Welcome back! If you recall, 10 days ago I set out to make a dish I was sorely craving: Baked Spaghetti. I found a recipe online, from a trusted source, and it flopped. But, have no fear, I just tasted my version of baked spaghetti and it not only matches that diner classic, but takes it to the next level in depth of flavor.
First, let’s go over the issues from last time: the sauce lacked flavor and it didn’t “bake-up” like a ziti. When you dished it out, it kind of all collapsed into a puddle on the plate. I have conquered these issues, and then some, by enhancing the sauce, adding an additional element to the recipe, as well as changing the baking vessel to help give the pasta structure, and adding even more flavor by enhancing the cheese pairing.
I wanted this to still be a weeknight possibility, and I think it is. Yes, it will take a little over an hour, but the wait and effort is worth it (and it’s mostly a hands-off meal). If you want, bake it up on the weekend and reheat it during the week. I kept it short by using store-bought sauce. But, here’s a secret, you have to add a few more elements to get this sauce to restaurant quality and I will walk you through those steps below. For the cheese, it’s up to you. If you don’t feel like shelling out a bunch of cash for some good cheese, especially the truffled cow’s cheese, and you want to use a pre-made mix, that’s fine. It will still taste good, but not as nutty and sumptuous.
Baked Spaghetti
My favorite sauce is Classico Traditional Sweet Basil, but you can use whichever is your favorite. My grocer usually has ground sausage patties (hamburger size) and the flavor really bumps up the dish. Having a box grater will be helpful for the cheese preparation.
Pasta Bake
¾ lb spaghetti, broken in half
¼ cup grated Pecorino-Romano
¼ cup grated Fontina
¼ cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Sottocenere Tartufo, thinly sliced (~14 triangular slices)
Red Sauce
1 onion, minced
½ lb meatloaf mix
½ lb ground sausage
4 garlic cloves, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
½ cup red wine
½ cup cream
24 oz of your favorite jarred sauce
Cheese Sauce
½ cup ricotta cheese
¼ cup of fresh basil, minced
¼ cup grated Pecorino-Romano
2 eggs, lightly beaten
In a large pot, bring water to a boil, salt heavily and stir in the spaghetti. Cook until al dente (approximately 10 minutes). Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, prepare your red sauce. In a large pot, heat 2 tbsp evoo over medium and sauté the minced onion with a pinch of salt. Once softened, add in the meat breaking it up as you stir. Season with a small amount of kosher salt and black pepper and cook until browned.
Then, add the garlic and pepper flak and stir for about 30 seconds. Next, stir in the wine until nearly evaporated. Then stir in the cream and cook until nearly evaporated. Then stir in your sauce. Add a little water to the sauce bottle and give it a swirl to get any extra sauce out of the jar. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
Preheat the oven to 375.
While the red sauce simmers, prepare the cheese sauce by mixing all of the ingredients, along with a pinch of salt and black pepper, in a small bowl. Set aside and grate your Pasta Bake cheeses.
When everything is ready, take a little bit of sauce and pour it into the bottom of an 8-10” square baking dish. Then add the drained pasta to the pot of red sauce and stir to incorporate. Add half of the pasta to the baking dish and lightly press it down. Pour the Cheese Sauce over the pasta in the baking dish and top with the remaining pasta, giving it one more light press. Dust with Pecorino-Romano. Top with the Fontina and Parmigiano-Reggiano and place the sliced truffle cheese on top.
Cover the baking dish lightly with foil that has been s[prayed with non-stick spray. Place on a baking sheet and place in the middle rack of the oven. Bake for 35 minutes; uncover and bake for 20 more minutes.
Let the dish set for 5 minutes then serve.
_____________________________________________ Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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