I also added the leftover meat mixture I had after filling the pasta, optional) Gently stir all of your ingredients together and then pour into your prepared pan. Top with remaining shredded mozzarella.

Bake pasta, uncovered, for 40 to 50 minutes, until the cheese begins to brown and the whole mess is hot and bubbly. Remove from oven. Let rest for 10 to 20 minutes, and then EAT!

Note: I rarely make my own pasta sauce. I have before but it is definitely a time issue. There are many good ones out there though. I like to try a different one each time just for fun. The one I used for this dish was actually really good (super thick and garlicky, I will use it again!) Also, I added the 4 oz. of cream cheese to the meat mixture to make it a little less viscous so it would flow from the bag easier. And a little cream cheese never hurt anyone!