For the Italian Republic Day, I prepared the baked pasta with tomato and mozzarella, a simple and tasty main dish that reflects the colors of the Italian flag. I used penne rigate for this recipe, but you can choose any other shape. I then dressed them with aurora sauce or red béchamel, mozzarella, and some basil leaves.
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- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 2 People
- Cooking methods: Oven, Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All Seasons
Ingredients
- 160 g penne rigate
- 125 g mozzarella
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- A few leaves basil
- to taste butter
- to taste Grana Padano PDO
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper
- 1 cup milk
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons butter
- to taste tomato purée
- to taste nutmeg
- to taste fine salt
- to taste black pepper
Tools
- Kitchen scale
- Pot
- 2 Saucepans
- Whisk
- Bowl
- Knife
- Colander
- Spoon
- Grater
- Baking dish
- Paper towel
Preparation
To prepare the baked pasta with tomato and mozzarella…
First, heat the water to cook the pasta. As soon as it boils, add the penne rigate or other pasta shape and cook according to the package instructions. Meanwhile, prepare the aurora sauce.
Take two saucepans, in one pour the milk and heat it without boiling, while in the other melt the butter over low heat. Once melted, add the flour, stirring with the whisk, and remove from heat.
Pour the hot milk into the saucepan with the butter and flour mixture, and continue stirring with a whisk. Return the saucepan to the heat to thicken the béchamel sauce. Then add the tomato purée, nutmeg, salt, and pepper, and stir.
Once the pasta is cooked, drain it, run it under cold water to stop cooking, drain very well, and put it in a bowl. Add a tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil and stir.
Now add the freshly prepared aurora sauce to the pasta, crumble the mozzarella with your hands or cut it into pieces, and add the washed and dried basil leaves, chopped with a paper towel.
Finally, season the pasta by adding grated Grana Padano, salt, and pepper, and transfer it to a buttered baking dish.
Bake the pasta in a preheated oven at 350°F and cook for 15 minutes on fan mode. It should be golden and slightly crispy on the surface.
