After the success of this dish, I will absolutely be exploring the other recipes in Bon Appetit’s “Best Of” category. This was a bit time consuming and required some serious dish washing, but serves at least 8 people who will all have seconds. It’s creamy, spicy, so cheesy and can be made ahead (my favorite).You make a flavorful red sauce with pancetta, onions, garlic and tomatoes, then barely combine it with a Parmesan bechamel sauce and lots of fresh mozzarella. Pour into a baking dish and hope there are leftovers!
With lots of milk and cheese, this is not a good choice for the lactose intolerant.
2 tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. all purpose flour
2 1/4 cups whole milk, slightly warmed
2 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
1 ounce pancetta (Italian bacon), finely chopped
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 28-oz. can plus 1 14-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pound ziti, pene,or rigatoni pasta
1 pound fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
Heat butter in a medium saucepan over medium until foamy. Sprinkle flour over and cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in warm milk. Bring mixture to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, whisking often, until bechamel is thickened to about the consistency of heavy cream and no longer feels grainy when rubbed between your fingers, 8-10 minutes.(thoroughly cooking the mixture ensures a creamy sauce and eliminates any raw flour flavor). Remove from heat and add 2 cups Parmesan, whisking until cheese is melted and sauce is smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high. Cook pancetta, stirring often, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until onion is golden and soft, 8-10 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes. Add whole peeled tomatoes, , crushing with your hands as you go, and season with salt and pepper. Bring sauce to a simmer and cook, stirring often, until slightly reduced and flavors have melded, 20-25 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a blender; pulse until mostly smooth (or use an immersion blender and puree directly in the pot.) Stir in basil and season with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until very al dente, about 5 minutes (the pasta will continue to cook in the oven); drain.
Transfer reserved bechamel to a large bowl; add pasta and mozzarella and toss to combine. Add all but one cup tomato sauce and gently
fold mixture a few times, leaving streaks of bechamel. Transfer pasta mixture to a 13×9″ or other 3 quart baking dish, dollop with remaining tomato sauce, and scatter remaining Parmesan over pasta. Bake until mozzarella is melted and sauce is bubbling around the edges, 15-20 minutes.
Heat the broiler. Broil until pasta and cheese and dark brown in spots, about 4 minutes. Let pasta sit 5 minutes before serving.
Note:For a faster but still delicious version of this, you could use your favorite purchased pasta sauce (mine is Rao’s) and cut your work and dishes in half! The recipe suggests only cooking the pasta for about 5 minutes as it will cook further in the oven, but I was more comfortable cooking it about 3 minutes less than the package instructions and it was perfect. I made this the day before serving, let it come to room temperature before heating for about half an hour until bubbling.
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