The BAKED PASTA WITH WHITE RAGÙ AND MUSHROOMS is one of those dishes that smell like home, slow Sundays and crowded tables. A creamy, comforting recipe where the delicacy of the white ragù meets the forest aroma of the mushrooms, creating a sauce that is rich yet balanced. Every bite tells a story of textures: pasta kept al dente, a tender and flavorful ragù, and a golden gratin on top that immediately invites you for seconds.
It is a perfect first course for holiday lunches, a special dinner or simply when you crave something warm and comforting. Easy to prepare in advance, it lends itself to many variations and always wins everyone over with its irresistible aroma. A baked hug that turns simple ingredients into a spectacular dish.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Budget-friendly
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 6 Servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop, Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients
- 12 oz pasta
- 1.1 lb ground beef
- 14 oz champignon mushrooms
- 1 carrot
- 1 rib celery
- Half yellow onion
- 2 cloves (whole cloves)
- 0.33 cup white wine (about half a glass)
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 bunch parsley
- 2 cups milk
- 3.5 tbsp butter (about 50 g)
- 5 tbsp all-purpose flour (00 flour)
- to taste salt
- to taste nutmeg
Tools
- 1 Skillet
- 2 Pots
- 1 Baking dish
Steps
In a skillet, brown the soffritto of celery, carrot, onion and the whole cloves with a generous amount of oil (don’t be stingy, otherwise the pasta will turn out too dry).
Add the ground meat and let it brown in the soffritto for a few minutes. Deglaze with the white wine and cook for another 15 minutes, adding water if necessary.When almost cooked, remove the whole cloves, add the mushrooms sliced thinly after removing their skin and cleaning off any dirt with a damp cloth.
Season with salt and pepper and cook over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. At the end of cooking, sprinkle with parsley.In a small saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Then add the flour while whisking to avoid lumps.
Once the roux has turned a nice hazelnut color, remove from the heat and pour in the lukewarm milk little by little, continuing to whisk.
Return to the heat, reduce the flame and cook for another 3 minutes, stirring constantly.Cook the pasta in salted boiling water: drain it 5 minutes before the final cooking time, keeping it slightly “wet”, and toss it with part of the meat and mushroom sauce, the béchamel and the Parmesan.
Place it in a buttered baking dish and finish with the remaining sauce, a few spoonfuls of béchamel and a generous sprinkle of Parmesan.Bake in a preheated conventional oven at 356°F for 25 minutes or until the surface is nicely crisp.
Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.
