Baked Pasta with Sausage & Ricotta
Serves 4
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Ingredients #
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- ¾ lbs hot italian sausage
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- ¼ tsp fennel seeds, coarsly crushed
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 (28oz) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- 1 (14 oz) can crushed tomatoes
- 2 bay leaves
- 12 oz pasta such as shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta
- 8 oz fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces.
- 6 oz whole milk ricotta
- 1/3 c. grated parmesan
- ¼ c. basil leaves
Instructions #
Heat oven to 425 degrees.
Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.