Baked pasta with sausage and peas

Name: Baked pasta with sausage and peas
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Rigatoni 1.1 lbs; Béchamel sauce 3 cups; Sausage fresh 10.5 oz; Pizza mozzarella cheese 10.5 oz; Peas 1 cup; Prosciutto cotto 5.3 oz; Yellow onions 0.4 cup; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 1.5 oz; White wine 1.7 oz; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 30 min
Serving: 6
Cost: Low
Note + 10 min. resting time

PRESENTATION

Recipe by
Rossella Maraio

Baked Pasta with Sausage and Peas skips the tomato sauce entirely—the base here is béchamel, creamy and pale, binding sausage and sweet peas beneath a generous layer of mozzarella that pulls and stretches the moment you cut into it. It is the kind of dish that fits Sunday lunch as comfortably as it fits a weeknight dinner, and because the ingredient list is short and adaptable, it doubles naturally as a way to clear out the fridge without the result ever tasting like an afterthought.

The contrast between the bold, fatty sausage and the quiet sweetness of the peas is what keeps every forkful interesting, and the white sauce holds the whole thing together so nothing dries out at the edges. The béchamel does most of the structural work during baking, keeping the pasta cohesive so each portion holds its shape and stays moist rather than tightening up around the edges the way tomato-based bakes sometimes do. The mozzarella on top melts into an even, stretchy layer that seals in the heat below. Both elements are straightforward to prepare, which means the oven does the heavy lifting and the result tastes considerably richer than the effort involved.

How to prepare Baked pasta with sausage and peas

To make the baked pasta with sausage and peas, first finely chop the onion 1, then soften it in a pan with a drizzle of oil 2. Remove the casing from the sausage, crumble it with your hands and add it to the sauté 3.

Brown the sausage for about 5 minutes, stirring often 4. In the meantime, cut the mozzarella into cubes 5. Add the peas to the pan, stir and continue cooking for 7–8 minutes, until the sausage is well browned and the peas have softened.

Deglaze with the white wine 7 and let the alcohol evaporate completely. Season with salt 8 and pepper. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in plenty of salted water 9.

Meanwhile, cut the cooked ham into cubes 10. Drain the rigatoni al dente and transfer them to a large bowl, dress with a drizzle of oil 11 and mix well so they don't stick. Add the sausage with the peas to the pasta 12.

Also add almost all of the béchamel 13 and the cubed cooked ham 14. Stir well with a spoon until the sauce is evenly distributed 15.

Spread a thin layer of béchamel on the bottom of a 13.4 x 9.8 in (34 x 25 cm) baking dish, then add half of the dressed pasta 16. Scatter the pizza mozzarella cut into cubes 17, then cover with the remaining pasta 18.

Finish with grated Parmigiano Reggiano 19 and bake in a preheated conventional oven at 392°F for about 30 minutes, until the surface is golden and lightly gratinated. Remove the baked pasta with sausage and peas from the oven 20 and let it rest for 10 minutes before serving 21.

Storage

Baked pasta with sausage and peas can be stored in the refrigerator in a closed container for 2 days. Before serving, reheat it in the oven or microwave, adding, if necessary, 1 tablespoon of milk or béchamel to make it creamy again.

You can also freeze it already cooked and let it thaw in the refrigerator before reheating.