Baked Pasta with Ricotta Meatballs

Preparing baked pasta with ricotta meatballs is a tasty and fairly simple dish to make. Here’s the recipe with an Italian touch.

Ingredients

• 500 g short pasta (penne, rigatoni, etc.)
• 400 g tomato passata
• 250 g fresh ricotta
• 100 g grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• 2 garlic cloves
• Fresh basil (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
• Mozzarella or fior di latte cut into cubes (200 g)

For the ricotta meatballs:

• 500 g ricotta
• 50 g grated parmesan
• 1 egg
• Chopped parsley (to taste)
• Breadcrumbs (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Prepare the ricotta meatballs by mixing the ricotta with the egg, grated parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Add breadcrumbs until you obtain a mixture that can be shaped into small meatballs. Form the meatballs and set them aside.
3. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until very al dente, then drain and rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking.
4. In a large pan, sauté the garlic with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then remove it. Add the tomato passata, salt and pepper to taste, and let it cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. At the end of cooking, add a few torn basil leaves.
5. In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the tomato sauce, mozzarella cubes and parmesan.
6. In a baking dish, arrange a first layer of pasta, then distribute the ricotta meatballs on top and cover with the remaining pasta.
7. Sprinkle the surface with more grated parmesan and a few knobs of butter (if desired), then bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
8. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Trivia

Baked pasta is a dish much loved throughout Italy and everyone has their own personal variation. Adding ricotta meatballs is a way to make it even more substantial and flavorful, and this version is particularly appreciated by children for its sweetness and softness.