Posted on

Tuna pasta bake

This was the first time I tried to make oven pasta without pre-cooking the pasta. I was skeptical, but it turned out great. You mix all the ingredients in your oven proof dish where you cook your casserole. No additional dishes to clean. The pasta takes naturally more time to cook since it isn’t pre-cooked.

PREP TIME. 10 MIN. COOK TIME. 50 MIN

INGREDIENTS FOR 6

  • 500 g penne or fusilli pasta
  • 240 g can tuna, preferably in oil
  • 400 g can crushed tomato
  • 250 g cherry tomatoes
  • 2-3 Tbls of capers
  • 2 dl heavy cream
  • 5 dl water
  • 2 Tbls olive oil
  • origano
  • basil
  • salt and pepper
  • 150 g shredded mozzarella
  1. Preheat oven to 200 °C
  2. Swipe an oven proof dish with oil and add the pasta, crushed tomatoes, tuna chunks and halved tomatoes leaving a handful to put on top.
  3. Now add the water, heavy cream, the capers, the herbs and the seasoning and mix well. Try to get all the pasta covered. Sprinkle the cheese and the rest of the tomatoes on top. It doesn’t look pretty at this point but wait until it’s done.
  4. Cook for about 50 min until golden with some crusty bits.

BUON APPETITO!

Posted on

Baked eggplant pasta

Baked eggplant pasta combines roasted eggplant, hard baked ricotta cheese, mozzarella and tubular pasta like rigatoni, ziti, penne or tortiglioni tossed in a tomato sauce and baked until golden and bubbly. This is not a quick dish to make but the time spent is well worth it.

PREP TIME 15 MIN COOK TIME 60 MIN

INGREDIENTS FOR 5-6

  • 1 large eggplant or 2 medium cut into cubes
  • 500 g rigatoni pasta
  • 700 g tomato passata or 2 cans of crushed or plum tomatoes
  • 250 g mozzarella shredded or cut into cubes
  • 50 g grated ricotta cheese or alternatively 50 g grated Pecorino cheese
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small onion
  • 2-3 garlic cloves
  • basil leaves
  • peperoncino (optional)
  1. Preheat oven to 225 C.
  2. You can peel the eggplant but it is not necessary. Toss the eggplant cubes with oil and season with salt. Spread the cubes onto a baking tray (or trays) and roast for 20-25 minutes. Turn the eggplant halfway through. When done, keep them aside. Lower the oven to 190 C.
  3. Meanwhile make the tomato sauce: heat some oil in a large saucepan to medium heat and sauté the onion until soft 4-5 min. Add the garlic and peperoncino if using and cook for 2 minutes. Add the tomato passata or plum tomatoes and cook uncovered at low for 20-25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
  4. Cook pasta in abundant salty boiling water and drain 2-3 minutes less than al dente.
  5. Mix the pasta, the sauce and the eggplant in a large bowl.
  6. Layer the pasta in a baking dish. Add the mozzarella in between the layers and leave a handful to top the dish. Sprinkle the grated ricotta and a few basil leaves on top.

7. Bake at 190 C for 30 minutes until golden brown. It’s best to wait 10-15 minutes before eating to let the pasta settle.

Tip: you can fry the eggplant cubes instead of roasting them in the oven.

BUON APPETITO!