Vodka Pasta Bake
Cheesy vodka pasta bake, an indulgent pasta bake with vodka, chilli and basil rose sauce, nestled amongst ricotta parmesan and nutmeg stuffed pasta shells. Topped with mozzarella and parmesan and baked until golden and crispy, it's very divine.
Ingredients
For the stuffing:
- 700g ricotta
- 100g Parmesan, finely grated
- ⅛ tsp nutmeg, finely grated
For the sauce:
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 60g unsalted butter
- 4 shallots, finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 tsp chilli flakes
- 260g double concentrate tomato paste
- 3 tbsp vodka
- 600ml cooking cream
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
For the bake:
- 250g conchiglioni (large pasta shells)
- 200g fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
- 100g Parmesan, finely grated
To serve:
- A leafy green salad
Serves 4-6
Method
- Preheat oven to 185°C.
- To a mixing bowl, add ricotta, 100g Parmesan and nutmeg and stir until incorporated. Taste and season.
- Heat oil and butter in a large pan on medium.
- Add shallots, garlic and chilli flakes and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent.
- Add tomato paste and cook, stirring occasionally, until the colour deepens.
- Add vodka and stir constantly until the liquid has mostly evaporated.
- Add cream and stir until incorporated.
- Season with a good pinch of salt, stir through basil leaves, remove from heat and cover with a lid so a skin doesn’t form.
- Meanwhile, cook pasta in salty water until very al dente (minus about 3 minutes from the packet instructions cooking time).
- Spoon a layer of vodka sauce on the bottom of a lasagna dish.
- Gently spoon the ricotta filling into each conchiglioni shell, filling them to about three quarters full (you don’t want to overpack them or you’ll run out of stuffing. Also note there will likely be some pasta leftover), and then place them in the baking dish.
- Cover with vodka sauce, then fresh mozzarella, then sprinkle over remaining Parmesan.
- Bake for 20-30 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling and the Parmesan is golden. You can finish it under the grill if the top needs more browning.
- Rest for 10 minutes before serving with a green salad.