Mediterranean Style Baked Penne
Mediterranean Style Baked Penne
This recipe came about as I was trying to use up some leftovers in the refrigerator. You could easily come up with a very good similar dish by leaving out many of the ingredients. (In fact some penne tossed in ricotta cheese topped with some marinara and parmigiano reggiano would work well.) So add or delete as you see fit.
• ½ pound penne pasta, or similar pasta such as ziti or rigatoni
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• ½ red onion in small dice
• 1 green bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, in large dice
• 1 medium eggplant cut in ½ inch dice
• 2 hot Italian sausages, cooked and cut into large dice (optional)
• 1 roma tomato cut in large dice
• ¼ cup basil pesto, or ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
• 2 cups marinara sauce
• 2 oz grated parmigiano reggiano
• kosher salt and black pepper
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Heat some water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to the package directions. Make sure the pasta is al dente as you will be finishing the dish in the oven. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, the eggplant, and the peppers and sauté until the eggplant has given up most of its water, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the sausage and cook just until heated through, about 2 or 3 minutes. Take the sauté pan off the heat and set aside.
In a large bowl combine the ricotta, the egg, and the basil pesto and mix to combine thoroughly. Add the pasta and the sautéed vegetables and mix making sure the ricotta mixture evenly coats the pasta.
Place a bit of oil in a 9”x 9” ceramic baking dish (or a dish of similar size) and using a paper towel spread the oil making sure the oil coats the bottom and sides of the dish. Pour in the pasta mixture pressing down gently to make sure the pasta is evenly distributed. Top with the marinara sauce and sprinkle the parmigiano reggiano over the top of the sauce. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and place in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is browned.
Remove. from the oven and allow to cool for at least 15 minutes. This makes four very large servings or six primi piatti.