Neapolitan baked ziti pasta al gratin
A traditional Neapolitan baked pasta recipe that is simple to make yet so delicious! A family favourite that's also a great way to use up leftover holiday ham!
Servings: 4
Calories: 1138kcal
Ingredients
- 320 g Ziti or Zitoni (11oz) I used zitoni pasta from Granoro (their Dedicato line)
- 300 g mozzarella (10oz) drained and cut into cubes
- 300 g ham (10oz) thick slices cut into cubes
- 50 g butter (1.5oz)
- 90 g Parmigiano (3oz) grated
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- salt to season and for pasta
- black pepper to season
for the béchamel
- 0.75 lt milk (3 cups)
- 75 g flour (2.5 oz)
- 75 g butter (2.5oz)
- nutmeg as required
Instructions
- Cut the mozzarella and the ham into cubes
Make the béchamel sauce (white sauce)
- Put the butter in a pan over a low heat, melt it, add the flour and mix until it forms a thick paste (roux), then remove it from the heat. At this point slowly add the milk and stir continuously to dissolve the roux without making lumps.
- Put the pan on a moderate heat and keep stirring constantly until it starts to simmer and thicken. Lower the flame, wait a couple of minutes, then turn it off.
- Add a pinch of salt, pepper and nutmeg, mix it again for a few minutes and then allow it to cool to thicken it further. You can also leave it in the fridge.
Cook the pasta and finish the dish
- Put a pot of water on to boil for the pasta. Add salt once it starts to boil and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta very al dente. (slightly less than the time given on the packet). Drain the pasta and mix it with the béchamel and the mozzarella and ham cubes.
- Fill a buttered oven dish with the pasta mixture and sprinkle with the grated Parmigiano and breadcrumbs. Bake for 25 minutes in a preheated oven at 180 degrees (350F) until the top is golden and crispy.
- Allow the baked pasta to sit for a few minutes before serving. I like to serve it quite quickly. It won’t hold together well as the sauce is creamy!
Notes
You can use other pasta such as rigatoni, penne or even candele to make this dish. Candele will definitely need to be broken into more manageable pieces.
If you want to make this recipe faster then ready-made béchamel can be used instead of making it yourself.
Nutrition
Calories: 1138kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 55g | Fat: 63g | Saturated Fat: 35g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 19g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 188mg | Sodium: 2026mg | Potassium: 525mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 1464IU | Calcium: 702mg | Iron: 4mg