Last Updated on March 28, 2022
Start to finish: 1 hour 30 minutes (25 active)
Servings: 6
10 ounces penne pasta
½ teaspoon kosher salt plus extra for salting the water
Olive oil for oiling the mini casseroles
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, torn into 1-inch pieces
3 ounces coarsely grated Italian Fontina cheese
1 ½ ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
3/4 cup fire roasted diced tomatoes (from a can like Muir Glen)
½ cup chicken broth
2 teaspoons minced garlic
2 teaspoons dried rosemary or 1 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon fresh, minced
1 to 2 teaspoons hot pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
3 tablespoons butter cut into thin slices,
In a large bowl combine the pasta with lukewarm, well salted, water to cover and let stand for 45 minutes. Lightly oil six 1-cup cup mini casseroles, arrange on a rimmed sheet pan and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 450 F
Drain the pasta and in the same bowl it has been soaked combine all the remaining ingredients, except the sliced butter, stirring well. Add the pasta to the bowl and toss to combine well. Pour the mixture into the prepared casseroles, pressing it down evenly, arrange the butter slices evenly on top and bake the pasta on the middle shelf of the oven until it is bubbly and brown, 15 – 18 minutes minutes. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Fennel and Orange salad
Serves: 6
Start to finish: 45 minutes
For the dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated orange zest
Hefty pinch of kosher salt
Several grinds of black pepper
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
3 ½ tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
For the salad:
1 ½ pounds trimmed fennel bulb
I large navel orange, peeled quartered, sliced thin and drained
3 cups baby arugula
1/3 cup halved oil cured black olives
Make the dressing:
In a 1 cup glass measuring cup combine the juices, zest, salt, pepper and mustard and whisk until the salt is dissolved. Add the oil in a stream, whisking.
Make the salad:
Halve or quarter the fennel (depending on the size) and cut out the core. Thinly slice the fennel, transfer it to a salad bowl and toss it with some of the dressing. Pat the orange dry on paper towels and add to the fennel along with the arugula and the olives and toss well, adding more dressing as necessary.
Sara says 1 and 1/2 of heavy cream and recipe reads: 1 and 1/4. What is best? Would love to try this!
You know I did say 1 1/2 and I just checked the recipe and it says 1 1/4. I think 1 1/2 would be better so go that route.
can this be made in one pot (say a medium Dutch oven) instead of the mini casseroles?
yes, absolutely.
If baking on a single dish, how long should it bake for?
I would start checking at around 12 minutes.
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Refreshing to watch. Thank you.
Sounds delicious bur I’m wondering if this can be baked and then frozen. I’m worried about the heavy cream changing texture.
Donna,
My worry is not about the heavy cream but about the pasta getting soggy. Heavy cream freezes just fine. When you combine pasta with liquid, the pasta just keeps absorbing the liquid. I believe this dish is best when it is eaten right after it has been made.
I just made the Baked Penne Pasta with Prosciutto and Fontina. Wow, what a delicious dish. The only modifications I made were the following : to bake it in three, medium oven proof bowls instead of ramakins and to 1/2 the amount of red pepper flakes. It was so delicious that when I reached for leftovers the next day, I discovered my husband had eaten them !
Well, that is a happy story!
Wow. Just so tasty! As we are two, we opted for one pan (with anticipated leftovers)! So good. We found that our oven needed around 20’ish minutes to cook and around 7 minutes to rest. We utilized your dressing for simple mixed Spring greens, which we had on hand. Thank you so much for this simple but luxurious meal inspiration!
I made the baked penne pasta and thought the rich creamy flavor was great but the pasta was chewy. Your directions soaked the penne in warm water before baking but I think it may need to be boiled first.
Kriss
Kriss,
If you do want to boil it, just under boil it or it will get soggy when you bake it.