I will tell you right now that this recipe made enough food to feed my family and the rest of the block. Unless you are having company or have a VERY large family, cut it in half. I will type it as I fixed it, but you should probably only make half as much.
Ingredients:
2 T extra-virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced
28 oz. can San Marzano plum tomatoes
Salt and pepper to taste
4 springs fresh tarragon, chopped
1/2 c. fresh basil, thinly sliced
1 lb. ziti
1 lb. thin asparagus, trimmed of woody ends, and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 c. frozen peas
1 c. ricotta
1 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
Instructions:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Put a large pot of water on to boil for the pasta.
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the shallots and garlic in olive oil for 3-4 minutes.
Then stir in tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon. Season the sauce with salt and pepper.
Cook for five minutes then stir in basil and tarragon. Remove from heat.
When pasta has been cooking for about five minutes, add asparagus and peas to pasta. Bring back to a boil and cook for another few minutes. Drain the pasta and the veggies.
Put pasta and veggies in a large bowl. Add all of the ricotta and half the parmesan to the pasta. Mix well.
Pour half of the tomato sauce into a large casserole dish. Add all of the zit and top with the remaining tomato sauce. Dot the top of the dish with the mozzarella and sprinkle with the remaining parmesan.
Bake for about twelve minutes.
What did the family think? Hubby thought it was good. I loved the chunks of mozzarella. Our oldest said it was the best pasta I’ve ever made. (Not sure about that.) Even our youngest ate it without much fuss…can’t ask for more than that. 🙂
from Rachel Ray