This recipe has been served to many of my friends and most of them love it a lot. I call it sphazzania just to make it exciting for my girls since they love pizza and cheese. I’m one of those cooks that estimates quantities and makes adjustments according to ingredient availability. You can use this as your base and add or remove ingredients that you love or don’t fancy. I use this to ambush my girls into eating their vegetables. It’s a wonderful potluck dish that you can bring and impress your friends with. Especially during Christmas!
(Review the entire recipe at least once before proceeding.)
Ingredients: (serves 4 side portions)
- Half pack of San remo Instant pasta
- Pot of water
- 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt
- 1 tablespoon of oil
- 1 clove minced garlic
- 300g - minced pork jowl
- 70g - cherry tomatoes halved
- 300g - pasta sauce
- 135g Mozzarella and red cheddar
- 1 slice of diced ham (optional)
Procedure:
1) Line your baking tray with baking paper. Crush the baking paper into a ball and the open it to line the tray. It will make it easier to work with.
2) In a pot with rapid boiling water, add 1 and a half tablespoons of salt and 1 tablespoon oil into the water. The water needs to be salty like the sea. Add the pasta into the rapid boil, make sure to spread it out, and cook for about 4 minutes or until the pasta has soften a little. The pasta should only be cooked halfway as the cooking process continues in the oven.
3) Take out the pasta and transfer to the baking tray and ladle 2 scoops of pasta water into the tray. This will prevent drying of the pasta during baking.
4) In a separate non stick pan, heat the mince pork jowl and brown the meat lightly. When oil is forced out of the jowl, move the pork to the side and add garlic and allow it to brown. Lastly, add diced ham and stir to combine all the ingredients.
Set your oven to 180 degrees Celsius for ten minutes to pre heat the oven. (If you are using an air fryer, skip this step)
5) When the ingredients are combined. Scoop them and layer it on top of the pasta and then pour a can of pasta sauce over it. Spread the sauce to cover every corner.
6) Layer with cheese and tomatoes like so.
7) If you are still with me at this point. Pat yourself on the back! The hardest part is up next!
Place the entire tray into the preheated over and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. If you are using an air fryer, bake in air fryer at 170 degrees Celsius for 12 minutes or until the cheese browns like below. Remember to use gloves or use crockery tongs when removing the tray from the over. It’s hot!
8) I like to plate and decorate as if I’m in a restaurant just to make my food look pretty. Parsley flakes always make things look pretty. Omit this step if you wish.
If you have reached this point. Congratulations! You did it! Take a picture and share in the comments below your version of this baked pasta.
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| Final look |
If at anytime you feel lost. Take a step back. Breathe! Then run through the recipe again.
Suggest condiments:
Parmesan cheese powder, tasbasco sauce, whatever the Italians feel is an insult. Please feel free to use it.
Sources:
All ingredients can be bought from redmart.
Pasta sauce - Prego can version
Pasta - San Remo instant spaghetti no. 3
Cheese - Tradition
Minced pork jowl - aw’s market
Ham - Pan pacific
Alternatives:
- Any type of dry pasta
- Any type of pasta sauce
- Replace minced pork jowl with bacon or ham or sausage
- Add broccoli or chili or capsicum
