Baked Rigatoni With Bechamel Sauce

Recipe courtesy giada de laurentiis this is a great side dish or main dish!!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees f.

Bechamel sauce: in a 2 quart saucepan , melt the butter over medium heat.

Add the flour and whisk until smooth , about 2 minutes.

Always stirring , gradually add the milk and continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

This will take approximately 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and stir in nutmeg , 1 / 2 cup fontina , prosciutto and season with salt and white pepper.

Set aside.

In a large pot , bring to a boil 6 quarts of salted water.

Add the rigatoni and cook for about 5 minutes.

Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven , you want to make sure the inside is still hard.

Drain in a colander.

Return pasta to the pot and pour in bechamel sauce.

Using a wooden spoon , mix well until all the pasta is coated with the sauce.

Into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish , pour the pasta with cream sauce.

Smooth out top and sprinkle with remaining 1 / 2 cup fon.

unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, whole milk, fresh nutmeg, sea salt, white pepper, fontina, prosciutto, rigatoni pasta