Four Cheese Pasta with Sun-Dried Tomatoes in the Oven

Votes: 1

Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 6-8

Four cheeses—mozzarella, Parmesan, ricotta, and Asiago—will give your pasta an unforgettable flavor and stunning texture. And sun-dried tomato chunks in a flavorful sauce add the necessary tomato tartness and richness that pairs perfectly with the cheeses. Since this pasta is baked in the oven, top it with breadcrumbs, roasted garlic, herbs, and grated Parmesan before baking. This will give the dish a deliciously crispy crust after baking. A big plus of this pasta is that it can be frozen before baking. This will help you plan ahead for a festive dinner or, conversely, quickly and deliciously feed unexpected guests.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

1 can (800g) of canned plum tomatoes, hand-pureed
450 g mezzi rigatoni pasta
120g rosemary focaccia, toasted and diced (about 2 cups)
0.5 cup grated Parmesan (about 30 g)
0.5 cup chopped parsley
0.5 cups coarsely chopped sun-dried tomatoes (not in oil)
450 g mozzarella, diced
1.5 tbsp. grated Asiago cheese (about 180 gr.)
220 g ricotta
1 head of garlic
2 tbsp olive oil + extra for greasing the pan
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel root, thinly sliced + 1 tbsp chopped fennel sprigs
0.5 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbsp tomato paste

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Cut the garlic in half lengthwise to expose the cloves. Wrap the bottom half in foil and roast until very soft, about 20 minutes. Meanwhile, peel and chop the top half.
In a large Dutch oven or saucepan, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and sliced fennel and cook, stirring, for about 3 minutes. Add the chopped garlic and red pepper and cook, stirring, until the garlic softens, about 2 minutes more. Add the tomato paste and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until the vegetables are tender, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and 4 cups water; stir. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the sauce to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the sauce thickens slightly, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain and rinse the pasta under cold water.
Pulse the focaccia in a food processor until coarse crumbs form. Peel the roasted garlic and add it to the processor, along with 1/4 cup each of Parmesan and parsley; pulse a few more times to combine. Set the breadcrumbs aside.
Lightly grease a 9 x 13-inch baking dish with olive oil. Add the pasta and sun-dried tomatoes to the sauce, along with the fennel, mozzarella, Asiago, and the remaining 1/4 cup each of Parmesan and parsley; toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the ricotta and sprinkle with breadcrumbs.
Cover the pan loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then remove the foil and continue baking until golden brown and the filling is bubbly, about 15 more minutes. Let the casserole rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note

Pasta can be frozen! Cook the pasta until the end of step 5, then cover the dish tightly with foil and freeze for up to 3 weeks. Bake, covered, at 220°C (425°F) for 1 hour, without defrosting. Then remove the foil and bake for another 25-30 minutes.