Pasta 'ncasciata from Messina

Name: Pasta 'ncasciata from Messina
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Total time: 80 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: Tortiglioni pasta 18 oz; Eggs (medium) 4; Eggplant 1.6 lbs; Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 &frac18; cup; Caciocavallo cheese to grate 10 oz; Mortadella (a thick slice) 4.2 oz; Tomato purée 3 cups; Garlic 1 clove; Basil to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste; Extra virgin olive oil to taste

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Difficulty: Easy
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 55 min
Serving: 6
Cost: Low

PRESENTATION

From the beautiful streets of Messina in Sicily, Pasta 'ncasciata is a flavorful delight packed with tradition. And listen, this isn't your average baked pasta with eggplant. We're talking layers of tender tortiglioni mixed with rich tomato passata, slices of golden fried eggplant, and a generous helping of caciocavallo cheese that melts to gooey perfection in the oven. Really, it is something else.

The thing is, what makes this dish special is how it brings together the best of Sicilian comfort food all in one big pan—super tasty. People from Messina love to put their spin on it, sometimes adding hard-boiled eggs for extra texture or swapping in ricotta for that creamy finish. It's got that classic Sunday-lunch vibe, perfect for sharing with family and friends when you want something filling and full of rich flavors.

And you know what? Messinese baked pasta has a little fame outside the kitchen, too. Fans of Andrea Camilleri's novels will recognize this dish as the favorite of Commissario Montalbano, making it a special part of Sicilian pop culture. Which is great. Unlike other Sicilian baked pasta dishes like Anelletti al forno from Palermo, Pasta 'ncasciata sticks to tortiglioni or sometimes maccheroni. Pretty chewy and satisfying. That mix of gooey cheese and crispy edges from baking brings out all the best flavors, especially when you hit a chunk of sweet eggplant or a burst of tangy tomato sauce.

Folks around Messina might even debate the best cheese to use or whether to add meat, but everyone agrees it’s the kind of authentic Italian pasta dish that’s worth making for a crowd. Whether you're into discovering traditional Sicilian recipes or just want a seriously moist, filling meal, this dish shows how simple ingredients can turn into something really really special with a little Sicilian magic. For real, the magic lies in its ability to bring people together, evoking the warmth and hospitality that Sicily is known for, one delicious bite at a time.

INGREDIENTS

Tortiglioni pasta 18 oz (500 g)

Eggs 4 - (medium)

Eggplant 1.6 lbs (720 g)

Cow's milk ricotta cheese 1 ⅛ cup (270 g)

Caciocavallo cheese 10 oz (300 g) - to grate

Mortadella 4.2 oz (120 g) - (a thick slice)

Tomato purée 3 cups (700 g)

Garlic 1 clove

Basil to taste

Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Fine salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

For Frying: Extra virgin olive oil to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Pasta 'ncasciata from Messina

To prepare the pasta 'ncasciata from Messina, you can start by boiling the Hard Boiled Eggs: place them in a small pot with cold water 1 and, when boiling, count 9 minutes. Once cooked, cool them completely by running them under cold water. Then wash and trim the eggplants. Slice 220 g of them 2 and cube the rest 3.

In a large pan, pour the oil and heat it to about 338°F. Fry a few eggplants at a time, first the cubes then the slices 4 5. Drain them one at a time on kitchen paper to remove excess oil 6 and set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a pot: it will be used to cook the pasta. Move on to the sauce: pour a little oil into a pan and lightly fry the clove of garlic with its skin on, to be removed later. Add the tomato sauce 7, the fresh basil torn by hand 8, salt, and pepper to taste. Cover with a lid 9 and let it cook over medium-low heat for at least 20 minutes.

Now cut the mortadella into cubes 10, grate the caciocavallo 11, slice the hard-boiled eggs that have cooled and been peeled 12.

Cook the pasta until al dente; then remove the garlic from the sauce and drain the pasta directly into the pan with the sauce 13: stir to flavor 14. Now lightly grease a 12x9 inch baking dish 15.

Distribute half of the pasta 16, some of the eggplant cubes 17, the mortadella, and the hard-boiled eggs 18.

Top with a layer of ricotta and some of the grated caciocavallo cheese 19. Cover with the remaining pasta 20, finishing with the reserved eggplant cubes 21

and more caciocavallo cheese 22. Finally, line the baking dish with the eggplant slices and the last portion of caciocavallo cheese 23. Place the dish in a preheated static oven at 392°F for about 25 minutes. Then serve your pasta 'ncasciata from Messina hot 34!

Storage

If there are leftovers, you can store the pasta 'ncasciata in the fridge covered with plastic wrap or in an airtight container for about 2 days.

The hard-boiled eggs and fried eggplants can be prepared in advance, as well as the sauce.

It can be frozen if you used fresh, not defrosted, ingredients.

Advice

Pasta 'ncasciata from Messina is prepared all over Sicily, especially on Sundays, with many differences. The most common variants are those that use Sicilian ragù, the addition of peas, and pieces of salami!

For the translation of some texts, artificial intelligence tools may have been used.