Sicilian Baked Anelletti,

is a typical baked pasta dish from my wonderful land of Sicily, a land rich in flavors, all to be discovered through local typical recipes that constitute a culinary heritage of immense value. A classic baked pasta dish, typical of Sunday lunch, that every family should try.

Baked anelletti is a recipe that requires several steps, with just one being a bit longer—the cooking of the ragù made with minced veal and pork, which is cooked slowly for a long time. As with any traditional recipe, each city has its variations or additions.

In Messina, we add boiled ham and diced hard-boiled eggs, along with the essential caciocavallo cheese and strictly fried eggplants.

For the preparation of baked anelletti, it is essential to use semolina anelletti, a small ring-shaped pasta format that holds up well to double cooking, both in the pot and the oven.

Difficulty: Easy
Cost: Affordable
Rest time: 10 Minutes
Preparation time: 30 Minutes
Portions: 6
Cooking methods: Oven
Cuisine: Regional Italian
Region: Sicily
Seasonality: All seasons

Ingredients

Sicilian Baked Anelletti

9 oz pork (minced)
9 oz veal (minced)
1 cup onion
2 cups peas
18 oz tomato puree
2 tbsp tomato paste
150 ml red wine
1.75 oz extra virgin olive oil
to taste salt
to taste pepper (ground)
14 oz semolina pasta (Sicilian anelletti)
to taste salt
7 oz caciocavallo (ragusano d.o.p)
5 oz mozzarella
3 hard-boiled eggs
5 oz boiled ham (diced)
10.5 oz eggplant
to taste seed oil

Sicilian Baked Anelletti

Tools

1 Knife
1 Pan
2 Pots
1 Baking Dish
1 Colander/Strainer

Steps

Sicilian Baked Anelletti

In a pan, pour the extra virgin olive oil and, once it’s hot, add the chopped onion and sauté, then add the minced pork and beef with herbs as desired, and allow it to brown, stirring often.
When the meat is browned, deglaze with the red wine and let it evaporate.
At this point, add the tomato puree and the tomato paste, adjust the salt and pepper, and let the sauce cook for 40-60 minutes on very low heat. During cooking, be careful not to let the sauce dry out; if it reduces too much, you can add some broth or boiling water.
After the time has passed, add the peas and cook until the sauce thickens a bit; you should obtain a nice thick sauce.
In the meantime, you can make the hard-boiled eggs and…
fry the eggplant slices, and while the ragù simmers, leave the eggplant slices to drain in a colander from the excess oil.
Dice the ham and mozzarella and grate the caciocavallo cheese.
Now cook the anelletti in salted water and drain them very al dente, pour them into a bowl, season with the ragù, diced mozzarella, 2/3 of the grated caciocavallo, diced boiled ham, and chopped hard-boiled eggs.
Butter a baking dish, then pour the pasta into the dish, cover it with the remaining grated cheese and….
….for the first part of baking, cover with parchment paper and then aluminum foil, and bake in a preheated static oven at 350°F for about 35 minutes. Then, remove the parchment paper and foil, and switch to grill mode for another 5 minutes for better browning.
Leave them to rest in the turned-off oven for about ten more minutes before serving.
Your Sicilian Baked Anelletti are ready.