Sometimes even turning up the heat in the house isn’t enough to make you feel warm and toasty. That’s when it’s time to bake something in the oven! This past week’s baked pasta recipe in the Berkshire Eagle fits the bill on those raw chilly days when the warmth and the aroma coming from the oven make you feel cozy. This recipe makes a lot, and so if you make it on the weekend, it works well to reheat for dinners during a busy week.

COZY BAKE

by Elizabeth Baer

Fall weather has really, finally settled in here in the Berkshires. But we had a glorious September, and even the first week or so of October was stunning and warm. But do you remember how cold and miserable it was this past June? Not typical June weather at all! On one of those cold, rainy, and miserable days, when we had no motivation even to leave the house, but we were also bored sitting around at home, my husband decided we should make something to bake in the oven. I nixed the idea of a lasagna because it was already too late in the day to start that project, but we had everything in the house to put together a baked pasta that felt cozy and warm. When we sat down for dinner, my husband proclaimed, “This should be a column!”

Thinking the weather was about to turn to summer finally, I said I would hold onto the recipe for the fall. And then we had a few more cold, rainy, and miserable days, so I made it again, to test it with turkey sausage. We are quite fortunate that we have Mazzeo’s own turkey sausage available, which is so exceptional that you don’t lose any flavor or richness if you don’t eat pork. (I have not tried it with any vegan sausage or meat products, but if you do, please let me know how it worked out and if you needed to make any adjustments.)

Now that there is once again a chill in the air that makes you want to bake something in the oven, here is the recipe that warmed the house back in June, and will warm the house again and again in the months ahead.

BAKED PASTA WITH MEAT SAUCE AND RICOTTA

Serves 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more as needed
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Pinch kosher salt
¾ pound ground meat, meatloaf mix or all beef or turkey
¾ pound sausage meat, pork or turkey, preferably a combination of sweet and hot (about 3 sausages is ¾ pound, which you take out of casing if bulk sausage is not available)
½ cup dry wine (red or white), stock, or water
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
¾ cup heavy cream
1 pound penne or other similar shape pasta
8 ounces ricotta cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS:

Spray a large baking pan, preferably glass, with cooking spray for easy clean up, and preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large sauté pan or large pot, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add onion and carrot with a generous pinch of kosher salt, and sauté until softened and the onion is beginning to brown on the edges. Add the meats, sauté until cooked through and any liquid has evaporated. You may need additional oil if using turkey sausage. Be patient, because the flavor builds as the fond develops (the little bits that stick to the pan and caramelize).

Deglaze with wine or other liquid, scraping up the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 5 minutes.

Cook pasta for about ⅔-¾ of the time indicated on the package. It should still be quite crunchy. Scoop the pasta into large bowl, using a spider to make sure some water clings to the pasta, or reserve about ½ a cup of pasta water before draining in a colander. Add the sauce and cream and mix well (and reserved water if you have done so). Spread half the pasta in pan. Dollop half of the ricotta in six to eight places and sprinkle half of the Parmesan over all. Repeat with a second layer.

Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil, raise heat to 400°F. Bake 10 minutes more or until you can see some bubbling through the glass pan. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

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