Cheesy Baked Pasta With Sausage and Ricotta
Updated Jan. 24, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- ¾pound bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)
- 4garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1teaspoon dried oregano
- ½teaspoon fennel seeds, coarsely crushed
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)
- 1(28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices
- 1(14-ounce) can crushed or strained tomatoes
- 2bay leaves
- Kosher salt
- 12ounces dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta
- 8ounces fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces
- 6ounces whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup)
- ⅓cup grated Parmesan
- ¼cup basil leaves
- Black pepper, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1011 calories; 53 grams fat; 22 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 23 grams monounsaturated fat; 6 grams polyunsaturated fat; 87 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 13 grams sugars; 47 grams protein; 1393 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
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.
- Step 2
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.
- Step 3
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.
- Step 4
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.
Private Notes
Comments
Rather than put four ounces of unused sausage in the freezer and four ounces of unused pasta in the pantry, we used the full pound of each, upped the measures of strained tomatoes, fennel and oregano by a third, and added a half cup of red wine. Turned out perfectly. We’ll put this one in rotation. The fennel and the fresh basil really take it up a level.a
Another Melissa Clark. She can do no wrong.
Let me start by saying that Melissa Clark’s recipes make dinner time at my house easier, more interesting, and more fun for me as a cook. We eat better because of the talented staff at the NYT. This recipe was a big hit with everyone from the picky kids to the grandparents in attendance that night. I loved the ricotta addition. Whole San Marzano tomatoes are a must. I used orecchiette pasta and it was perfect.
Really good, just not quite noteworthy enough for the 5th star. Cut the mozzarella in half, and that still was a lot of cheese.
replace the added water with stock.
Shells remained unevenly cooked after 22 minutes. Baked it for another 10 to ensure those unpleasant hard surprises.