This recipe was in my monthly Food Network magazine. Well, it's not really a recipe, it's a method. Mix and match different pasta with different veggies and meats and see what you come up with! I used fusilli, pepperoni, spinach, ricotta and Parmesan.
Baked Pasta, with Infinite Possibilities
from Food Network Magazine
1. Pick a pasta. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil; cook 1 pound of pasta until very al dente, 2 or 3 minutes less than the label directs; drain. Choose from:
- Farfalle
- Cavatappi
- Fusili
- Rigatoni
- Penne
- Ziti
- Large Shells
3. Choose your mix-ins. While the sauce simmers, prepare 3 cups meat and/or veggies (in any combination). Choose from:
- Italian sausage, crumbled and cooked
- Meatballs, quartered and cooked
- Pepperoni, chopped
- Rotisserie chicken, shredded
- Hard-boiled eggs, chopped
- Roasted Red Peppers, sliced
- Frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and chopped
- Zucchini, sliced and sauteed
- Mushrooms, sliced and sauteed
- Eggplant, sliced and sauteed
- Fennel, sliced and sauteed
- Spinach, chopped and sauteed
- Escarole, chopped and sauteed (I'm not going to pretend to know what that is)
- Black or green pitted olives, chopped
- For herb sauce: 1 cup each chopped basil and parsley
- For creamy sauce: 1 cup fresh ricotta
- For meat sauce: 3/4 pound pancetta, diced and browned
Melting cheese:
- Fresh mozzarella, cubed
- Mild provolone, shredded
- Italian fontina, shredded
- Young asiago, shredded
- Parmesan, grated
- Pecorino, grated
- Ricotta salata, grated
P.S. I used mini pepperoni, they're cute and you don't have to chop them!
ReplyDeleteLooks like a plentyfull recipe. And looks delish! ~ Mom
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