![]() Transfer reserved béchamel to a large bowl add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven) drain. Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender pulse until mostly smooth (or use an immersion blender and purée directly in pot). Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 20–25 minutes. Step 3Īdd whole peeled tomatoes, crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 8–10 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes season with salt and pepper. ![]() Cook pancetta, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Remove from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until béchamel is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers, 8–10 minutes (thoroughly cooking the mixture ensures a creamy sauce and eliminates any raw flour flavor). Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foamy. Refrigerate the leftovers and enjoy them all week long. Like many baked pasta recipes, this one is hearty enough that it needs little accompaniment at the table beyond a big green salad (try this one with an Italian seasoning–inspired dressing) or some fresh veggies, and perhaps some garlic bread. Finally, don’t skip out on broiling the whole baked ziti before serving, it’s key to a perfectly browned top. Just be sure to cook it in a large pot of salted water until it is shy of al dente, since it will continue to cook in the oven. Any short, tube shape (like rigatoni, paccheri, or penne pasta) will do. And in place of meatballs, ground turkey, or Italian sausage, we prefer a bit of pancetta, which adds a salty and porky hit to homemade tomato sauce without distracting from the overall composition.ĭespite this recipe’s name, ziti pasta isn’t mandatory. While many call for ricotta, it has a tendency to get dry and grainy when baked, so we’ve swapped it for a creamy Parmesan béchamel. This baked ziti recipe is designed to stay saucy. It’s simpler and more forgiving than lasagna but still delivers comforting bites full of pulls of mozzarella and those much coveted crunchy corners. If you’re new to cooking these large-format classics, learning how to make baked ziti is a good place to start. If you'd like to make a vegetarian pasta al forno take a look at the recipe for baked lasagna alla Norma or baked pasta with burrata and mushrooms.When the mercury drops, we make baked pasta dishes on repeat for cozy Sunday suppers. I’d love to hear from any of you who make this recipe, so feel free to comment here on the blog or on the Pasta Project Facebook page! It’s a wonderful go-to dish when you are planning to feed a large number. If you have never made pasta al forno, do give it a try. And, despite the number sitting down to lunch that day, there was quite a bit left over! So, I was able to enjoy it the next day too! The cheese is caciocavallo and the pasta, tortiglioni. This al forno recipe ( see the next page) is made with ragu from Sicily, which includes peas. The most commonly used is mozzarella but scamorza, caciocavallo or provola are popular too. Not every pasta al forno includes a soft cheese, but most do. In some regions, they also add hard boiled eggs to a baked pasta and many add homemade bechamel sauce to the dish. rigatoni, tortiglioni, elicoidali, penne, trescatori etc and some local soft or semi soft cheese as well as parmesan, pecorino or grana sprinkled on top. But, the most traditional and classic is with a meat sauce or ‘ragu’, a tube pasta type such as macaroni (in Italian ‘maccheroni’). ![]() If we include vegetarian dishes, there are hundreds of different recipes for baked pasta, pasta al forno, here in Italy. Dessert is a very traditional offering and we actually ended up with 5 different cakes made by various guests and family members! Plus this wonderful pasta al forno! We had 22 people for lunch which was quite a challenge but the great thing about Italian families is they are always happy to contribute towards the cooking and food, so it’s rare for the hosts to end up doing everything. This recipe is based on the wonderful ‘pasta al forno’ (pasta bake) my Sicilian mother-in-law makes! In fact, she brought a dish (actually two) over to our house last Easter Sunday.
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