Pasta Cake!
By Ghada Haj, Cooking Expert
This Italian dish is made with large pasta tubes called paccheri, one of the typical pasta shapes of Campania (a region in southwestern Italy). It is stuffed with meat sauce and cheese, placed upright in the pan, as if to form a cake, then baked in the oven. My family loves this comforting and eye-pleasing pasta and we hope you will love it too!
Stuffed Paccheri Cake
(Serves 4)
Ingredients
Paccheri (rigatoni) pasta
5 tomatoes, diced
500 g minced meat
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese
Water (as needed)
1 tbsp fresh or dry basil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Using a pan, sautéthe onion in olive oil and butter until soft
- Add the garlic and stir for 30 seconds
- Add the meat and stir until it’s tender
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste and a cup of water then leave the mixture until it boils, then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes
- Add the basil, salt and pepper for another five minutes
- Arrange the pasta in a cheesecake pan
- Pour the meat and tomato mixture on the pasta, then add half a cup of water to the pan
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese and mozzarella over the pasta
- Cook in a preheated oven at 180°C for 35 to 40 minutes
You can contact Ghada Haj at [email protected]
