cheesy amatriciana baked pasta

We love baked pasta. But we needed a fresh idea to incorporate the fresh ricotta we got just for some pasta application to  be determined. Googling "pasta al forno ricotta pomodoro" to get perhaps a more authentic Italian recipe idea, we got a good start from the first video recipe that turned up. Start with some passata (di pomodoro = strained tomatoes) and a clove of aglio and a bit of oil and cook a bit. Mix with the ricotta and pasta to make a pink mess, then incorporate some melting cheese. Ms Ani decided we could add some guanciale from wnich it seemed natural for her to just make her pretty good amatriciana sauce. So we went out to acquire  some already grated mozzarella cheese to mix in when we realized we were out of our favorite pasta shape (mezzi rigatoni) and loaded the amatriciana with a generous dose of pecorino romao. Popped it into the over for 15 minutes to melt the cheese and then let it sit 10 minutes to settle down. And the result was really rewarding. At first dr bob was not thinking of recording this recipe, but it was so good we have to leave a written record in our online cookboook that no one reads. bob does.

Somehow we lost the garlic along the way,

ingredients

2 T olive oil

 4 oz chopped guanciale

1 1/2 c passata di pomodoro

1 onion, chopped

1 t pepperoncino flakes or to taste

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 lb mezzi rigatoni or other pasta ideal for a gooey baked pasta result

3/4 c fresh ricotta

3/4 c freshly grated pecorino romano

1 c grated mozzarella 

instructions

1. Saute' the guanciale in olive oil until softened in a large nonstick pot.
2. Then add in the onion and cook until softened.
3. Then pour in the passata and perperoncino, slat and pepper and cook about 15 minutes.
4. Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente.
5. When done, add to the sauce and mix well.
6. Then mix in the pecorino romano and then  ricotta until a pink tomato sauce is achieved.
7. Pour half the mixture into a 9x13 inch nonstick baking pan.
8. Spread  half the mozzarella over the first layer.
9. Dump the remaining pasta mix over this and then finish with the remaining mozzarella.
10. Serve with a healthy salad.

notes

1. Weman's Citterio Uncured All Natural Guanciale Jowl Bacon.
2. Wegmans Organic Italian Classics Mezze Rigatoni Pasta.
   
3. Illustrations available.