My daughter loves reading books. She can normally reads 1-2 books a week. I’m not talking little books either. She is into the young adult dystopian genre. Those books are easily 300+ pages.
Well, for her birthday she wanted to see Divergent the movie. She has read the entire series and when she heard there was a movie coming out she was elated! Her words were something like, ” I’m definitely seeing that!!”
Over the weekend I took her to see the movie. We aren’t but a few minutes into the movie and she starts shaking her head and looking at her friends. I asked her what is wrong and she said they are butchering the movie…this is not how it happened in the book! I haven’t read the books, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. It seemed good to me.
She and her friends spent a good part of the movie showing signs of frustration. I could see them shaking their hands in front of their faces, with heads down and a hand on their forehead, and mouthing to each other “this is not right?!!” Little girls can be so dramatic!
I tried to explain to her that they can’t make a movie just like the book. It would be too long and no one would want to sit for a 4 hour movie.
She did like the movie, but was still frustrated that they had strayed from the book. Apparently, important characters weren’t developed and this matters if they are to make another movie from the series.
To cheer her up, I decided to make her favorite dinner. No need to diverge here, this recipe for Baked Rigatoni in Meat Sauce is perfect.
I call this her meal. It is actually a dish, a good friend brought over after my daughter was born.
Wow, I really have been making this for a long time. My baby girl just turned 13 years old.
I’ve been making this Baked Rigatoni in Meat sauce for so long because it is simply delicious! It is the perfect comfort food. Baked cheesy pasta with meat sauce is like a good hug. It just makes you feel wonderful. 😀
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- ½ cup onion, diced
- ½ cup carrots, diced
- ¼ cup celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb lean ground turkey
- 1-28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- 1-8oz can tomato sauce
- 1-6oz can tomato paste
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- 2 tsp italian seasoning
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1-12 oz package rigatoni
- 1-15 oz container ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1 large egg
- 8 oz mozzarella cheese, shredded
- In a large saucepan heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Sauté carrots, onion, and celery until slightly tender. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Add ground turkey and cook until browned.
- Add crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, and balsamic vinegar.
- Add water through black pepper and stir. Bring to a low boil and let simmer for 10 minutes.
- In a small bowl combine ricotta, parmesan cheese, and egg; set aside.
- Cook rigatoni according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.
- Reserve 1½ cups of the meat sauce.
- Add remaining sauce to the pasta. Stir to combine.
- Add ½ of the pasta mixture into a 9 x 12 baking dish.
- Spoon ricotta cheese over the pasta. Top with half of the mozzarella cheese.
- Top with the remaining pasta. Top pasta with the reserved meat sauce.
- Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
- Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until hot and bubbly.
Looking for more comfort foods?
Try my Creamy Skillet Lasagna. It’s perfect for a busy weeknight!
This Turkey and Spinach Lasagna is a family favorite. My son wants this for his birthday dinner!