← Nouns Cooking · American

Ingredients

• 450 g ziti or penne
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 700 g Passata
• 1 tsp Dried oregano
• ¼ tsp Chilli flakes
• 1 tsp Sugar
• 1 tsp Salt
• 400 g Ricotta
• 1 lemon, zest only
• 2 tbsp Parsley, chopped
• 225 g Mozzarella, grated
• 40 g parmesan or vegetarian hard cheese, grated
• 1 handful Basil, torn, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil.
2. Warm the oil in a saucepan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5–6 min, until soft. Add the garlic for 1 minute, then the passata, oregano, chilli, sugar and salt. Simmer for 10 min.
3. Meanwhile cook the pasta for 2 min less than the packet says; it finishes in the oven. Drain.
4. Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest, parsley and a pinch of salt and pepper.
5. Toss the pasta with most of the sauce and spread half in a large baking dish. Dot with spoonfuls of ricotta and scatter over half the mozzarella. Add the rest of the pasta, the remaining sauce, mozzarella and parmesan.
6. Bake for 20–25 min, until bubbling and golden on top. Rest for 5 min, then scatter with basil and serve.

Tips

• For a meaty version, brown 450 g crumbled Italian sausage with the onion.
• Traditional parmesan uses animal rennet, so pick a vegetarian hard cheese if that matters to you.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Love and Lemons RecipeTin Eats The Modern Proper