Pasta and Potato Tiella

The pasta and potato tiella is a rich and tasty dish typical of Italian culinary tradition, particularly from the Puglia region. Here’s how to prepare it:

Ingredients

• 300 g short pasta (such as broken ziti or ditalini)
• 4-5 medium potatoes
• 1 large onion
• 100 g grated pecorino (or parmesan)
• 200 g mozzarella (or mild provola)
• 400 g tomato passata
• a few basil leaves
• extra virgin olive oil to taste
• salt and pepper to taste
• (optional) pancetta or cooked ham cut into cubes to add flavor

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2. Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, then slice the onion thinly as well.
3. In a large pan, lightly sauté the onion in extra virgin olive oil until it becomes translucent.
4. Add the tomato passata to the sautéed onion and let it cook for about 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, and hand-torn basil.
5. Meanwhile, take a baking dish and grease the bottom with a little oil.
6. Start with a layer of potatoes, then distribute some uncooked pasta over the potatoes.
7. Add some tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with plenty of grated pecorino.
8. Distribute pieces of mozzarella (and pancetta/ham if desired) and continue with another layer of potatoes, pasta, tomato, cheese, and mozzarella until all ingredients are used up, finishing with tomato and grated cheese.
9. Pour a little water into the dish until it almost reaches the level of the last pasta layer (the pasta will absorb the water to cook).
10. Bake the tiella and let it cook for about 40 minutes or until the surface becomes golden and crispy.
11. Once ready, let it cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

Trivia

The tiella takes its name from the pan in which it is cooked, which in the Puglian dialect is called a “tiella”. It is a one-pot dish that captures the flavor and simplicity of southern Italian peasant and home cooking.