Sicilian Baked Anelletti (or Palermitan style) is a typical baked first dish from my Sicily, a recipe I adore, one of my absolute favorites. This is a rich and super delicious baked pasta, using anelletti pasta, dressed with meat ragù, peas, cured meats, cheeses, and hard-boiled eggs. The original recipe is traditionally prepared strictly without béchamel (no, it’s not added!), but every family has its own version; some add fried eggplants (when in season), some use mortadella instead of cooked ham and/or salami, but the essential ingredients are ragù, peas, caciocavallo cheese, and hard-boiled eggs. Being from Trapani, we prepare them this way. Creamy, stringy, and super tasty, Sicilian Baked Anelletti is one of those dishes that will make you fall in love at the first bite. It is very versatile, perfect for Sunday lunch, a picnic, to take to the beach (yes, we Sicilians often go to the beach with trays of baked pasta :D), or anywhere you like. Once you try them, you’ll fall in love, prepare them and you’ll understand why!
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Electric Oven, Air Frying
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 1.1 lbs anelletti
- 7 oz caciocavallo cheese
- 7 oz primosale cheese
- 3.5 oz cooked ham
- 3.5 oz salami
- 2 hard-boiled eggs
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 24.5 oz tomato sauce
- 1.1 lbs mixed ground meat (beef and pork)
- 7 oz frozen peas
- 5.3 oz tomato paste
- 1 glass red wine
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 stalk celery
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Steps
Sicilian Baked Anelletti are simple and quick to prepare. First, make the ragù: chop celery, carrot, and onion and place them in a pot with the oil, sauté for a couple of minutes, and then add the mixed ground meat (beef and pork). Adjust with salt and let it brown until it becomes lighter. Deglaze with the red wine and let it fully evaporate. Add the tomato paste and stir well, then add the tomato sauce, the bay leaf, and cook the ragù for at least an hour with the lid slightly ajar on low heat. 10 minutes before the end of cooking, add the peas (frozen or fresh, both work fine, I used the former, with fresh ones, cooking will take longer).
Cook the anelletti in boiling salted water for 3/4 minutes, they need to remain very al dente because they will continue cooking in the oven.
Drain the anelletti and toss them directly into the pot with the ragù and the peas, add the diced cooked ham and salami, almost all of the grated caciocavallo cheese, and thoroughly combine all the ingredients.
Oil a baking dish and sprinkle it with some breadcrumbs, place half of the anelletti, add the crumbled hard-boiled eggs and diced primosale, then cover with the remaining pasta.
Level the surface well, finish with a sprinkle of breadcrumbs and grated primosale, and bake the Sicilian Baked Anelletti in a preheated oven at 392°F (200°C) for 20/25 minutes, until they are nicely golden on top.
Once baked, let the Sicilian Baked Anelletti rest for about ten minutes before serving, so they remain a bit more compact. The next day, they will be even better!
Tips:
Sicilian Baked Anelletti can be stored in the fridge for a couple of days. You can replace the ham or salami with mortadella or use just one type of cured meat. To speed up preparation, you can also use ready-made ragù; you will need about 600 g.
Other baked pasta recipes HERE
