Categories: Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb. Italian cooked ham, parmacotto, cut into 1/2" cubes
- Salt and black pepper
- 1 small carrot, cut into 1/4" dice
- 1 onion, cut into 1/4" dice
- 1 rib celery, thinly sliced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 1/2 cups Basic Tomato Sauce (see recipe)
- 1 1/2 lbs. ziti
- 1 lb. fresh ricotta
- 8 oz. hard provolone, cut into small dice
- 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
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In a Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over high heat until smoking. Add the ham cubes and brown for 5-6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrot, onion, and celery and cook until the veggies are golden brown, about 10 minutes.
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Add the wine, bring to a boil and cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pan and cook until the meat is just about falling apart, about 50 minutes. Transfer the meat to a large bowl. Keep the sauce warm.
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anwhile, preheat the oven to 450. Bring 6 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add 2 tbsp salt.
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Cook the ziti in the boiling water for 1 minute less than directed until still very al dente. While the pasta is cooking, place the ricotta in a small bowl and stir in a ladle of the pasta cooking water to “melt” it.
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Drain the pasta and add it to the bowl with the meat. In another bowl, add the ricotta, provolone, and tomato sauce and stir to combine.
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Grease a round 12-inch deep pie dish or a casserole with olive oil. Place a ladleful of the cheese and sauce mixture in the bottom of the dish, followed by a layer of the pasta and meat mixture. Sprinkle 2 to 3 tbsp of the Parmigiano over, then repeat with another layer of the cheese and sauce mixture, then pasta and meat and Parmigiano. Continue until all the ingredients are used up.
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Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling and heated through. Serve in warmed pasta bowls.