Luscious Baked Pasta Gratin

Name: Luscious Baked Pasta Gratin
Yield: Makes 4 Main-Course Servings
Ingredients: 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves, or a pinch of mixed dried herbs, such as basil, oregano, and/or thyme; 1 can (16 ounces) whole tomatoes in thick puree; 3 garlic cloves, minced; 2 cellery halved through the root end and sliced crosswise; freshly ground black pepper, to taste; 8 fresh or wild mushrooms, cleaned, halved, and thickly sliced (Mushroom Basics); 4 tablespoons olive oil, or as needed; Salt, to taste; 1½ tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits; ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces); ½ pound dried rigatoni or rotelle (wheels); ⅓ cup ¼-inch diced Italian fontina cheese; ⅔ cup frozen peas; Pinch of dried red pepper flakes

Preparation info

Makes
4
Main-Course Servings

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Get in There and Cook

By Richard Sax

Published 1997

About

Baked pasta dishes are among my favorites. In the old days (Before Cholesterol), I used to moisten pasta and vegetables with tomato sauce combined with heavy cream. Yum. This gives similar results with much less fat. This is very loosely based on a recipe called “Bully’s Pasta” from my friend, cookbook author Anna Teresa Callen.

Ingredients

Dinner
Main course
Supper
Vegetarian

Ingredients

Method