I think everyone loves a baked pasta dish. Maybe it’s because it brings us back to a childhood memory, a special event where everybody gathers together to celebrate something special. Whenever I mention the words “taste the love”, it shows how much love went into the making of my Baked Cavatappi.

Now, there’re a few different components to this recipe. This doesn’t mean it’s hard to do. You’ll see what I’m saying moving forward. The great news is that this dish can be made in advance, or even frozen when stored properly.

Are you feeling this? The whole house smells like my Nana’s kitchen.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 40 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 55 minutes
Yields: 8 to 10 servings
Equipment: 1 (9 x 13) baking dish, deep-sided 1 (12-inch) deep-sided frying pan, 1 (6-quart) Dutch oven with lid, large mixing bowl, 1 (10-cup) food processor, 1 (6-quart) stockpot

Ingredients For The Meat:
1 pound ground pork
1 pound of lean ground sirloin
1 pound (5 links) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
1 pint of cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon whole fennel seeds
1 teaspoon of fresh rosemary, finely minced
1 1/2 teaspoons of thyme leaves, finely minced
2 tablespoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Ingredients For the Tomato Sauce:
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 (12-ounce) jar roasted Piquillo peppers, puréed
1 (28-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 red onion, finely diced
2 tablespoon garlic, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1tablespoon light brown sugar
1/2 cup chicken stock, unsalted
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/4 cup of fresh basil, julienned
Italian flat-leaf parsley for garnish

Ingredients For Pasta:
1 1/2 pounds of Cavatappi (1 1/2 boxes)
1 (8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese, room temperature
2 (15-ounce) containers Ricotta cheese, room temperature
1 1/2 cups Mozzarella, freshly grated, reserve 1/2 cup
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, freshly grated, reserve 1/4 cup
4 tablespoons of Italian flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, reserve 2 tablespoons for the top
1 stick of butter, unsalted, reserve half to *dot the top and half to grease the baking dish

Directions For Meat-Filled Tomato Sauce:
Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.
In a 12-inch deep-sided frying pan, over medium-high heat, add of olive oil and whole fennel seeds cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. To the pan add the ground pork, ground sirloin, and sweet Italian sausage. Using a wooden spoon break up all the meat. Add the minced garlic, dried oregano, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, finely minced fresh rosemary and thyme, stir to combine.

Cook until the meat is completely browned, around 10 minutes Using a slotted spoon to strain off any excess grease, transfer the browned meat from the pan to a large mixing bowl, set aside.

In a mini food processor, add roasted red peppers, in batches if need be, process until all the peppers are puréed and have a crushed tomato-like consistency. Transfer the processed peppers to a small bowl and set aside.

Preheat a  Dutch oven, on medium heat, add the olive oil. Next, add the finely diced red onion, Kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, red pepper flakes, minced garlic, dried oregano, dried rosemary, tomato paste, and light brown sugar. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until the onions are soft and translucent and the spices are fragrant. Add 1/2 cup of chicken stock, roasted Piquillo purée and quartered mushrooms. Continue cooking, occasionally stirring, reducing the stock by half, another 3 to 5 minutes. Finally, add both cans of tomatoes. Beak up the San Marzano whole tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.

Reduce the heat to low, simmer the sauce for around 25 minutes. Add the browned meat to the sauce, cook together for 1 hour more. Remove from the heat and add fresh basil, stir to combine.

While the sauce is simmering start the pasta.

Note: Undercook the pasta by 3 minutes according to the directions on the box. Pasta will continue to cook in the oven.

In a large stockpot of boiling salted water add the pasta, stirring occasionally. Undercook the pasta until just al dente, then drain. Using the same pot add back in the drained cooked pasta, Mascarpone cheese, Ricotta cheese, Mozzarella cheese, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Mix to combine.

First, butter the baking dish. To assemble, add 1 ladle of the meat sauce to the bottom of the baking dish. Move the sauce around so it covers the bottom of the dish. Add a layer using half the pasta mixture. Top with half of the reserved Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses. Next, add half the meat sauce mixture spreading the sauce evenly over the top of the pasta. For the second layer, add 1 1/2 ladles full of the meat sauce to the pasta mixture, mix to combine. Add this pasta mixture as the next layer. Use the remaining meat sauce to cover the pasta.

For the top of the dish, sprinkle the remaining Mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheeses evenly all over the top. *Dot the top of the dish with small pieces of unsalted butter.

Tip: Before covering the dish, spray the underside of the foil with non-stick cooking spray so the aluminum cover will release without taking your cheese with it.

Bake covered for 40 minutes, then uncover and bake for another 10 to 15 minutes. Let rest for 20 minutes before cutting. Garnish with Italian flat-leaf parsley. Serve hot.

There you have it, my Baked Cavatappi.

*Dot: To scatter bits of butter over food. Refer to the picture above.

https://lindalouhamel.com/2019/07/10/summer-time-flowers-and-herbs/

https://lindalouhamel.com/2014/11/15/my-recipe-for-lasagna/