Big Rig Pasta | Oregano's Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is rigatoni from oregano's? ›

Stuffed Riga Tony

These tubular rigatoni are hand stuffed with our fresh ricotta cheese, Oregano's herbs and covered with a slightly creamy meat sauce. It's finished with shredded Parmesan.

Combining the wet or fresh with the condensed enables cooks to achieve a nice depth of tomato flavor. When it comes to spice, the consensus is that fresh garlic, browned onions, bell peppers and dried oregano and basil (not “Italian Spice” mixtures) yield the best old-fashioned flavor.

Fresh herbs add so much flavor to a dish. In this recipe, basil, oregano, chives, thyme and parsley turn a normal bowl of penne pasta into an extraordinary main dish meal.

Slightly sweeter than the 'Greek' Oregano, the 'Italian' is the herb that brings delicious Italian dishes to life. Popularized after World War II when soldiers brought their love of Italian cuisine home with them from overseas, the 'Italian' Oregano became the quintessential pizza herb.

The word rigatoni comes from the Italian word rigato (that stands for 'lined', 'striped', 'ruled', rigatone being the augmentative, and rigatoni the plural form), which means 'ridged' or 'lined', and is associated with the cuisine of southern and central Italy.

Fresh basil is the natural choice with simple pasta sauces like marinara, but parsley, cilantro, and even mint can also give pasta dishes a burst of fragrant flavor when they're sprinkled on just before serving.

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

If you are using dried oregano, use 1/2 teaspoon up to a full teaspoon depending on taste. My family loves oregano and I grow it myself, so I usually use a teaspoon in red sauce. However, if I am making a primavera sauce, use 2 teaspoons, which you can see here.

Is oregano or basil better for pasta? ›

Season your sauce properly for the best results

You can also choose to go the fresh basil route, but you'll want to pair it with fresh oregano, too. Just make sure to add plenty more fresh herbs than you would dried, since the drying process packs more flavor into the herbs.

Ironically, oregano is not as commonly used in Italian cooking as other herbs, such as parsley or basil. Oregano is more flavorful in its dried form and is used more commonly in southern Italian and Sicilian dishes.

Oregano:this has been used in homemade remedies for thousands of years and is a key ingredient in Mediterranean cooking. It goes perfectly in dressings for salads, with cheese, meat, eggs and, of course, pasta. It can be used fresh, but its aroma is stronger when dried.

Rigatoni, which comes from the word “rigato” meaning ridged, are short, wide tubes of pasta that have ridges on the outside, but are smooth on the inside. Rigatoni are perfect for big chunkier sauces as their ridges and wide center help capture the sauce perfectly.

Oregano (ital. "origano") is especially widespread in southern Italian cuisine - it belongs in many pizza sauces and as a decoration on many pizzas - for example, on a pizza with anchovies. Oregano is also often used in sausage. The seasoning power of oregano intensifies through drying - so dose carefully.

rigatoni, a tubular ridged pasta of Italian origin, strongly associated with the ordinary food of Rome and central and southern Italy.