Baked Pasta Cheese With Tomatoes Recipes

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATOES & MOZZARELLA (PASTA AL FORNO CON POMODORI E MOZZARELLA)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/400ºF/gas 6 and put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat a couple of lugs of extra virgin olive oil in an appropriately sized pan. Add your onion, garlic and chilli and slowly fry for about 10 minutes on a medium to low heat until softened but without any colour. If you're using fresh tomatoes, remove the core with the tip of a small knife, plunge them into the boiling water for about 40 seconds until their skin starts to come away, then remove with a slotted spoon or sieve and remove the pan from the heat.
• Put the tomatoes into a bowl and run cold water over them, then slide the skins off, squeeze out the seeds, and roughly chop. Add your fresh or canned tomatoes to the onion and garlic, with a small glass of water. Bring to the boil and simmer for around 20 minutes. Now put them through a food processor or blender to make a loose sauce. Tear your basil leaves into the sauce and correct the seasoning with salt, pepper and a little swig of red wine vinegar.
• When the sauce tastes perfect, bring the water back to the boil. Add the orecchiette to the water and cook according to the packet instructions, then drain and toss with half of the tomato sauce and a handful of Parmesan. Get yourself an appropriately sized baking pan or earthenware dish and rub it with a little olive oil. Layer a little pasta in the pan, followed by some tomato sauce, a handful of grated Parmesan and 1 sliced-up mozzarella ball, then repeat these layers until you've used all the ingredients, ending with a good layer of cheese on top. Pop it into the preheated oven for 15 minutes or until golden, crisp and bubbling. Italians seem happy to eat this dish at room temperature or quite cold, but I prefer to eat mine hot.

FOUR-CHEESE BAKED PASTA WITH SUN-DRIED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Halve the garlic crosswise to expose the cloves. Wrap the bottom half in foil and roast until very soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the skins from the top half and chop the garlic.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sliced fennel and cook, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 2 more minutes. Add the tomato paste and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 3 more minutes. Add the tomatoes and 4 cups water; stir. Increase the heat to medium high and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook as the label directs. Drain, rinse under cold water and set aside.
• Pulse the focaccia in a food processor to make coarse crumbs. Squeeze the roasted garlic from its skin and add to the food processor along with 1/4 cup each parmesan and parsley; pulse a few more times until combined. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
• Lightly brush a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Add the pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce along with the fennel fronds, mozzarella, asiago and the remaining 1/4 cup each parmesan and parsley; toss. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with spoonfuls of the ricotta and sprinkle with the breadcrumbs.
• Cover the dish loosely with foil and bake 30 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden and bubbling, about 15 more minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

TOMATO, BASIL AND CHEESE BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt the water. Add small shell pasta and cook the pasta to al dente doneness which means that the pasta will still have a bite to it or be a little chewy. The pasta will soak up more juice and keep on cooking after we drain it, so we need it to be a little under cooked. The shells will probably cook about 9 or 10 minutes.
• Preheat a deep, big skillet or a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
• Place garlic on the cutting board and place the flat of your knife on top of each clove. Carefully give the garlic a whack with the palm of your hand to separate the cloves from the skins. Throw out the skins and chop up the garlic. Remember to keep your fingers curled under and the edge of your sharp, chef's knife tilted slightly away from your body.
• Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pan by pouring a slow stream of it twice-around-the-pan. This will be about 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Do not let the oil pour out too fast. You are looking for a slow, steady stream. Add the garlic to the oil. To chop the onion, cut the ends off and cut the whole onion down the center. Wrap half and save it. Cut the other half into thin slices then twist the slices a quarter turn and chop them again. Hold the tip of knife on the cutting board and lift the back of the knife up and down over the onion to make the pieces really small. Add the chopped up onion to the garlic and oil. Cook, stirring a lot, 5 minutes until the onions are mushy and look cooked.
• Add the tomatoes to the onions and stir. When the tomatoes come to a bubble, reduce the heat under the sauce to low. Stir in basil pieces to wilt them. Season the sauce with salt and peppe, to your taste.
• Preheat your broiler to high and place a rack in the center of the oven.
• Drain pasta shells. Add them to a flameproof casserole dish. Add pesto sauce, 1 cup of ricotta cheese and a handful of grated Parmigiano, too. Stir carefully and coat the hot pasta with the pesto and cheeses. Pour the hot tomato and basil sauce over the pasta, as much as you like. You can always serve a little extra at the table, to pass around. Shred up some mozzarella cheese with a grater and scatter it over the pasta. Add a final sprinkle of Parmigiano to the mozzarella as well. Place the casserole under the broiler in the middle of oven, 10 to 12 inches from the heat. Let the cheese melt and bubble on top, 3 to 5 minutes.

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATO, CREAM, AND FIVE CHEESES

Steps:

• Heat oven to 500 degrees. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook for 4 minutes. Drain in a colander.
• While pasta is cooking, place cream, tomatoes, cheeses, salt, and basil in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Add cooked pasta to cheese mixture, and toss to combine.
• Divide among six to eight shallow ceramic gratin dishes (1 1/2 to 2 cups in capacity). Dot with butter, and bake until bubbly and brown on top, 7 to 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pecorino Romano and scallions. Serve immediately.

CREAMY PASTA BAKE WITH CHERRY TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of cooking water.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook onion until soft and translucent while penne is cooking, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Stir in tomato sauce and tomato paste and cook until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Add cream and Parmesan cheese and season with salt, pepper, and sugar.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a baking dish.
• Stir some pasta cooking water into the sauce and add cooked penne. Remove from heat and stir in cherry tomatoes, 1/2 the mozzarella cheese, and basil. Pour penne mixture into the prepared baking dish and cover with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

BAKED PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place oil in a large bowl. Add dry pasta and stir until well coated; let stand for 20 minutes.
• Add tomatoes to pasta mixture; season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine. Transfer to a 2 1/2-quart baking dish. Cover with a parchment-lined aluminum foil. Bake, stirring every 5 minutes with a wooden spoon, for 45 minutes to 60 minutes. (If using fresh tomatoes, layer, alternating with the pasta mixture, beginning and ending with the tomatoes. And be sure to bake without stirring.)
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with cheese, and stir to incorporate. Serve immediately.

BAKED FOUR-CHEESE PASTA WITH TOMATOES AND BASIL

Steps:

• For the topping:.
• Pulse bread in food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about ten 1-second pulses (you should have about 1 1/2 cups).
• Transfer to small bowl; stir in Parmesan, salt, and pepper.
• Set mixture aside.
• For the pasta:.
• Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 500 degrees.
• Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot.
• Combine cheeses in large bowl; set aside.
• Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt to boiling water; stir to separate pasta.
• While pasta is cooking, melt butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat; whisk flour into butter until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.
• Gradually whisk in cream, add tomatoes, and increase heat to medium, and bring to boil, stirring occasionally; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 1 minute to ensure that flour cooks.
• Stir in remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper; cover cream mixture to keep hot and set aside.
• When pasta is very al dente (when bitten into, pasta should be opaque and slightly underdone at very center), drain about 5 seconds, leaving pasta slightly wet.
• Add pasta to bowl with cheeses; immediately pour cream mixture over, then cover bowl with foil or large plate and let stand 3 minutes.
• Uncover bowl and stir with rubber spatula, scraping bottom of bowl, until cheeses are melted and mixture is thoroughly combined. Stir in 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil.
• Transfer pasta to 13 by 9-inch baking dish, then sprinkle evenly with reserved bread crumbs, pressing down lightly.
• Bake until topping is golden brown, about 7 minutes.
• Serve immediately.