Baked Ziti with Meatballs is a comforting dish that combines pasta and creamy ricotta, mozzarella, and Pecorino Romano cheeses with a simple marinara and tiny meatballs. Baked until bubbly and golden on top, this baked pasta is sure to be a favorite in your home

Serves 6

sipandfeast.com

INGREDIENTS
For the tiny meatballs:
½ pound ground chuck
½ pound ground pork
2 large eggs
¼ cup flat leaf Italian parsley minced
¾ teaspoon kosher salt
½ cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
3 cloves garlic minced
½ cup Pecorino Romano grated

For the sauce:
¼ cup olive oil
1 medium onion diced
4 cloves garlic sliced
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes optional
2 28-ounce cans plum tomatoes hand crushed or blender pulsed
salt and pepper to taste

Remaining ingredients:
1 pound ziti or penne, rigatoni, etc
1 pound mozzarella shredded, divided
1 pound ricotta
½ cup Pecorino Romano grated

INSTRUCTIONS
For the meatballs:
Preheat oven to 375f and set rack to middle level.

In a large bowl mix together all of the meatball ingredients. Form tiny meatballs about a ½ to ¾-inch in diameter.

Place the tiny meatballs on a parchment paper lined baking sheet and bake until they reach 165f internal temp (about 15-20 minutes). While the meatballs are baking start the sauce.

For the sauce:
In a large pan or pot saute the onion in olive oil for 4 minutes over medium heat or until translucent. Next, add the garlic and cook for about 2 more minutes or until fragrant. Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for 30 seconds more.

Add the plum tomatoes and bring the sauce to a simmer. Taste test the sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce simmer on low and move to the next step.

Assembling the baked ziti with meatballs:
While the sauce is simmering bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the ziti pasta until 2 minutes less than al dente.

Prepare a 9 by 13 baking dish by placing a ¼ inch thick layer of sauce on the bottom.

Place 4 cups of sauce into a large bowl and add the pasta. Also, add the meatballs, ricotta, Pecorino Romano, and ¾ of the shredded mozzarella. Mix well.

Pour the pasta into the baking dish. Top with a thin layer of sauce and the remaining mozzarella. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until browned on top. For extra color broil for 1-2 more minutes but watch carefully! Wait at least 10 minutes before eating so that the pasta settles.

Notes
– Makes 6 large or 8 moderate-sized portions.
– Undercook the pasta! Fully boiled pasta will become mushy after baking for another 30 minutes, so shoot for a bit firmer than al dente or about 2 minutes less than the box instructions.
– Put a hefty layer of the sauce on the bottom of the baking dish to avoid sticking.
– Bake the pasta until the cheese is bubbly and slightly browned on top. For extra color, broil for 1-2 minutes, but watch very carefully to avoid burning.

Zuni’s Pasta with Preserved Tuna is adapted from The Zuni Cafe Cookbook (which can never be praised enough). Judy Rodgers created the recipe as a way of saving leftover tuna on Sunday. I assume you do not have that problem, but if you do, take the time to preserve the tuna yourself. It isn’t hard and it is wonderful; you can find Rodgers’s method in the Zuni cookbook. What’s below is her adaptation for canned tuna — good olive oil-packed tuna. As for the pasta: Rodgers recommends penne, ziti, or ditali, but I’ve made this with spaghetti and perciatelli and I was pleased. Also, while we’re being heretical, have I substituted walnuts [why not roasted cashews?] for the pine nuts before? I have.

Serves 4

food52.com

INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta (see above)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon zest, in thin strips
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon chili flakes (optional, for the sake of small humans)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper (optional, for the same reason)
2 garlic cloves, slivered
1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 cup pine nuts or chopped roasted cashews
2 tablespoons capers, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon preserved lemon, rinsed and chopped (optional)
12 ounces olive oil-packed tuna (slightly more or less is fine)

INSTRUCTIONS
Set a large pot of salted water to boil.

In a small skillet, gently warm the olive oil with the lemon zest, bay leaf, chili flakes and black pepper (if using), garlic, and fennel seeds. Cook for about 15 minutes over very low heat to let the flavors infuse the oil. Then add the canned tuna, pine nuts, capers, and preserved lemon (if using). Gently nudge apart the tuna and let it warm up but not cook.

Meanwhile, once the water boils, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well and toss in a serving bowl with the tuna mixture. Serve.

In this traditional Maltese dish, pasta is tossed with a spiced meat sauce and baked in a puff-pastry shell.

Serves a bunch

saveur.com

INGREDIENTS
For the Maltese spice mixture:
1 Tbsp. coriander seeds
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. ground nutmeg
1 Tbsp. ground ginger
1 Tbsp. ground cloves

For the pasta:
1 large yellow onion, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
5 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 lb. ground beef or pork
Kosher salt
1⁄4 cup tomato paste
6 fresh basil leaves, roughly torn
Leaves from 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. cumin seeds, crushed
1 lb. penne or ziti, cooked according to package instructions and drained
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
3 eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash
1⁄4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Freshly ground black pepper
All-purpose flour
1½ sheets all-butter frozen puff pastry (21 oz.), thawed

INSTRUCTIONS
Make the Maltese spice blend: In a mortar and pestle or spice grinder, pound the coriander, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves until finely ground. Store in an airtight container. (Makes 3 tablespoons.)

In a large skillet over medium heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic; cook until soft, 12 minutes. Add the meat, season with salt, and cook, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until browned, 15 minutes. Pour off fat. Stir in the tomato paste, basil, parsley, bay leaf, cumin, 1 teaspoon Maltese spice blend, and 1 cup water. Simmer for 25–30 minutes, adding more water if meat dries out. Remove and discard bay leaf.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, combine the meat mixture and pasta. Stir in the hard-cooked eggs, 3 beaten eggs, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 sheet of puff pastry to 16 by 13 inches. Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the meat and pasta mixture. Roll out the remaining half sheet of puff pastry to 9 by 13 inches, then place on top. Pinch the edges of the pastry together, brush the top with egg wash, and cut four 2-inch slashes. Bake until golden brown, about 40 minutes. Let cool for at least 10 minutes and up to 30, then unmold, cut into squares, and serve. (For the cleanest cuts, let the pie cool completely overnight and reheat in a 350°F oven before unmolding and slicing.)