Slow Cooker Cheesy Rigatoni

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rigatoni. Comfort in a Bowl, spring: 3 ingredients. I prepare it when I want a meal that is several hours before our hectic family weekend..

Servings: 6

Ingredients

dry tubular rigatoni pasta → 1 lb (450 g)
jar heavy-duty marinara/ tomato-basil pasta sauce → 1 (24-26 ounce / 680-730 g)
low-moisture mozzarella cheese, divided in 3 cups → 3 cups (approximately 12 ounces / 340 g)

Slow Cooker Cheesy Rigatoni: Directions

Spray the interior of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker lightly with a non-sticky cooking oil or a non-sticky cooking spray to allow easy release of the food and enables easy cleaning.
Add the marinara sauce in the bottom of the slow cooker and put it in a smooth layer of about 1 cup. This sauce is found in pasta to prevent scalding of the pasta and to promote the lubricious and umami-packed sauce in its preparation.
Slow cooker Add the dry rigatoni to the slow cooker in a single layer. The pasta should not be cooked in advance, it will soften and it will take in the sauce as it gradually cooks.
Evenly pour on top of the rigatoni the left over marinara sauce, and with a spoon push and press the pasta so that most of it gets covered and submerged. It does not matter that some pieces roll out, the steam in the slow cooker will do the job.
Evenly sprinkle the pasta that is saucy with 2 cups of the shredded mozzarella. Keep back the remaining 1 cup of cheese to add it later so as to get that golden caramelized top layer.
Cook the rigatoni The slow cooker lid is put on and the dish is cooked on LOW 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 hours, until the rigatoni is tender but not collapsing. When the time has reached approximately 2 hours, stir carefully at the edges and toward the centre once, scrape the mixture of cheese into the sauce to coat the pasta and give it a luminious look. Cover with a lid as soon as possible so as to retain the heat.
After the pasta is cooked into the al dente level, and the sauce has been cooked into a rich paste, smooth the surface out into a smooth coating. Sprinkle the rest 1 cup mozzarella on the top, covering the rigatoni in a very generous way.
Re-cover and keep cooking over LOW between 20 and 30 minutes or until the cheese on top is completely melted, in addition to being bubbling and caramelizing at the edges. To achieve a deeper top, you can uncover briefly in the last 10 minutes to allow a little of the moisture to evaporate, and this will help to bring the color and flavor together.
When the cheese melts, but turns a light golden color, switch the slow cooker to WARM. Allow the rigatoni to rest, covered, 10-15 minutes to settle and slightly thicken; this rest period allows one to scoop up nice little piles of the pasta, with that overdramatic, elastic cheese layer still in place.
Cook the cheesy rigatoni in the same slow cooker, stooping down the caramelized cheese top to get hold of the gleaming pasta as well as the glistening, umami-filled sauce beneath.