White Baked Pasta with Sausage and Peas

White baked pasta with sausage and peas is a rich and comforting dish, perfect for a family dinner or a festive lunch. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 350 g short pasta (rigatoni, penne or other pasta suitable for baked pasta)
• 300 g fresh sausage
• 200 g peas (fresh or frozen)
• 300 ml béchamel
• 150 g mozzarella, preferably low-moisture, cut into cubes
• 80 g grated Parmesan
• Extra-virgin olive oil (for sautéing)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C (350 °F).
2. In a skillet, sauté the crumbled sausage in a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil. Cook until golden, then add the peas and cook for a few minutes. If needed, add a little water to prevent sticking.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente (it should be a bit firmer than usual, since it will continue cooking in the oven). Drain the pasta and transfer it to a large bowl.
4. Prepare the béchamel following your favorite recipe or using a ready-made one. For extra flavor, you can add a pinch of nutmeg.
5. Add the béchamel, the sausage with peas, the mozzarella cubes and half of the grated Parmesan to the pasta and mix well.
6. Grease a baking dish with a little oil or butter, pour in the pasta mixture and level the surface.
7. Sprinkle the remaining grated Parmesan over the top of the pasta.
8. Bake the pasta for about 20-30 minutes, until the surface is golden and gratinated.
9. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Trivia

Baked pasta is a beloved preparation in Italy and is often made in advance for holidays or to have a ready-to-reheat dish in the following days. In this “white” version, without tomato, you can appreciate the different flavors of the ingredients, especially the sweet taste of the peas that pairs perfectly with the bolder flavor of the sausage.