Naturally, I’m finding myself very drawn to the “pizza & pasta” chapter, a number of which are speaking to me: butternut squash and apple pizza, made with a smear of apple butter, sautéed shallots, and ribbons of raw butternut squash (created with a vegetable peeler), “grown-up” SpaghettiOs, made with mostly tomato paste and water but which is astonishingly delicious*, and this BAKED penne alla vodka. I love penne alla vodka and have been a devotee of Ina’s recipe for years, which takes hours to cook. Tieghan’s vodka sauce takes a fraction of the time and relies on garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, and, most importantly, a half cup of slivered sun-dried tomatoes, whose flavor in the end is so subtle — it will have any recipients of your baked-pasta labors guessing. You can serve the sauce traditionally with al dente pasta and a shaving of parmesan over top or you can take it one step further and bake it. I opted for the latter and have zero regrets. It’s simple: after you toss the pasta with the vodka sauce, you layer half of it into a 9×13-inch baking pan, top this layer with a mix of ricotta and heavy cream, top with the remaining pasta, and finally a layer of fresh mozzarella. After 35 minutes in the oven, when the cheese is beginning to blister and the pasta tips are beginning to char, it’s done. Serve it with a simple green salad — that’s all it needs.
5 Other Favorite Baked Pastas
Sheet Pan Mac n’ CheeseBaked Pasta Gratin with KaleBaked Penne with Butternut Squash SauceNo-Boil Mac n’ CheeseBaked Ziti with Kale & Créme Fraîche
*I loved this one and after making it with wagon wheels, I ordered the traditional anelli pasta, which is very hard to find in a traditional grocery store. I love the “little rings.” Here’s the play by play: Gather your ingredients. Sauté garlic and crushed red pepper flakes in butter. Add vodka and reduce by a third. Add crushed tomatoes (or plum) along with sun-dried tomatoes, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, then … … purée it. Toss very al dente pasta with the sauce and parmesan. Layer half of the pasta into a 9×13-inch baking pan. Top with a layer of ricotta mixed with heavy cream. Top with the remaining pasta. Top with fresh mozzarella and transfer to the oven for 30-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool briefly. Serve with a simple green salad (and simple vinaigrette… this is my favorite). Tieghan Gerard’s Half Baked Harvest Super Simple 4.7 from 3 reviews
