Baked Pasta Roses with stracchino cheese and ham.
This baked pasta roses recipe from Emilia-Romagna is so simple yet delicious and looks beautiful too! I’m sure your family will love it as much as mine!
I nidi di rondine romagnoli (swallow’s nests).
A few days ago, I was searching for a recipe for ‘pasta al forno’ (baked pasta). I wanted to find something traditional, yet a little unusual. Plus, since I have started to make more homemade pasta, I wanted to make the pasta myself. (go straight to recipe)
A unique baked pasta recipe.
Anyway, I came across a recipe for baked pasta roses that begged to be tried. This baked pasta roses recipe is a version of a traditional dish in Emilia-Romagna. which is sometimes called pasta roses or, more commonly, ‘nidi di rodine’, meaning swallows’ nests. The recipe for swallows’ nests is almost the same as this. However, Italians often use fontina cheese or mozzarella in it. They also sometimes add tomato passata and sometimes mushrooms. Next time round I’m going to make it like that!
This baked pasta roses recipe was a winner! My final result (the roses) didn’t look quite as artistic as the photos I saw online, but the taste was superb and the men in my life loved it. The recipe called for sheets of homemade pasta like lasagne, about 40 x 15-20 cm. (In Italy, lasagne is the name of the pasta and lasagna is what they call the finished dish). I actually managed to make great pasta sheets myself (hurrah!) even though they were longer than specified in the recipe. However, you can use ready made fresh lasagne sheets. Then just roll the ingredients inside them and cut each rolled sheet into two or three pieces.If you’d like to make the pasta yourself, check out my post for homemade lasagne pasta sheets.
Baked pasta roses can also be made with dry lasagne sheets, of course. But, in that case, the pasta needs to be partially cooked in boiling salted water and then cooled under cold water before continuing with making the roses.
Which cheese to use for baked pasta roses?
This recipe uses stracchino cheese. Also called crescenza, stracchino, can be found in Italian speciality shops. It is a type of cow’s milk cheese, typical of Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Liguria. It is normally eaten very young and has a very soft, creamy texture and a mild and delicate flavour. In USA, stracchino can be bought from iGourmet. However, if you can’t find stracchino you can also use mascarpone, edam, gouda or mozzarella or fontina (as is often done in Emilia-Romagna). Whichever type of cheese you chose to use, I’m sure you’ll be happy with the result!
If you do make this or any other Pasta Project recipe, please let me know how it turns out. You can comment here on the blog or on The Pasta Project Facebook page. I’d love to hear from you!
Buon appetito!
(see the recipe on page 2)
These look delicious! I’ve also seen them made filled with a bolognese sauce running horizontally down the center of the lasagna noodle. The noodle was then folded in half over the filling creating a thickness at the bottom of the pasta rose and a laceiness at the top of the rose where the pasta is empty.
My question is, can these be made ahead? What changes would be needed to make ahead? Thank you!
Hi Laurie, thanks for your comment. I have yet to try the lasagne rolls with bolognese but it sounds quite similar to my recipe for fregnacce Abruzzesi. Re my recipe for pasta roses you can prepare the rolled pasta with the ham and cheese filling beforehand (for example: in the morning for the evening) and keep it in the fridge. You can also make the béchamel in advance. But I wouldn’t put them together until you are ready to bake.
Made this tonight. Great recipe. Used gouda and prosciutto. I will slightly thin out the bechamela next time and will make my pasta a touch thinner. I did add a touch of nutmeg to the sauce. I will make this again and again!!! A very tasty dish. Thanks for sharing.
Ohh, my GAWSH! What a delicious dish! Wowwed the socks off the hubby! I made this tonight…with home made pasta sheets. I was a couple ounces short on fontina and sprinkled a little shredded mozzarella before I rolled up the roses.
Thank you for an awesome recipe! This is a keeper!
Thanks so much for your comment Donna! I’m thrilled you liked this recipes. My hubby loves it too!
What a unique recipe! My family would love these,as well! I wish we had all of the lovely cheeses you have in Italy! I think I’m afraid to make the pasta, though! 🙂
Thanks so much Beth! Yes we’re spoilt for choice for cheese here in Italy but you can use other cheeses such as mozzarella, ricotta or even gouda. Anything that melts well. The first time I made this I used store bought lasagna sheets and it turned out well. Although homemade is obviously quite special! I hope you’ll give it a try! All the best from Verona!
This baked pasta has me drooling! Wow! What a beautiful presentation and unique way to prepare the pasta. I love the ingredients in this recipe. Thank you for sharing.
Grazie cara Michelle, Yes! this is a fabulous alternative to baked lasagna. It looks so beautiful and tastes pretty fab too! I hope you’ll give it a try! All the best from Verona!
Ah, you found my favourite cheese, I wouldn’t replace with any other. Delicious recipe indeed and well done for you first homemade pasta
Grazie di cuore as the Italians say! One of my favourite cheeses too, although we’re pretty spoilt for choice here in Italy! I love this dish as an alternative to normal baked lasagna! Certainly worth trying! Happy weekend from Verona!