12.06.2012

Pasta al forno

* 2 cups of Béchamel sauce
* 2 cups of tomato passata
* 2 Sausages
* 1 Onion
* 2 cloves of garlic
* 1 carrot, in big chunks
* ½ head of broccoli, but in big chunks
* Fresh herbs of the season (ex: thyme,
basil, rosemary, oregano)
* Any other vegetable that you like (ex:
kale, Swiss chard, radicchio, eggplant, zucchini, peppers, etc…)
* 1 cup smoked provolone, grated (you can use any cheese you want)
* Parmiggiano or Grana Padano (to grate on top)
* 500g half cooked tortiglioni pasta
1. Preheat the oven on 230˚C/450˚F;
2. Meanwhile in a saucepan, over medium heat, combine garlic, onion and sausage together;
3. Once it begins to golden, add carrots, broccoli, herbs, and the additional vegetables you would like;
4. Cook until vegetables begin to get soft but not completely cooked, add a sip of water if necessary;
5. Turn heat on high and add the tomato passata. Simmer for a few minutes and turn off; 

6. Cook pasta until it is a little undercooked.
7. Drain and add to sauce;
Set aside.
8. In a baking tray, add all the bechamel on the bottom. Then in a separate pan, mix the pasta with the sauce. Add the pasta and sauce on top of bechamel;
9. Add the grated cheese to the top, drizzle with
olive oil on top (necessary to get a brown crust on top).
10. Bake in the oven for about 40 min and monitor making sure it doesn’t burn. The top of the cheese will be dark brown but not burned when it is done, forming a nice crust of pasta and cheese.