This deep dish Le Creuset frying pan is the perfect size for family-style cooking. The large base and deep sides make it really versatile for use as a frying pan or casserole dish. The toughened non-stick surface performs extremely well and is resistant to cracks or scratches from cooking utensils. The handles attached with stainless steel rivets make for an easy transfer from the stove to the oven to brown or finish cooking. The fry pan is suitable for all heat sources- so it can go from stove, to oven, to dishwasher. It comes with a Le Creuset lifetime guarantee. Use this pan to make great one-pot recipes which might require browning meat or vegetables first, then adding rice or pasta, such as the recipe below or this Mixed Seafood Paella. The pan has a 3L liquid capacity like a casserole, yet is as lightweight as a frying pan. The whole family will love this baked rigatoni dish with softest, pillow-like meatballs, oozing mozzarella cheese and lots of crunchy edges where the pasta browns under the grill (my favourite bits). These are unlike any meatballs you’ve ever had. The recipe comes from my landlord, Peter Bracher. His recipes are so good that Chef Matt Moran has featured them in one of his recipe books! The secret ingredient is eggplant which keeps them so tender and moist.

Rigatoni Bake with Secret Ingredient Meatballs

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 250g pork mince
• 250g veal mince
• 2 medium eggplants
• 1 beaten egg
• 1 tbsp fennel seed
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp each salt and pepper
• flour

For the sauce:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 can of good quality tomatoes (400g)
• 1 tbsp sugar

For the pasta:

• 350g rigatoni pasta
• 200g boconccini mozzerella balls

To serve:

• freshly grated parmesan

Instructions:

Heat a BBQ or grill pan to smoking hot and cook the eggplants for about 20 minutes, turning as needed until soft and blackened. Remove from the heat and once cool enough to handle, remove the flesh from the skin. Place in a colander for 15 minutes to drain as much liquid as possible. Finely chop and add to a large bowl. To the eggplant bowl, add the mince mixture, beaten egg, 1 tbsp fennel seed, 2 tsp dried oregano and salt/pepper to taste. Mix well with your hands then let the mixture firm up in the fridge for half an hour. Dust the meatballs with flour, then add to a hot pan with some olive oil. Cook in two batches so as not to overcrowd the pan. Turn the meatballs until browned on all sides, about 7-8 minutes total. Set aside. To the same pan, add 2 crushed garlic cloves, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp tomato paste, 1 can of tomatoes and 1 tbsp sugar. Simmer and reduce over medium heat for about 10 minutes while you cook the pasta. Cook the pasta for 10 minutes in boiling, salted water. Drain, reserving 2-3 tbsp of the cooking water. Add the pasta and the reserved water to the sauce along with the meatballs and gently stir to mix. Top with baby boconccini and an additional sprinkling of dried oregano. Place the pan under a hot grill for 15 more minutes, until bubbling, crispy and brown at the edges. Serve with freshly grated parmesan. To make this recipe, I used the Le Creuset Toughened Non-Stick Frypan 30cm which is available at Everten. Click here to view the Le Creuset Toughed Non-Stick Range.