I don’t think I know anyone who dislikes pasta. Universally loved, it is certainly a dish that Italians enjoy on a daily basis – for some, a meal would be incomplete without it!
Pasta is healthy, nutritious and versatile. It’s so quick to cook – for me, pasta is ‘fast food’ at its best. Even the pasta sauces are uncomplicated and just as speedy to make. In fact, most of the sauces in this book are cooked while the pasta is boiling. You can also make some sauces in advance and freeze them for later. A simple, classic tomato sauce is worth making lots of and freezing it in batches for later use. On those weeknights, when time is really precious, you can rest assured that you have a good home-cooked meal at hand, which can be whipped up in no time at all.
Italians are passionate about their pasta and insist that only certain shapes go with certain sauces. Long pasta, such as spaghetti or linguine, tends to accompany light tomato or fish sauces. And short pasta shapes, such as penne or farfalle, go well with more robust-tasting, meaty sauces. It is for this reason that Italians keep a vast selection of pasta shapes in their store cupboards – when I visit my sister in Italy, I’m always amazed by how many different packets she has, and she lives by herself!
I like to keep both long and short shapes in my cupboard, as well as smaller shapes to add to soups. Spaghetti is a must in my store cupboard, because it is so easy to make a meal with, even when the fridge is bare. A simple sauce of aglio, olio e peperoncino (garlic, extra virgin olive oil and chilli) makes a quick meal at any time. For a milder flavour, my daughter Olivia’s favourite is spaghetti with melted butter and Parmesan; it was always a winner when she was a toddler, and now, as a teen, she will often prepare it herself.
Pasta is also good for you. It is an ideal carbohydrate as it releases energy slowly, is easily digestible and its lack of fat makes it suitable for low-calorie diets (bearing in mind what goes into the sauce, of course!). You can be sure you are serving a good, nutritious meal made in no time.
For this quick and easy pasta dish, I have used a short-shaped pasta called mafalda corta, but you could substitute with farfalle or fusilli. The lemon zest added at the end gives the dish a lovely, fresh flavour.
Cooking time: 12–15 minutes
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz mafalda corta pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
20 g/¾ oz/1 generous tbsp butter
1 garlic clove, slightly squashed
150 g/5½ oz baby spinach leaves
175 g/6 oz mascarpone
20 g/¾ oz/¼ cup grated Parmesan
freshly ground black pepper, to serve
zest of 1 small, unwaxed, organic lemon, to serve
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the mafalda corta pasta for 8–10 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the garlic and allow to infuse for 1 minute, stir in the spinach, cover with a lid, and cook for a couple of minutes, until the spinach has wilted. Discard the garlic.
In a bowl, combine the mascarpone and Parmesan, adding some salt and pepper to taste, until you obtain a creamy consistency. Add this to the cooked spinach and gently heat through.
Drain the pasta, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the creamy spinach sauce, mixing well to combine, and adding a little of the cooking water, if necessary. Remove from the heat and serve with some freshly ground black pepper and a little grated lemon zest.
Along with its cousins, carbonara, amatriciana and cacio e pepe, this dish forms the backbone of Roman cooking. Using the typically favoured Roman ingredients of guanciale instead of pancetta, and Pecorino instead of Parmesan, this simple dish is often what locals cook when they need to make a quick meal. Guanciale is cured pork cheek – it has an intense flavour and is especially used in robust traditional Roman cuisine. It can be found in good Italian delis, and it can also be substituted with good-quality pancetta.
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz bucatini pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
200 g/7 oz guanciale or pancetta
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
plenty of freshly ground black pepper
60 g/2¼ oz/1 scant cup grated Pecorino
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).
Meanwhile, chop the guanciale into small cubes or thin strips. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat, add the guanciale and stir-fry for a couple of minutes, until the pork is cooked through with a nice golden colour (be careful not to burn it!). Season with plenty of black pepper and add a ladle of the pasta cooking water, continuing to cook. When the pasta is ready, drain (reserving some of the cooking water) and add to the sauce. Mix well, then stir in the grated Pecorino and a little of the reserved pasta water, if necessary.
Serve immediately, with plenty of black pepper.
Quick, nutritious and delicious, this pasta dish makes a substantial main course. If you’re catering for vegetarians, just omit the crispy pancetta. For speed, buy ready-trimmed green beans, asparagus tips and ready-sliced mushrooms.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
240 g/8½ oz green (French) beans, trimmed
200 g/7 oz asparagus tips
400 g/14 oz farfalle pasta
120 g/4¼ oz pancetta or bacon slices
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 large shallots, finely chopped
100 g/3½ oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
Cook the green beans and asparagus in a saucepan of boiling water for about 5 minutes, until tender. Drain and set aside.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the farfalle pasta for 10–12 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, place the pancetta or bacon slices under the hot grill, and cook on both sides until crispy, about 2–3 minutes per side. Set aside.
In a large frying pan (skillet) set over a medium heat, heat the olive oil, add the shallots, and sweat for a couple of minutes. Add the mushrooms and stir-fry for a minute or so. Add the cooked green beans and asparagus, some salt and pepper, to taste, a couple of tablespoons of the pasta’s hot cooking water and cook for 2–3 minutes.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the vegetables, turn the heat up to high and mix well to combine, adding a little of the pasta water to loosen the sauce, if necessary.
Serve garnished with the crispy pancetta, a grinding of black pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
Pasta with broccoli is a common dish in Italy, where it is usually flavoured with garlic and chilli. In this recipe, the broccoli is mashed in a blender and served with small chunks of delicious sweet potato, adding extra nutrients and colour to the dish. It makes a healthy combination, which goes really well with wholemeal (wholewheat) pasta. If you prefer, you can substitute the wholemeal penne with white-flour penne.
Cooking time: 20 minutes (not including prep)
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz wholemeal penne
400 g/14 oz broccoli florets
250 g/9 oz sweet potato, cut into cubes
sea salt, for the cooking water
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, plus an extra splash
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ fresh red chilli, finely chopped
60 g/2¼ oz/1 scant cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling, if desired
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and add the pasta, broccoli and sweet potato. Cook until the broccoli is tender, 4–5 minutes. Remove the broccoli with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain in a colander. Continue to cook the pasta and sweet potato, until the pasta is al dente, 8–10 minutes (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the garlic and chilli, and sweat for about 30 seconds. Add the drained broccoli and stir-fry for 1 minute or so.
Remove from the heat and transfer the broccoli mixture to a food processor. Add a further splash of olive oil and the grated Parmesan and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the frying pan.
Drain the pasta and sweet potato, reserving some of the cooking water. Add to the broccoli mixture, mix well and heat through, together with a little of the reserved cooking water, if needed.
Serve with an extra sprinkling of Parmesan, if desired.
This is my eldest son Michael’s recipe – he often cooks quick dishes such as this. He was very excited when I told him of this book, as he is always looking for fast, nutritious meals to cook for himself and his partner, Sebastian, when they both return home after a long day’s work. Served with perhaps a green side-salad, this wonderfully speedy and healthy dish is a complete meal.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 2 as a main course
sea salt
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
½ fresh red chilli, finely chopped
3 anchovy fillets
1 tsp salted capers, rinsed
1 × 400-g/14-oz can of plum tomatoes, drained, reserving 1 tbsp of the juice
150 g/5½ oz cod, skin-on, cut into ‘fingers’
a handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
200 g/7 oz linguine
Place a large saucepan of salted water on the heat to boil.
In a large, deep frying pan (skillet), heat the olive oil over a medium heat, add the garlic, chilli and anchovy fillets and sweat for 1 minute or so, until the anchovy fillets melt. Stir in the capers, tomatoes, a quarter of the parsley, and some salt to taste, increase the heat and cook for 2 minutes. Add the cod pieces, skin-side down, reduce the heat to medium, add another quarter of the parsley, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Remove the fish pieces and set aside.
When the pasta water has come to the boil, add the linguine and cook until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time). Drain, reserving a little of the cooking water.
Add the drained pasta to the tomato sauce and mix together, adding a little of the reserved cooking water, until well combined. Remove from the heat, stir in the remaining parsley, and serve with the pieces of cod on top.
For this recipe, get the best Italian pork sausages you can (obtainable from Italian delis); both fennel- or garlic-infused sausages work well. Also, try to get good-quality sun-dried tomatoes, preferably ones which are not preserved in oil (also available at good Italian delis). If the tomatoes are in oil, then drain well, patting them dry with paper towels. Cavatelli are a small, hollow pasta shape from southern Italy, made from durum wheat semolina flour and water. This dish has all the flavours of rural Italy and makes a delicious complete meal.
Cooking time: 15 minutes (not including prep)
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz cavatelli pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
3 thyme sprigs
4 sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
350 g/12 oz Italian pork sausages, skinned and crumbled
100 ml/3½ fl oz/7 tbsp white wine
350 g/12 oz mushrooms, thinly sliced
40 g/1½ oz/generous ½ cup shaved Parmesan, to serve
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the garlic, 2 of the thyme sprigs and the sun-dried tomatoes, and sweat for 1 minute. Add the crumbled-up sausage meat and stir-fry for a few minutes, until lightly browned. Increase the heat to high, add the white wine and allow to cook off for a minute or so. Stir in the mushrooms and the remaining thyme sprig, then lower the heat, cover with a lid, and cook for 10 minutes. Add a little of the hot pasta water to stop it from drying up, if necessary.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little cooking water. Add the pasta and reserved water to the sausage and mushroom sauce, mix well to combine, and serve with shavings of Parmesan.
This creamy pasta dish goes really well with walnuts and celery. Do ensure you buy celery with lots of leaves and use the tender heart or the middle of the celery. In rural southern Italy, it was quite common to use breadcrumbs (from leftover bread) to top pasta dishes when cheese was unavailable, hence the idea of crispy croutons in this recipe. Quick and simple to prepare, this makes a deliciously different pasta dish.
Cooking time: 15 minutes (not including prep)
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz fusilli bucati pasta
1 garlic clove, peeled
60 g/2¼ oz day-old bread, cut into small cubes
1 celery heart with leaves, stalks thinly sliced
90 g/3¼ oz/⅔ cup walnuts
3 tbsp milk
a pinch of nutmeg
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
100 ml/3½ fl oz/7 tbsp single (light) cream
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, place the garlic, 30 g/1 oz of the bread cubes, celery leaves, walnuts, milk, nutmeg, and some salt and pepper, to taste, in a food processor and whiz until smooth. Add the cream last and mix together. If the sauce is a little thick, add a little reserved pasta water. Set aside.
In a large frying pan (skillet), heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the sliced celery stalks and the remaining bread cubes and stir-fry for a minute or so, until golden.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the creamy sauce to a large saucepan set over a low heat and warm through. Add the pasta and reserved cooking water to the sauce and stir to combine. Divide between the plates and top with the crispy croutons and celery.
Classic gnocchi and Gorgonzola are the perfect combination. The addition of sweet, ripe pears here really enhances the flavour, making this a delicious, speedy meal. Try to get good-quality gnocchi from an Italian deli; I really like the small variety, sometimes known as chicchi.
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
3 tbsp butter
2 thyme sprigs, leaves only
1 ripe Conference pear, peeled and cut into small chunks
200 g/7 oz Gorgonzola, roughly chopped
5 tbsp milk
a pinch of grated nutmeg, plus extra to serve
500 g/1 lb 2 oz pack of ready-made gnocchi
sea salt, to taste
Place a large saucepan of water on the heat to boil.
In a large frying pan (skillet), melt the butter over a medium heat, add the thyme leaves and pear chunks and stir-fry for about 30 seconds. Stir in the Gorgonzola, add the milk and nutmeg, and stir well until the cheese melts. Turn the heat down to low.
When the water in the saucepan is boiling, drop in the gnocchi and cook for 1–2 minutes or so, until the gnocchi float to the top. At this point, use a slotted spoon to transfer the gnocchi into the creamy sauce and mix well to combine. Add a little salt to taste, remove from the heat, and serve immediately with a little extra grated nutmeg.
Classic Ligurian trofie al pesto is now a popular pasta dish all over Italy and further afield. I remember when I first discovered trofie (short, thin, twisted eggless pasta) on a trip to the region in the 1990s – they were then unheard of in this country. I am pleased to say that, over the years, good Italian delis, and now some supermarkets, have started stocking it. Trofie take a little longer to cook than most other pasta shapes, so it’s important to check the cooking instructions on your packet. I usually like to make my own pesto (see recipe on here), but you can find good-quality fresh pesto at Italian delis, as well as some excellent varieties in jars, which make great store-cupboard essentials. Here, the addition of walnuts and tomatoes makes this quick and simple dish a very tasty and nutritious meal.
Cooking time: 15–20 minutes (depending on pasta cooking time)
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz trofie pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
100 g/3½ oz Pesto Sauce (see here)
a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
40 g/1½ oz/5 tbsp walnut pieces
2 tomatoes (about 250 g/9 oz), deseeded and roughly chopped
a few basil leaves, for garnish
grated Parmesan, to serve
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil, add the trofie and cook for 12–15 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, prepare the other ingredients.
When the pasta is nearly ready, place the pesto in a large frying pan (skillet) with a splash of extra-virgin olive oil and gently heat through. Drain the trofie, reserving a little cooking water. Add the trofie and reserved cooking water to the pesto sauce and mix well. Stir in the walnuts and tomatoes, remove from the heat and serve, garnished with basil leaves and some grated Parmesan, if desired.
This is a twist on classic carbonara, using smoked salmon instead of pancetta. You can buy smoked salmon trimmings, which are not only more economical but are already in small pieces, which saves on chopping time. Simple and nutritious, I’m sure this will become a favourite mid-week supper when time is precious! Although cheese doesn’t really go with fish, I quite like a little grated Pecorino sprinkled on mine, but have left it optional.
Cooking time: 10 minutes (including prep!)
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz spaghetti or linguine
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 egg yolks
1 tbsp milk
1 generous tbsp butter
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 bay leaves
200 g/7 oz smoked salmon trimmings
3 tbsp white wine
a little grated Pecorino, to serve (optional)
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).
While the pasta is cooking, lightly beat the egg yolks in a bowl with the milk, and some salt and pepper, and set aside.
In a large frying pan (skillet), heat the butter and olive oil over a medium heat, add the bay leaves and sweat for 1 minute. Add the smoked salmon trimmings and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add the white wine and allow to cook off for a minute or so. Season with black pepper.
Drain the pasta, add to the frying pan with the smoked salmon and mix well. Remove from the heat, pour in the eggy mixture, and mix well to combine. Serve with a little grated Pecorino, if desired.
A very simple dish of pasta with peas, with the added creaminess of ricotta, this makes a perfect, quick supper for all the family. You could substitute the tagliolini, which are like a thin version of tagliatelle, with linguine, or even use short pasta shapes such as farfalle. It’s delicious either way.
Cooking time: 12–15 minutes
Serves 4
320 g/11¼ oz tagliolini pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
½ handful of basil leaves
200 g/7 oz/1½ cups frozen peas
200 ml/7 fl oz/scant 1 cup vegetable stock (bouillon)
250 g/9 oz ricotta
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the onion and a couple of the basil leaves, and sweat for 2 minutes. Stir in the peas, the remaining basil leaves and vegetable stock, and cook for about 3 minutes, until the peas are tender.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta with a little freshly ground black pepper, and mash with a fork.
Drain the pasta, add to the peas, then stir in the ricotta, cooking for 1 minute or so, until nicely combined and heated through. Serve immediately.
Prawns (shrimp) and courgettes (zucchini) combine really well and, added to this speedy and simple pasta dish, makes a delicious, balanced meal. I like to grate courgettes – it’s really quick and easy and you can do this while waiting for the pasta water to boil. However, to save more time, you can now buy them ready-spiralized and then give them a quick additional chop.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
400 g/14 oz linguine
sea salt
3 courgettes (zucchini), about 600 g/1 lb 5 oz/6 cups if buying ready-grated/spiralized
5 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely sliced
4 anchovy fillets
300 g/10½ oz prawns (shrimp), ready-peeled
a handful of basil leaves
juice of ½ lemon, to serve (optional)
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente (check the instructions on your packet for cooking time).
Meanwhile, grate the courgettes (if necessary) on the larger holes of a grater. Take handfuls of the grated courgette, squeeze out the excess water and set aside.
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan (skillet) set over a low–medium heat. Add the garlic and anchovy fillets and sweat for 1 minute or so, until the anchovies have dissolved. Ensure that you do not burn the garlic, so lower the heat if necessary. Add the grated courgette and stir-fry for 2–3 minutes, until softened. Season with salt, to taste. Stir in the prawns and continue to cook for a further 2 minutes.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water, and add to the sauce in the pan, tossing together to combine. Stir in the basil and continue to cook for 1 minute, adding a little of the pasta cooking water if necessary. Serve immediately, with a squeeze of lemon juice to taste, if you like.
This is a simple, hearty pasta dish made with one of my favourite foods. I love chestnuts – every autumn (fall), I love to pick them and am quite happy to have a bowlful for dinner! Although chestnuts are easy to cook – I usually boil them with a bay leaf – you can find vacuum-packed, ready-cooked chestnuts in delis and good supermarkets. Once food for the poor, this versatile ingredient is now quite a delicacy, but it’s so nutritious and combines really well with the creamy mascarpone here.
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves 4
360 g/12¾ oz trompetti pasta
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 leek, finely chopped
80 g/2¾ oz pancetta, finely chopped
300 g/10½ oz cooked chestnuts, roughly chopped
2 rosemary sprigs, needles only
140 g/5 oz mascarpone
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
grated Pecorino, to serve
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the trompetti pasta for 10–12 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large, deep frying pan (skillet) over a medium heat, add the leek and pancetta and sweat for a couple of minutes. Stir in the cooked chestnuts, the rosemary, and some salt and pepper, cover with the lid, and cook for 5 minutes.
In a bowl, combine the mascarpone with a little of the pasta’s hot cooking water, to loosen it up a bit, and mix until creamy.
Drain the pasta, reserving a little of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the chestnut sauce, stir in the creamy mascarpone, and mix well, adding a little of the reserved cooking water, if necessary.
Serve with a sprinkling of grated Pecorino.
Ricotta salata is a hard version of the creamy cheese we are so familiar with; it is pressed, salted, dried and aged, and is perfect for grating over pasta dishes such as this one. Orecchiette, or ‘little ears’, is an eggless, handmade pasta from Puglia, which can be bought dried. If you don’t want to make your own tomato sauce, or don’t have any handy, buy a good-quality ready-made one. In fact, you can get all the ingredients for this recipe from a good Italian deli. Quick and easy to prepare, this dish is Italian simplicity at its best!
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Serves 4
400 g/14 oz orecchiette pasta
sea salt, for the cooking water
½ quantity Basic Tomato Sauce (see here)
80 g/2¾ oz ricotta salata, grated
a few basil leaves, to garnish
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the orecchiette pasta for about 12 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, gently heat through the tomato sauce.
Drain the pasta and toss through the tomato sauce. Divide between your serving bowls, sprinkle with the grated ricotta salata and garnish with basil leaves.
This is the Italian way of preparing mac ‘n’ cheese, without the need to make a béchamel sauce. Quick and simple to prepare, it’s a great way of using up leftover cheese. You can use a mixture of any cheeses you have in the fridge, which is great at Christmas time when you might have a lot. Served in individual ramekins, this nutritious, child-friendly dish will be everyone’s midweek family favourite.
Cooking time: 15 minutes, including prep
Serves 4
butter, for greasing
320 g/11¼ oz pasta shapes, either maccheroni or spirallini
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
70 g/2½ oz Emmental
80 g/2¾ oz Fontal (a type of Fontina cheese that is less oily when melted) or mature (sharp) Cheddar
100 g/3½ oz Gorgonzola
3 tbsp milk
40 g/1½ oz/generous ½ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
Lightly grease 4 individual ramekin dishes with butter. Preheat the grill (broiler) to high.
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta for 10–12 minutes, until al dente (check the instructions on your packet).
Meanwhile, roughly chop the Emmental, Fontina and Gorgonzola cheeses, place in a large saucepan with the milk, and melt over a gentle heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until you obtain a creamy consistency.
Drain the pasta and mix into the creamy cheese sauce, stirring in the grated Parmesan, and adding some salt and pepper, to taste. Divide between the ramekins, top with some extra grated Parmesan and place under the hot grill for 4–5 minutes, until golden-brown.
Sardinian Pane Carasau is more than just a simple flatbread and can be made into a variety of succulent dishes, such as this quick lasagne. Use the crispy bread as you would lasagne sheets; don’t worry if it breaks –- you will need to break the sheets to fit your dish. This thin crispbread is not only quicker to cook than pasta sheets, but the result is a much lighter dish with all the flavour of a normal lasagne. If you don’t have time to make your own tomato sauce or don’t have any handy, just pick some up ready-made from a good Italian deli. The use of ricotta, much loved in southern Italian baked pasta dishes, makes a quick and light alternative to classic béchamel sauce.
Cooking time: 30 minutes (including prep)
Serves 4
250 g/9 oz ricotta
25 g/1 oz/⅓ cup grated Parmesan, plus extra for sprinkling
1 tbsp milk
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quantity of Basic Tomato Sauce (see here)
a handful of basil leaves
120 g/4¼ oz mozzarella, roughly chopped
120 g/4¼ oz pane carasau (from your local Italian deli)
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan/200°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
Combine the ricotta, Parmesan and milk, seasoning with some salt and pepper, and mix until creamy.
Line an ovenproof dish with a little of the tomato sauce. Top with a piece of pane carasau, followed by another layer of tomato sauce, then a layer of the ricotta mixture. Scatter over a few basil leaves and some of the mozzarella. Continue making layers like this, until you finish all the ingredients up, ending with a final layer of tomato sauce, scattered with some mozzarella and topped with a sprinkling of grated Parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the grill (broiler) to high.
Once baked, place the lasagne under the hot grill for about 3 minutes, until golden brown and bubbling.
