Baked pasta

To prepare the baked pasta, start with the mix for the meatballs. First take the sausage, cut it in half 1 and remove the casing 2. Then coarsely chop the meat with a knife 3.

In a larger bowl pour the ground meat and add the sausage 4, the grated Parmesan cheese 5, chopped parsley and bread crumbs previously crumbled in the mixer 6.

Then add the eggs 7 and season with salt and pepper. Work the dough with your hands 8 until a homogeneous mixture is obtained. Cover it with transparent wrap and let it rest until the meatballs are prepared. Then, start preparing the sauce: in a large non-stick pan add the oil, a whole clove of garlic and a finely chopped onion 9.

When the oil is hot, pour in the tomato puree 10. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 30 minutes covered over low heat 11, stirring occasionally. In the meantime, roll the meatballs about 1tbsp (10 g) each 12 and place them on a plate. 

This mixture will yield about 70 meatballs 13. After the cooking time of the sauce, remove the garlic clove 14 and pour the meatballs into the sauce 15.

Add salt and pepper and stir with a spatula. Let it simmer over low heat for 15 minutes. Then add the chopped basil leaves 16 and continue cooking for another 5 minutes. Finally, prepare the eggs. Boil them for at least 8-10 minutes 17, then cool them under cold running water. Once they are cold, peel the boiled eggs and cut them into slices with a special tool or a sharp knife 18 and set them aside in a bowl.

Cut the scamorza cheese into slices, then into strips, then into cubes. Put it in a bowl and set it aside. Now prepare the béchamel sauce: heat the milk in a small saucepan 20. Heat the butter chunks in a separate pan and let them melt over low heat. Turn off the heat and add the flour to the melted butter, stirring vigorously with a hand whisk to prevent lumps from forming 21. Put the saucepan back over low heat and cook the cream until it is a golden brown: in this way you will get a roux.

Then add the milk, which is now hot, and season with nutmeg and salt. Cook the béchamel for 5-6 minutes over low heat until it thickens, continuing to stir with the hand whisk 22. Transfer the béchamel into a bowl and cover it with transparent wrap until it is used to prevent forming a crust on the surface. Boil the pasta in plenty of salted water 23 and drain halfway through cooking 24.

Take the meatball sauce, now ready 25, and add it to the pasta 26. Mix the ingredients well with a spoon 27.

Then spread a veil of béchamel on the bottom of an ovenproof dish 28 and create a first layer of rigatoni pasta and meatballs 29. Spread half the boiled egg slices on top of the pasta 30

and half of the diced scamorza cheese 31 then sprinkle with half of the grated Parmesan cheese 32. Season the first layer with a few tablespoons of béchamel sauce 33 and proceed with the second layer of pasta and meatballs ,distributing it evenly over the first. Complete the layer with evenly spread egg slices.

Sprinkle with diced scamorza cheese 34 and béchamel 35. Sprinkle with the remaining grated Parmesan cheese 35 and bake at 180° in a static oven for about 15 minutes (or ventilated at 160°C for 7 minutes). After cooking, set the oven function to broil and leave for about 5 minutes. The baked pasta is ready: let it rest at room temperature 5-10 minutes before eating 36.