Prepping for my Saturday Sabbath is a big deal. Not only am I preparing breakfast and finishing up chores, I have to make a meal that will serve as leftovers for lunch and dinner the next day — I’m not cooking on my day off! One of our favorite dishes that I pull out for this occasion is Lasagna-Style Baked Ditali with Meat Sauce.
I know what you’re thinking when you hear the word “lasagna”: Heavy. Saucy. Salty. Cheesy. Though the dish incorporates all four of those elements, it’s a wonderful example of restraint and is still a satisfying meal. The white topping you see in the photograph below isn’t cheese, it’s a simplified bechamel that is spread over the top of the pasta and baked.
Serve this with side salads and garlic bread.
The recipe below serves 10. I cut the ingredients in half, serve Friday night, and still have more than enough to serve for Saturday lunches and dinner.
Lasagna-Style Baked Ditali with Meat Sauce
Adapted from Food & Wine Magazine
1 pound pennette or ditali
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 pounds ground meatloaf mix (or 1 pound lamb, 1 pound veal)
One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 teaspoons marjoram
2 tablespoons chopped fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 stick unsalted butter
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 quart milk
2 large egg yolks
3/4 cup freshly grated Romano cheese
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain well.
In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add the ground lamb and veal and cook, stirring to break up the lumps, until the meat is beginning to brown, 10 minutes. Drain all fat from the pan.
Remove from the heat and stir in the diced tomatoes, tomato paste, marjoram and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl.
In a large saucepan, melt the butter. Add the flour and cook over moderate heat, whisking, for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over moderately high heat, whisking constantly, until the sauce is very thick and boiling, 7 to 8 minutes. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg yolks and the Romano. Stir all but 1 1/2 cups of the sauce into the meat mixture along with the pasta and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the pasta into a 3-quart baking dish. Spread the reserved 1 1/2 cups of sauce on top.
Bake the pasta in the center of the oven for about 30 minutes, until bubbling. Preheat the broiler. Broil the pasta 8 inches from the heat for about 2 minutes, until the top is browned and bubbling. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
