Baked Pasta with Ricotta Meatballs

Preparing baked pasta with ricotta meatballs is a tasty and rather simple dish to make. Here is the recipe with an Italian touch.

Ingredients

• 500 g of short pasta (penne, rigatoni, etc.)
• 400 g of tomato passata
• 250 g of fresh ricotta
• 100 g of grated Parmesan
• 1 egg
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Fresh basil (to taste)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• Extra virgin olive oil (to taste)
• Mozzarella, cut into cubes or fiordilatte (200 g)

For the ricotta meatballs:

• 500 g of ricotta
• 50 g of grated Parmesan
• 1 egg
• Chopped parsley (to taste)
• Breadcrumbs (as needed)
• Salt and pepper (as needed)

Preparation

1. Start by preheating the oven to 180 °C.
2. Prepare the ricotta meatballs by mixing the ricotta with the egg, grated Parmesan, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add breadcrumbs until you can shape the mixture into small meatballs. Form the meatballs and set them aside.
3. Cook the pasta in boiling salted water until it is very al dente, then drain it and cool it under running water to stop the cooking process.
4. In a large pan, sauté the garlic with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and then remove it. Add the tomato passata, salt, and pepper to taste, and let it cook for about 10 minutes over medium heat. At the end of the cooking, add a few broken basil leaves.
5. In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the tomato sauce, the mozzarella cubes, and Parmesan.
6. In a baking dish, place a first layer of pasta, then distribute the ricotta meatballs on top and cover with the rest of the pasta.
7. Sprinkle the surface with more grated Parmesan and some butter flakes (if desired), then bake for about 20-25 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
8. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Baked pasta is a very popular dish all over Italy, and everyone has their personal variation. Adding ricotta meatballs is a way to make it even more substantial and tasty, and this version is particularly loved by children for its sweetness and softness.