Pasta al forno ( baked pasta)

• 30 minutes to prepare • 90 minutes to cook • Serves 4

 

 

Better than pasta? Yes

An easy, and very tasty recipe: this is the secret of every baked pasta , a traditional Italian dish and the perfect solution for recycling leftovers, usually thanks to the filling of cheeses and cured meats left in the fridge.

A first course that recalls the most simple traditions and that immediately makes you feel at home: this is why it has become a real must-have for Sunday family lunches, and for Christmas holidays. Enjoy!

Here's what you will need for the 4-serving recipe:

 

750 g rigatoni pasta
2 eggs
4 hard boiled eggs
250 g minced meat
150 g scamorza cheese

100 g ham

100 g Parmesan cheese

3 slices white bread

400 g sugo di pomodoro (tomato sauce, prepared like here)

100 ml milk

200 g cherry tomatoes

EVO oil

salt and pepper

1. Soak the white bread in the milk, after removing the crust, for about 2 minutes
2. Season the ground meat with some grated Parmesan cheese, milk-soaked bread and a pinch of pepper. Stir to mix well
3. Beat the egg in a small bowl and add it to the ground meat mixture
4. Prepare meatballs: take a small handful of meat mix in your hand and create a round shape. Continue to use up all the meat in the same manner making more polpette, placing the finished ones on a baking sheet
5. Heat the tomato sauce in a large pan, and - when it is boiling - place the meatballs inside and let them cook for 20 minutes
6. Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and keep aside
7. Preheat oven to 180°C fan forced
8. In a large bowl place pasta with some tomato sauce and some parmesan cheese. Mix well to season
9. Place one ladle of sugo di pomodoro sauce on the bottom of a a large baking dish
10. Top with half the pasta, spread some meatballs, and few slices of ham and scamorza cheese. Add the hard boiled eggs - sliced -, then cover with the remaining pasta
11. Spread the sugo di pomodoro sauce you have left over the pasta. Sprinkle over cherry tomatoes, halved, and more Parmesan cheese
12. Bake for 40 minutes, 30 minutes sealed with aluminum foil, and the last 10 minutes without it
13. Let it cool down for 5 minutes and bring it to your gluttonous table!

In the following, Nutrition Facts of this dish are indicated. Data is provided per serving.