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Here is the second baked pasta dish I made over the weekend (you can find the first one here). This one is more traditional, being that it uses sauteed onions, garlic and peppers. I made this one especially for the omnivores in the crowd, although I used turkey sausage instead of pork to keep the amount of fat a little lower. Especially since it used three different kinds of cheese.
The thing to remember about recipes like these is that you should feel free to make them your own. If you don't like peppers, leave them out. If you've got a friend who is allergic to ricotta cheese, use cottage or farmer's cheese instead. Feel like using three different kinds of cheese is sort of excessive? Cut out the parmesan. It's a technique more than an exact recipe and you can bend and shape it to your tastes. Pasta Bake
1 pound of pasta, cooked al dente (I typically use whole wheat penne)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red pepper, roughly chopped
1 green pepper, roughly chopped
1 pound cooked, crumbled Italian turkey sausage (optional)
2 large cans of whole tomatoes
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 container ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon dried oregano
pinch red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
1 pound grated mozzarella cheese
Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in your largest skillet or saucepan. Cook for 2-3 minutes and then add the peppers. When they've softened, add the tomatoes, crushing each one with your hands before adding (this gives you a nice variety of tomato textures). Do not add juice, as that will make the sauce too loose. Add spices and cooked turkey sausage (if using) and stir to combine.
What I tend to do at this point is take the empty pot that the pasta had cooked in (pasta should be sitting in a colander in the sink) and dump the veggies and sausage into the pot. Then I add in the parmesan and ricotta cheeses and stir to combine. When it is integrated, add the pasta and stir to coat. Transfer the pasta/sauce combo to a baking pan (10 x 15 works best here) and cover with grated cheese. Slide into a 350 degree oven until cheese on top is bubbly and golden. If you need to speed up the browning process, you can turn on the broiler, but if you do that you've got to watch it carefully as it can burn quickly.
This dish is great for potlucks and can easily be made vegetarian if you skip the sausage.
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12-05-2007 @5:54PM Marisa Small said... Hi Marisa,
One question, what amount of ricotta do you use (the ounces). I made a pasta bake like this, but thought it was a bit too much cheese and not enough tomato sauce (easily solved, but looking to do it different next time).
Thanks, Risa
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12-06-2007 @4:36PM Luis Antonio said... A variation on this one that we do at home is to use soy chorizo (I don't know about availability anywhere outside Mexico) instead of the sausage, of course.. it does become something more mexican-italian, but good food just as well.
http://www.lavacahacemu.com
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12-14-2007 @1:14PM leo said...
Maybe you can help me out with something…? I want to order all of my food online from now on because of various reasons, but I don’t know where to go for quality food. I have tried 2 companies so far, Fresh Dining, and and Celebrity Foods, but I wanna get others I can try out. Do you know of any? The main thing I’ve ordered so far is steak. I guess you can say, I’m a steak junkie. LOL!!! From what I have found out (from what I have ordered so far) I think I am able to regulate the quality of beef I buy. I hate going to a store and getting that crappy slab of beef that I have to cut down until there is like nothing left. Hahaha!!!! (its so true though) Anyhow, sorry that I made this comment so long. If you can help me out or point me in a direction where I might find more quality foods online, I would greatly appreciate it. Have a good day or night! (depending on when you read this) LOL!!!!
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