Michigan Cottage Cook: NANA'S NEW YORK-STYLE CAVATINI + REMOVING THE HARSH FLAVOR FROM RAW ONIONS

I didn't really know what Cavatini was so I looked it up on the web. I found that it usually refers to a menu item at the Pizza Hut from the 1970's. The dish was made of three different shaped pastas, covered with pizza sauce, and topped with cheese. I didn't find any recipe that resembles Nana's New York-style Cavatini.

NANA'S NEW YORK-STYLE CAVATINI.

Warm sauce, melted cheese over a pasta salad. Enjoy!!

Nana's Cavatini is like the best of two worlds. There is a pasta salad on the bottom of the dish with pasta and spaghetti sauce on top with it all covered with melted cheese. Nana served it with meatballs or sausage and extra sauce for a little touch of heaven. I used my meaty spaghetti sauce and found that the cavatini really didn't need anything extra.
http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2011/03/summer-sunshine-spaghetti-sauce.html

REMOVING THE HARSH FLAVOR OF RAW ONIONS FOR SALADS OR SALSA.
I find this time of year onions, even sweet ones, are more pungent and sharp. To remove the harsh flavor chop or slice the onion and soak it in ice water for a short time. This tip is good anytime of the year when you want a raw onion flavor, but
you don't want the onion flavor to over power all the other flavors. It works especially well with onions in pasta salads or salsas. Soaking or rinsing the onion removes the sulfurous compounds in the cut onion.

Chop or slice onions.

Soak for a few minutes in ice water and then drain.

Or put chopped or sliced onions into a colander and rinse with cold water.

NANA’S CAVATINI

Nana always uses canned mushrooms in this recipe. She and I agree that some recipes are better with canned instead of fresh. I would like some chopped red bell pepper in this too.

3 kinds of noodles: shells, spirals and rigatoni, cooked and drained

Raw onion, chopped

Green pepper, chopped

Black olives, sliced

Canned mushrooms, drained, sliced

Pepperoni, thinly sliced

Spaghetti sauce

Mozzarella cheese, grated or sliced, optional
Provolone cheese, grated or sliced, optional

Ingredients. Three different pasta shapes, raw onion, green bell pepper, black olives, canned mushrooms, pepperoni, spaghetti sauce, Mozzarella cheese, Provolone cheese. I used my homemade sauce but you can use jarred sauce.

Cook pasta according to package directions. I mixed three that had about the same cooking time. I used spirals, penne, and creste di gallo pasta. Put cooked and drained pasta in a bowl. Add onion, green pepper, olives, mushrooms and pepperoni. (I will cook the pepperoni next time before I add it to the salad.) Mix well. Put in a large oven-proof casserole. Lightly cover pasta mixture with spaghetti sauce and top with cheese. Broil until cheese is melted. (I put the pan into a preheated 325 degree F. oven and baked for 20 minutes or until cheese was melted.) Serve with extra sauce and meatballs or sausage, if desired.

Three shapes of pasta mixed together.

Every since I had a sandwich with the pepperoni cooked I really don't like it cold anymore. See this post for cooking pepperoni.

http://michigancottagecook.blogspot.com/2010/04/italian-sub-michigan-style.html

Mix pepperoni, mushrooms, and black olives.

Spray baking pan non-stick cooking spray.

Chop green bell pepper.

Chop onion. Soak or spray onion to remove harsh flavor, if desired.

Mix the onion, green pepper, black olives, mushrooms, and pepperoni together. Some red bell pepper would be good too.

Pretty.

Cook pasta.

Drain.

Mix drained pasta with onion mixture.

Put pasta mixture into baking pan.

Cover the pasta mixture with spaghetti sauce.

Original recipe called for grated Mozzarella. I had sliced Mozzarella and Provolone so I used them both. I like the flavor.

Top sauce with Provolone.

Top with Mozzarella.

Recipe said to broil until cheese is melted. I put the pan in a preheated 350 degree F. oven for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. I have a tendency to burn things when I broil them.