This recipe for cheesy baked pasta with sausage and ricotta was featured in the NYT on Saturday and we made it our business to get to the grocery store on Sunday so we could make it that night. I’m so glad we did because this recipe has earned a permanent spot in the dinner rotation.
Heat oil in a cast iron skillet and crumble in 3/4 – 1 lb of Italian sausage, using a wooden spoon to break it up, and cook until it’s just browning. Stir in 4 cloves of minced garlic, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp lighly crushed fennel seeds, and a pinch of red-pepper flakes and cook 1-2 min. Stir in a 28-oz can of whole peeled tomatoes and their juice, breaking them up with the spoon (gently – they’ll splatter). Add a 14-oz can of crushed tomatoes, 2 bay leaves, and 2 tsp salt, and simmer for 10 min so it starts to thicken a bit. Stir in 12-oz pasta (a short, tubular shape is best – I used pipe rigate) and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Let it go for another 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Take the skillet off the burner, pull out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella (from a total of 8 oz fresh mozz, pulled into bite size pieces). Top the whole dish with the rest of the mozzarella and dollops of ricotta (3/4 c. total) and 1/3 c. grated parmesan, then transfer to oven and bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Let it sit for a few minutes before serving so the sauce tightens up a bit. Sprinkle fresh basil all over the top + another pinch of red pepper flakes and grind a bunch of black pepper.
Lasagna is one of my favorite dishes and this gives off real lasagna vibes, especially because I make my lsasagna with sausage. Except here’s the thing: it’s easier than lasagna. It’s all in one pan so you don’t have to worry about browning the meat here, boiling the pasta there, and assempling it all in another spot.
Peaches to Apples 