Layered Pasta Ricotta Pie Recipes

LAYERED PASTA RICOTTA PIE

Steps:

• Break vermicelli into thirds and cook,& drain.
• Saute onion and garlic in oil until tender. Mix with vermicelli, 1/2 Cup Romano and 1 egg.
• Press into bottom of well greased 9" springform pan.
• Mix 2 egg yolks, ricotta, spinach, and 1/2 cup romano.
• Spread over pasta layer.
• Beat 2 egg whites till stiff. Fold in 1 1/2 cups pasta sauce.Pour on top.
• Bake at 350º 50-60 minute till set.
• Let stand at least 10 minutes before cutting.
• Garnish with heated leftover sauce and parsley sprigs.

RICOTTA-STUFFED RIGATONI PIE WITH MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• For the meat sauce: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the ground meat, a large pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the tomato paste darkens to a brick red, about 1 minute. Add the tomato puree, 3/4 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a high simmer, then adjust to a low simmer. Cover the pan and cook for 30 minutes. (You can make and cool the sauce the day before. Reheat before using the next day.)
• For the pasta: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with 1 tablespoon oil. Cook the pasta until slightly less than al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and toss with the remaining tablespoon oil, then spread out in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet.
• Spread 1/4 cup of the meat sauce on the bottom of the prepared pan. Stand the rigatoni on their ends in the pan until it is completely filled.
• For the ricotta filling: Stir together the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Transfer the filling to a pastry bag or resealable plastic bag, snip off just enough of the tip to make a small opening and pipe into each rigatoni tube. Pipe small mounds of any leftover ricotta mixture on top of the pasta and spread out into a thin layer. (You can cook and fill the pasta the day before.)
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Put the filled springform pan on a foil-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Pour 2 cups of the meat sauce over the pasta, spreading it with the back of a spoon so that it drips in between the noodles. Top with the mozzarella and Parmesan.
• Cover the pan with foil, doming it slightly to avoid touching the cheese. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover the pan and continue cooking until the top is golden brown and bubbly, about 30 minutes more. Let the pasta cool for 45 minutes (do not skip this part or your noodles will fall apart when serving!). Sprinkle with parsley, if using, then carefully remove the sides of the pan. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with the reserved meat sauce on the side.

RICOTTA PIE (OLD ITALIAN RECIPE)

Steps:

• Beat the 12 eggs, 2 cups sugar and vanilla extract together in a large bowl. Stir in the ricotta cheese and the chocolate chips, if using (see Cook's Note). Set aside.
• Combine the flour, baking powder, and 1 cup sugar together. Cut in 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon shortening until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Mix in 4 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Divide dough into 4 balls, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease two deep-dish pie plates.
• Roll out 2 of the balls to fit into the pie pans. Do not make the crust too thick, as it will expand during cooking. Do not flute the edges of the dough. Roll out the other 2 balls of dough and cut each into 8 narrow strips for the top of the crust. (Alternately, you can use cookie cutters and place the cutouts on the top of the pies.)
• Pour the ricotta filling evenly into the pie crusts. Top each pie with 8 narrow strips of dough or cookie cut-outs. Brush top of pie with milk for shine, if desired. Place foil on the edge of crust.
• Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes; remove foil. Rotate pies on the rack so they will bake evenly. Continue to bake until a knife inserted in the center of each pie comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes more. Cool completely on wire racks. Refrigerate until serving.

LAYERED RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package except omit salt; keep warm.
• Spray 3-quart saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add onions to saucepan; cook and stir 1 minute. Add butter and flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk with wire whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in ricotta cheese and spinach.
• In separate 3-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add tomatoes to oil, crushing tomatoes with spoon. Stir in basil, salt and pepper; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer and basil wilts. Remove from heat; discard basil.
• Over bottom of baking dish, spread half of the tomato sauce (1 1/4 cups). Arrange half of the pasta, 7 rows lengthwise by 9 or 10 rows widthwise, over tomato sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture (2 cups) over pasta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

RIGATONI PASTA PIE (MARTHA STEWART)

Steps:

• In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta until slightly underdone (I cooked mine for 12 minutes when the box indicated 14 minutes). One pound of pasta should be cooked in 6 quarts of water, make sure you are using a big enough pot so the pasta doesn't stick together. When done, rinse in cold water and drain again. Toss pasta with 1 Tablespoon olive oil to coat. Set aside.
• Heat remaining 1 Tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground beef. Cook, stirring occasionally until browned. Add garlic, 1 teaspoon salt and pepper. Cook 2 minutes more.
• Add crushed tomatoes; simmer until thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Toss pasta with Parmesan cheese. Butter a 9-inch springform pan. Tightly pack pasta into pan, standing each piece on end. Spread meat sauce on top of pasta.
• Push the meat sauce into the pasta holes filling each one up. Stuffing the meat into the holes is a weirdly satisfying task. Enough said.
• Place in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top and bake another 10-15 minutes until cheese is golden. Remove from oven and let stand for 15 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen and then unmold.
• Cut into wedges and serve with any remaining meat sauce you might have.