Baked Pasta with Zucchini and Scamorza

Baked pasta with zucchini and scamorza is a delicious and comforting dish. Here’s how to prepare it.

Ingredients

• 350 g of short pasta (such as penne or rigatoni)
• 3-4 medium zucchini
• 200 g of smoked scamorza cheese
• 250 ml of béchamel sauce (you can use a ready-made one or prepare it yourself)
• 100 g of grated Parmesan cheese
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Nutmeg (optional, for the béchamel sauce)
• Butter for greasing the baking dish
• Breadcrumbs (optional, for a crunchy top)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Slice the zucchini into rounds or sticks, according to your preference.
3. In a large pan, heat a stream of oil and sauté the zucchini until they are slightly golden. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Cut the scamorza into cubes.
5. Cook the pasta in plenty of salted water, draining it al dente (about 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the package).
6. In the meantime, if you want to prepare the béchamel, heat 250 ml of milk with a knob of butter, when it starts to boil add 2 tablespoons of flour, stirring continuously to prevent lumps. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
7. Grease a baking dish with butter and sprinkle with breadcrumbs if you want a crispier crust.
8. In a large bowl, mix the pasta with the zucchini, scamorza, and béchamel, then add half of the grated Parmesan. Make sure everything is well distributed.
9. Transfer the mixture into the baking dish, level the surface, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan.
10. Bake for about 20-30 minutes or until the surface is golden and crispy.
11. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

For an even more Italian touch, you can add torn fresh basil leaves to further flavor the dish, or for a touch of color and taste, a handful of cherry tomatoes cut in half.

Curiosity

Baked pasta is a classic of Italian cuisine, often prepared for family lunches or special occasions. The addition of vegetables such as zucchini makes it lighter and provides a pleasant contrast in textures between the pasta and the creaminess of the melted scamorza.