When you order pizza do you have a go-to combination? When the local pizzeria sees your number on caller ID do they automatically start reaching for the pepperoni or the peppers and olives?
We don’t have a signature order. Every time we get a pizza it’s a back and forth of “what are you in the mood for”. John tends to like garbage pizza, loaded with every topping you can think of. I like things a little simpler. We usually compromise by choosing one meat and one veggie, and we often agree on hamburger and red onion.
The other night I was considering making a homemade pizza for dinner, but then realized what I was really craving was pasta. So I decided to make a pasta version of a hamburger and red onion pizza.
Rigatoni sauced with marinara formed the base in place of sauce-smeared dough. You can either make your own marinara, or use store-bought.
Then, instead of mixing or layering the meat and cheese with the pasta, I sprinkled it all on top, as you would for a pizza.
Keeping the toppings separate from the pasta really works to give this dish a genuine pizza vibe. Draped over the creamy soft pasta layer, the cheese stays gooey and stretchy, just like on a pizza. The hamburger bites are crusty and craggy. The slivers of red onion get lightly browned and stay slightly firm, and the onion flavor is pronounced, not lost in the mix. Using raw onion is key – at first I thought maybe I would sauté the onion, because laying raw vegetables on the top of a baked pasta dish seemed like such a weird thing to do. But I trusted my instincts and was glad I did. Just make sure the onion is sliced very thin.
You can customize this recipe to use your favorite pizza toppings, whatever they might be. Swap out the hamburger for sausage or pepperoni, and add to or replace the onion with peppers, mushrooms, or whatever veggies you like.
As for the cheese layer, you can keep things simple and use all mozzarella if you prefer. I like to use a mix of cheeses, the same combination I use when I make a pizza at home. Mozzarella is the creamiest, Fontina is almost as smooth as mozz but more flavorful, and then there’s my secret weapon, the Cheddar. A small amount of Cheddar adds a subtle sharpness to the mix; you won’t recognize it as Cheddar, you’ll just notice that the cheese tastes cheesier.
Making this ahead and what to do with leftovers:
- The entire dish can be assembled up to a day ahead, covered with foil and kept chilled until you’re ready to bake it. Take the dish out of the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature while you’re heating the oven, and add 10 minutes to the first phase of the baking time (with the foil still on).
- Leftovers keep for several days; reheat in the microwave or in a 300-degree oven until heated through.
Hamburger Pizza-Style Rigatoni
Ingredients
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- 8 ounces ground beef, preferably 85% lean
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 2½ cups marinara sauce, store bought or homemade
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon granulated sugar (optional)
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan
- 5 ounces whole milk mozzarella, shredded
- 2 ounces Fontina, shredded
- 1 ounce sharp Cheddar, shredded
- ½ cup very thin slivers of red onion, about ¼ of a large onion
Directions
- Step 1 Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly oil an 8-inch square baking dish (or equivalent size) with olive oil. Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Step 2 While the water is coming to a boil, prepare the beef. Sprinkle both sides of the clump of ground beef with kosher salt (using ½ teaspoon of Diamond Crystal brand or ¼ teaspoon of Morton’s) and the ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Gently tear the beef into small bits, about 1½ inches in diameter. You’re not making meatballs, so don’t shape or smooth out the pieces, leave them craggy and rough, and if they’re of different sizes that’s fine. Set the beef aside.
- Step 3 When the water is boiling, toss in a handful of kosher salt and the pasta. Cook the pasta for 2 minutes less than the shortest time listed on the package (likely about 10 minutes for rigatoni).
- Step 4 While the pasta is cooking, brown the beef. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add a coating of olive oil. Cook the beef in the hot oil in 2 batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. Add half the beef and cook it without moving it for about 2 minutes, until the bottom side is deeply browned. Carefully loosen each piece and turn it – don’t stir or toss the beef, you don’t want it to break up into crumbles. Cook the other side until browned. Remove the first batch to a plate using a slotted spoon, and repeat with the remaining beef.
- Step 5 Stir the dried oregano into the marinara sauce. If you’re using jarred sauce, or have made homemade sauce that isn’t highly seasoned, add the sugar and/or the crushed red pepper flakes as desired to amp up the flavor of the sauce.
- Step 6 Drain the pasta. Pour 2 cups of the sauce into the pot the pasta was cooked in (off the heat). Add the pasta and the Parmesan and toss to coat the pasta with the sauce and cheese. Spoon the pasta into the prepared baking dish. Spread the remaining marinara sauce evenly over the pasta.
- Step 7 Combine the three types of shredded cheese in a bowl and toss them to combine them well. Scatter the cheese over the pasta in an even layer. Scatter the cooked beef pieces and the raw onion slivers over the cheese. Drizzle the top of the dish generously with olive oil. Sprinkle the top with a little bit more kosher salt. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Step 8 Bake the pasta for 20 minutes.
- Step 9 Remove the foil, change the oven setting from Bake to Roast at 375, and continue cooking for 10 to 15 more minutes, until the pasta is heated through, the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the onions are browned on the edges.
