Pasta al Forno

Pasta al Forno (I just winged this. Quantities listed should feed 8-12 adults at least)

Ingredients

-2 boxes rigatoni
-beschamel sauce (recipe below)
-2 jars red sauce (store bought)
-1 package sausage
- 2-4 cups of mozarella cheese
- parmesan to taste

Beschamel sauce: (I usually double this because I like a lot of white sauce but the quantities listed below will probably still give you enough if you want it less creamy)

-3 cups whole milk (I just use whatever milk I have...usually 1% or 2%)
-6 Tablespoons unsalted butter
-6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
sea salt

Directions:

Cook sausage. Cook pasta al dente (I usually cook 8-9 minutes). Prepare beschamel sauce. You will want to have about 10 minutes of uninterrupted time to make the beschamel sauce so it doesn't burn. When you're done, layer all the ingredients any way you want. I usually start off with some red sauce on the bottom and a layer of rigatoni. I usually don't put cheese on every layer but how you do it is up to you. Top it off with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan to taste. Cook at 350 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. I usually cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes and then cook it 5 minutes without the foil.

Directions for beschamel sauce: In a sauce pan of medium heat, heat the milk until small bubbles appear around the edges of the pan, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, in a heavy, nonstick saucepan over medium-low heat, melt the butter. Using a wooden spoon, stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until a thick, smooth paste forms, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Slowly drizzle 1-2 Tablespoons of the hot milk into the flour paste while whisking constantly. The mixture will immediately become thick and lumpy. Continuing to whisk vigorously, add the milk about 2 tablespoons at a time. The Sauce will gradually become smooth. After adding about 1/2 cup of the milk, slowly add the remaining milk in a thin, steady stream while whisking constantly. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt, return the pan to medium heat, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is smooth and thick enough to coat the back of the spoon, about 1 minute. Makes about 2 cups.