Baked Rigatoni Pasta with Meatballs and Peppers

Ingredients:

• 450 g rigatoni pasta
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• A pinch of dried pepper flakes
• 1200 g marinated plum-shaped tomatoes or cherry tomatoes with brine, mash the tomatoes
• 4 large branches basilica
• 350 g pancetta or dry-cured bacon, diced and fried
• 1 cup prepared meatballs, quartered
• 1 cup sliced ​​roasted red bell peppers
• 1 cup chopped olives or pitted olives
• 3 cups soft provolone cheese, diced
• 1 cup grated ricotta cheese

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 230°C. Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the rigatoni pasta and cook until half-cooked, 2-3 minutes. Drain.
2. Heat olive oil in a deep frying pan. Add garlic and pepper flakes and fry until golden brown.
   
   Add the tomatoes with their brine, 1 cup of water, and basil sprigs and cook until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Remove the basil and season the sauce with salt to taste. (Alternatively, heat 4 cups of prepared tomato sauce.)
3. Add pancetta, meatballs, bell peppers and olives to the sauce and stir.
4. Grease a 3- to 4-quart baking dish. Toss the pasta with the sauce and half the provolone and ricotta cheeses. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake the rigatoni in a preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes.