Pasta ‘ncasciata with tomato puree
Sicilian Baked Pasta
Made with Mutti Passata
Mutti Passata is a very versatile product that can be used in quick dishes due to the fact it is already reduced, as well as in slower cook dishes like Bolognese. However it is cooked it will retain its bright red colour, velvety texture and sweet flavour. Velvety smooth with no skins or seeds, it takes 2kg of fresh tomatoes to make 1kg of Mutti Passata.
1h 55 min (COOK TIME: 40 min / PASSIVE TIME: 1h 15 min)
Medium
5 people
Ingredients
-
4-6
large eggplants
-
salt
-
2
cloves
of garlic, crushed
-
2
tbsp
Monini Extra Virgin Olive Oil
-
700
g
Mutti Passata
-
1
cup
water
-
2
tbsp
Mutti Double Concentrated Tomato Paste
-
Salt, for seasoning
-
Pepper, for seasoning
-
8
large basil leaves, chopped
-
Olive oil spray
-
500
g
rigatoni or tortiglioni pasta
-
150
g
salami, chopped
-
150
g
smoked mozzarella, cut into small cubes
-
1
cup
good quality parmesan cheese, grated
-
3
hard boiled eggs, chopped
-
2
tbsp
pine nuts, lightly toasted
-
2
tbsp
chopped parsley
Share the ingredient list
Pasta ‘ncasciata with tomato puree: Method
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius or 160 degrees Celsius fan forced.
- Trim the stalks from the eggplants and slice lengthways into even slices about 5mm thick. Sprinkle the slices with salt and place on a rack or colander to drain off excess liquid for at least 1 hour.
- While the eggplants drain, sauté the garlic in the oil in a frypan.
- Add passata, water and tomato paste. Season with salt & pepper and simmer, stirring occasionally, over low-medium heat for 20 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in the chopped basil. Set aside.
- Pat eggplant slices with a paper towel to soak up excess water. Spray eggplant slices with oil and fry in a heavy gridle for 2-3 minutes on each side.
- Oil a 30cm heatproof bowl and line it with the eggplant slices. Slightly overlap the slices so there are no spaces. If you have eggplant leftover, finely chop it and set aside.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until ‘al dente'. Drain well and place in a large bowl.
- Add the sauce, salami, cheeses, eggs, pine nuts, parsley and any extra chopped eggplant. Gently stir through until all the ingredients have combined.
- Spoon the pasta mixture into the eggplant lined bowl and press down gently to eliminate any gaps. Fold over any ends of the eggplant.
- Cover and bake for 20 minutes. Rest for at least 15 minutes after the dish has been removed from the oven.
- Place a large serving platter on top of the bowl and quickly turn both the bowl and plate over. Remove the bowl slowly off the plate to reveal your Pasta ‘ncasciata. Serve with extra parmesan cheese and chopped chilli.