The easy way. Pasta and cheese!
I love pie. My favorite are my mom’s chocolate chip cookie pie and her pecan pie. We have them every Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I am not going to lie, we totally use good old Pillsbury. That little dough boy never ever fails us. He always produces perfectly flakey and doughy pie crusts. We kind of love him and his crusts!
Back when I was maybe eleven or twelve I decided I wanted to make a double crusted apple pie, all homemade, all by myself. This pie was probably one of the first real things I ever baked other than cookies. It was probably the best pie I have made to date. I can still remember it, it may not have looked perfect, but oh my gosh it was so good and even my dad loved the crust. He is a total crust snob if you ask me. He can’t have them too thick or too overdone, they have to be just right.
He loved that crust. And so did everyone else, but here’s the crappy part. I have never, not once, been able to make the same pie crust again. I guess there really is such a thing as beginners luck.
Trust me, I have attempted so many times before to recreate that exact crust and it just does not want to happen for me. So eventually I swore off homemade pie crusts. It’s been a good year and half since my last attempt and I think this is my year, I am bringing back the pies!
Well, hopefully! First I have to come up with a recipe good enough to make. Then I’ll start working on the crust, but I am hoping that by Thanksgiving I will have cranked out one good pie. Here’s to hoping!
For right now though I will stick with this pie. Which is so freaking awesome, and fun and just down right cool. I am kind of in love it. Which is also why there is a gazillion photos for this post. Sorry, I could not help myself. I mean guys, those noodles are standing up tall and stuffed with the most addicting filling around.
No really, the filling is addicting. It’s also a heavy dose of fall, but that is just not a problem for me. I love these flavors!
Roasted butternut squash, sage and gorgonzola together is one of my favorite fall pairings. I think you guys will love it. And if someone at your table thinks they won’t, just get them to try it! Seriously, I have convinced many people of this, even Asher. All it takes is one bite.
This pasta pie is basically like unstuffed ravioli or ravioli without all the work. Like I said, so awesome. Oh and did I mention there is also burrata cheese mixed into this pasta goodness? Because there is, and if you are burrata cheese newbie prepare to be amazed. It’s like mozzarella’s smokin’ hot cousin. On the outside it may look like mozzarella, but the inside is like a creamy heaven. For a while I could not find it my grocery store, but now it is everywhere. Obviously people are catching on, but be warned, it is not cheep and if you don’t feel like coughing up ten dollars for eight ounces of cheese (I hear you and totally understand) you can sub mozzarella, but you still have to try burrata sometime, it’s just so good!
If you think this pie is hard to make you are so wrong. I actually could not believe how easy it was to line up the rigatonis. It took me maybe five minutes and the filling is really simple too. Just roast, purée, heat and pour it over the noodles. Then top with cheese and pepperonis (only if you want to, but I think they are awesome!) and bake to cheesy perfection!
It’s a total crowd pleaser, and stunner. People are like whoa! No, I was like whoa! I am still like whoa. I mean it’s pasta pie!
And that is just an awesome thing, especially on a Monday.
