Baked Rigatoni with Meat Sauce (Rigatoni al forno col ragù)

Ingredients

1 lb rigatoni or similar-cut pasta

Salt

2 c. bolognese sauce (homemade)

A medium-thick Bechamel sauce (homemade)

6 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese

2 tbsp butter

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400

2. Drop the pasta into 4 qts of boiling salted water and cook until just al dente (it should be just a shade firmer than you would ordinarily cook it because it will soften more as it bakes in the oven)

3. Add the meat sauce, the bechemel sauce, and 4 tbsp of grated cheese to the pasta. Mix thoroughly. Transfer to a butter-smeared bake-and-serve dish. Level the top with the a spatula, sprinkle it with the remaining 2 tbsp grated cheese, and dot with butter. Place in the uppermost level of the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Allow to settle a few minutes before serving