Home

Baked Pasta with White Ragù

17/11/2023

Baked pasta with white ragù is a hearty dish, a lighter variant of the classic baked pasta with red ragù. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

  • 500 g of short pasta (penne, rigatoni, etc.)
  • 300 g of mixed minced meat (veal and pork)
  • 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
  • 1 stalk of celery, finely chopped
  • 500 ml of béchamel sauce
  • 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
  • 200 g of mozzarella (or other stringy cheese), diced
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Nutmeg to taste (optional, for the béchamel)
  • Meat or vegetable broth if necessary
  • Butter for greasing the baking dish

Preparation

  1. Start by preparing the white ragù. In a large pan, sauté the chopped onion, carrot, and celery in a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil until soft.

  2. Add the minced meat to the sautéed vegetables and cook until well browned, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If the ragù dries out too much, you can add a bit of broth to keep the sauce moist.

  3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for about half the time indicated on the package. The pasta should be very al dente as it will continue cooking in the oven.

  4. Prepare the béchamel by heating the milk in a small saucepan. In another saucepan, melt a knob of butter and mix in the flour, stirring for a couple of minutes to cook the flour without letting it brown. Gradually add the hot milk, continuously stirring to avoid lumps. Add a pinch of grated nutmeg and adjust for salt.

  5. Drain the pasta and mix it with the white ragù. Incorporate about three-quarters of the béchamel and half of the grated Parmesan cheese.

  6. Take a baking dish, grease it with a little butter, and pour the pasta mixture into it. Level it well and cover with the remaining béchamel and diced mozzarella.

  7. Sprinkle the surface with the remaining Parmesan cheese and a few flakes of butter.

  8. Bake in a preheated oven at 200 °C for about 20-25 minutes, until the surface is golden and crispy.

Curiosity

Baked pasta is a dish that is interpreted in many different ways across the various Italian regions, with ingredients that can vary according to local traditions and seasonal availability. The white ragù is a more delicate and less caloric variant compared to the tomato version, but no less flavorful.

If necessary, you can further personalize the dish by adding sautéed mushrooms or even pieces of ham to enrich the flavor of the ragù.