Categories: entree, meatless, not tried
Ingredients
- For the tomato sauce:
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, plus more to taste
- 2 28 ounce cans whole peeled tomatoes (Muirglen)
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- For the bechamel:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk warmed (but not boiled)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt, plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, plus more to taste
- For the rest of the dish:
- 1 pound dry ziti or rigatoni
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 cup (50 grams) freshly grated parmesan
- 1 cup (50 grams) panko bread crumbs
- a pinch or 2 of nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- a handful of fresh basil leaves, sliced or torn into small pieces
Directions
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Position the rack in the top 1/3 of the oven, and preheat to 375 degrees.
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Brush a 9 by 13 glass or ceramic baking dish with olive oil.
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Make the tomato sauce:
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Pour the 4 tablespoons of olive oil into a 3 or 4 quart saucepan and warm over medium to high heat until it shimmers.
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Stir in the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook for a minute or so, until fragrant.
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Add the tomatoes, smushing them up with your hands as you drop them into the pot.
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Dump in any juices left in the cans, stir in the salt, turn the heat up to high, and bring to a boil.
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Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the sauce thickens slightly.
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Taste, and add more salt and crushed red pepper if you’d like.
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Remove the pot from the heat and set aside.
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Meanwhile, make the bechamel:
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Melt the butter in a 3 or 4 quart saucepan over medium high heat.
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Add the flour and stir for a couple of minutes, to form a pale brown paste.
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Very slowly pour in the warm milk while whisking continuously.
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Bring the sauce to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring the whole time, until the sauce thickens.
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Remove the pot from the heat, stir in the salt and the nutmeg and taste.
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If you prefer more salt or nutmeg, stir it in, and set the sauce aside.
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Make the pasta and assemble the dish:
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Bring a large pot of water to boil and toss in a few hefty pinches of salt.
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Add the pasta and cook until it’s 3 or 4 minutes short of done (It will cook the rest of the way through in the oven.)
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Drain the pasta and transfer it to your largest bowl.
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Add the tomato sauce, bechamel, mozzarella, and about 3/4 of the parmesan to the ziti and mix will.
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Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking dish and scatter the rest of the parmesan over top.
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In a small bowl, toss the bread crumbs with a nice pinch of nutmeg, plus another 1/2 teaspoon or so of crushed red pepper if you’d like some more heat, mix with the 2 tablespoons olive oil, and sprinkle over the ziti.
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Bake until the ziti is bubbling and the top is brown, about 15 minutes.
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Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes, then scatter the sliced basil over the top and stir.