Three Cheese Ziti With Ricotta Asparagus And Cherry Tomatoes Recipe 425

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta and asparagus are tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes are softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the ricotta and the reserved cooking liquid until creamy. Add the pasta mixture, mozzarella, Parmesan and basil and toss until well mixed. Serve at once

Steps:

• Make the tomato sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until it has turned a deeper brick-red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes. Crush the whole tomatoes by hand and add them (including the juice) and the tomato purée to the pot, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Season with salt and pepper and add red pepper flakes, if using. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Prepare the filling: In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, heavy cream and 1/2 cup Parmesan. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Prepare the pasta: As the sauce cooks, heat oven to 425 degrees, and place a large pot of salted water to boil on the stove.
• Cook pasta until it's nearly al dente. (You want to undercook the pasta slightly, as it will continue to cook in the oven. A good way to do this is cook it 2 minutes less than you normally would if preparing it al dente.) Reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid, drain pasta and rinse with cool water; set aside while the tomato sauce finishes cooking.
• Once tomato sauce is done, stir in reserved pasta water.
• Place pasta in a large bowl and add 2 cups sauce. Stir to coat pasta evenly encouraging the sauce to go inside each tube.
• Spoon a bit of remaining sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with 1/3 of the pasta. Spoon 1/3 of the remaining sauce on top, dollop with half the ricotta mixture and scatter 1/3 of the mozzarella on top of that. Repeat, beginning with the pasta, one more time. For the final layer, add the last 1/3 of pasta and the last of the sauce. Dot remaining mozzarella on top and shave a bit more Parmesan on top of that. Place baking dish on top of a sheet pan lined with parchment paper to catch any drips. Place in the oven and bake until the edges are golden brown and bubbling and the top has browned nicely, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Let cool slightly before eating with a big green leafy salad.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil; cook ziti at a boil until tender yet firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Add ricotta cheese, 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parsley to drained pasta. Mix and set aside.
• Chop trimmed asparagus into 1/4-inch slices, separating stems and tips.
• Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5 minutes. Stir in asparagus stems; cook for another 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and cook, 2 to 3 minutes. Add asparagus tips and cook, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Spread 1 cup tomato sauce on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Add 1/2 of the pasta mixture and smooth into an even layer. Sprinkle 1/2 of the vegetables on top. Top with 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Add remaining pasta in an even layer, followed by remaining vegetables. Cover with remaining tomato sauce. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.
• Bake, uncovered, on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Move to the top rack and continue to bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 5 minutes more. Let stand for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Put the asparagus and cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet. Drizzle over the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season, then toss everything together. Bake for 15 mins until the asparagus is cooked through. Serve topped with the feta.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Spray a 4-quart rectangular baking dish with nonstick spray. Combine mozzarella and Italian blend cheeses in a bowl and place in the refrigerator.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.
• At the same time, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sausage and break up into morsels. Sprinkle baking soda onto sausage, then add onion and garlic. Cook and stir, continuing to break up any clumps as it cooks, until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Pour off and discard any grease.
• Add pasta sauce, olives, fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, anchovy paste, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Add up to 3 tablespoons more oil if desired, and continue stirring until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring regularly, until thickened, 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in ziti.
• Spread 1/2 of the sauced ziti into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle 1/2 of the shredded cheese mixture evenly on top. Spoon or ladle the rest of the ziti evenly on top without disturbing the layers underneath; it's okay to have some ziti partially exposed as they will brown handsomely and deliciously as they bake. Sprinkle remaining shredded cheese mixture on top and sprinkle Parmesan across the surface.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until bubbly, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and pour in the pasta. Stir. Set your serving bowl on top of the pot to warm it.
• While the pasta cooks, whip the ricotta and goat cheese together with a fork.
• Once the pasta is cooked al dente, ladle out about a cup of the pasta water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot. Stir in the butter and the cheeses and season with pepper. Stir in enough of the pasta water - a little at a time - to make a smooth sauce.
• Scrape the pasta into the serving bowl and serve immediately. Pass the grated cheese at the table.
• Variation
• Wash about 1/2 pound of greens, something like dandelion or curly endive or Swiss chard, and cut into ribbons. Sauté the greens in a combination of olive oil and butter, about 1 tablespoon of each, until tender. Season with salt and pepper, and a pinch of crushed red pepper if you'd like, and add to the pasta when you add the cheeses.
• Easier still is to tear 1/2 pound of arugula or dandelion greens into small pieces and boil them along with the pasta.

Steps:

• Cut peppers in half, and remove the seeds and membrane.
• Place prepared peppers, skin-side up, on an ungreased baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from the heating element for 15 to 20 minutes (until peppers blister and turn dark).
• Transfer roasted peppers to a bowl of ice water for 5 minutes.
• Peel off the skins from the peppers; cut into julienne strips, lightly salt and set aside.
• Snap off the tough ends of the asparagus; cut into 1-inch pieces.
• Steam the asparagus for 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Lightly salt and set aside.
• Coat a large heavy-bottomed skillet with olive oil; place over medium-high heat until hot. Add the peppers, garlic, onion powder and basil; saute for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute for 1 minute; stir in the lemon juice.
• Remove vegetables from heat, and set aside.
• Cook the ziti according to the package directions. Meanwhile, in an electric blender or food processor, add the ricotta cheese, yogurt and sour cream; blend until smooth. Stir in the parsley.
• Add the ricotta mixture to the peppers and asparagus. Gently toss to combine.
• Transfer the cooked pasta to a large serving bowl; add the ricotta/peppers. Toss well to combine. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, pine nuts and black pepper.

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion, garlic and fennel seeds and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add tomato sauce, water, oregano and sage. Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Stir in 1/4 cup Parmesan. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 450°F. Butter 9x13-inch glass baking dish. In medium bowl combine ricotta cheese and egg. Reserve 1/4 cup mozzarella cheese for topping. Add remaining mozzarella to ricotta cheese mixture and blend. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spread 1/4 of tomato sauce over bottom of prepared dish. Layer 1/3 of pasta over. Drop half of ricotta cheese mixture over by spoonfuls. Spread 1/4 of sauce over. Repeat layering with another 1/3 of pasta, remaining cheese mixture, 1/4 of sauce and remaining pasta. Spread remaining sauce over and sprinkle with reserved mozzarella and remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)
• Cover casserole and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes.

Steps:

• Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water, making sure to keep it quite al dente.
• Put butter in a wide deep skillet over medium heat. Add drained pasta to the pan and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, if using.
• Add tomato sauce gradually and stir to coat pasta, using only enough sauce for a light coating (you may not need the entire 2 1/2 cups).
• Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl and dot top with spoonfuls of ricotta. Sprinkle lightly with pecorino and garnish with a few torn basil leaves.