Easy Baked Pasta

This is a simple pasta dish that’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal.

Don’t confuse this recipe with a big Sunday gravy-and-meatballs dinner—this is a quick, 20–25 minute, start-to-finish meal that makes 2 large or 4 small servings.

You’ll start with a quick marinara in an oven-safe skillet, then finish everything under the broiler.

The secret ingredient to this recipe is the pasta water. Whether you are making a marinara, a pesto sauce or a cream sauce, the starch of pasta water elevates the taste and texture of your sauce. You only need a small amount for this dish, one ladle or about 1/4 cup.

• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 (15-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 sprig fresh basil (add it to the sauce stem and all; you’ll pull it out once it wilts)
• Shredded mozzarella + grated Parmesan (to your liking)
• 6–8 oz pasta (your choice)

1. In a large, oven-safe skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When it’s hot, add the garlic.
2. Once the garlic starts to sizzle (don’t let it brown), add the tomatoes.
3. Stir in the oregano. Add the basil sprig, gently placing it right into the sauce.
4. Cover and let the sauce simmer for about 15 minutes.
5. While it simmers, boil your pasta per the package directions. Cook until al dente and reserve a bit of pasta water (the pasta will finish cooking in the sauce).
6. Remove the wilted basil, then add the al dente pasta to the sauce.
7. Stir in 1 ladle (about 1/4 cup) of pasta water. You can also add salt and crushed red pepper to taste.
8. Add shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. I like to add just a bit so it’s not too cheesy, but you can do it to your liking.
9. Finish under the broiler on high for 2–3 minutes, until the sauce bubbles and the cheese just starts to melt. (No broiler? Bake at 425°F for about 10 minutes, or until bubbling and melted.)
10. Carefully remove the pan, plate, and garnish with chopped parsley if you’d like—then enjoy.

Ciambella Rustica

For years, a big part of our Easter tradition has involved baked goods. We would make Easter bread, Italian rice pie (which Ava has since taken over and now claims as her own), fiadone cheese pockets, and pizza rustica—also known as pizza chena, or simply Easter ham pie.

Pizza rustica, as I prefer to call it, is a rustic pie made with eggs, various meats such as ham, salami, pepperoni, or mortadella, and cheese—provolone being my choice. I also like to add black olives, simply because I love them, and they complement this dish beautifully.

This year, I discovered an interesting variation called Ciambella Rustica, courtesy of Giovanni Siracusa. The concept and ingredients are basically the same, with the addition of flour and olive oil, which transforms it into more of a bread or savory cake. It can be baked in either a tube pan or a Bundt pan (cue My Big Fat Greek Wedding). I was intrigued and decided this was the recipe I would follow this year.

The process was wonderfully simple—everything mixed in one bowl, poured into the pan, and baked. The result had the same savory flavors as traditional pizza rustica, but with a more bread-like texture that was surprisingly complementary.

The beautiful part of traditions is the comfort of revisiting moments we love. Another wonderful part is allowing ourselves to update them—carrying the original meaning forward in a new and special way. This recipe does exactly that.

I realize I’m sharing this a bit late for Easter, but honestly, it’s a dish worth making any time of year. It’s far too delicious to enjoy just once.

To watch Giovanni Siracusa’s process and to get his recipe, click here.

Pizza with Mussels and Lemon Hummus

It was pizza night and I wanted to do something fun and a little unexpected, so I turned a pack of frozen mussel meat into a seafood gourmet pizza. Frozen mussels are already cooked and incredibly versatile, making them perfect for a quick, creative meal.

Instead of a traditional red sauce, I went Mediterranean and used lemon hummus as the base. I drizzled olive oil mixed with minced garlic and sea salt over both the hummus and the mussels to build flavor in layers.

The pizza baked at 475°F for about 10 minutes, until the crust was crisp, and was finished with fresh chopped parsley. Simple, bright, and absolutely delicious.

This pizza is easy to customize—use your favorite dough or flatbread, make it personal-sized or shareable, and swap in any hummus you love. Have fun with it and enjoy.

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Herbed Cheese

This recipe is my take on the popular feta and tomato bake that was trendy on social media a few years back. For my version, I’m using spaghetti squash, grape tomatoes and a spreadable herbed cheese.

If you are not familiar with spaghetti squash, it is an oval shaped winter squash, and the outer skin usually has a light or bright yellow color. Similar to other winter squash, like butternut or acorn squash, there is a fair number of seeds and pulp that needs to be removed once cut open. The seeds can be seasoned and roasted like pumpkin seeds. However, the taste of this squash is a bit mild compared to butternut and acorn squash. The meaty texture also shreds after being cooked, which then makes it look like…you guessed it, spaghetti!

It is a healthy, nutritional alternative to traditional spaghetti if you are looking for a low carb pasta-type dish. Spaghetti squash absorbs whatever seasonings are rubbed onto the flesh as it bakes, which makes it the perfect base for the baked tomato and cheese topping.

While I do enjoy the taste of the traditional tomato and feta version, I wanted to bring more flavor to this dish, especially because spaghetti squash could be a bit bland on its own. In place of feta, I chose to use a spreadable, herbed cheese. Two of my favorite spreadable herbed cheeses are Boursin and Alouette. Both are usually available in the specialty cheese section, deli or refrigerated dairy section of the grocery store, and each comes in a variety of flavors. You can also use a crumbled feta, classic style or Mediterranean herbed, if you prefer.

What I enjoy about this recipe is that it offers lots of flavor, yet the steps are simple. It is also a good meal to prepare either during the week or for a nice Sunday dinner!

Baked Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes and Herbed Cheese

1 large spaghetti squash
olive oil
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, divided
1 container of spreadable herbed cheese (5.3 ounce Boursin or 6.5 ounce Alouette, your choice)
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
2. Cut the spaghetti squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and pulp. Gently pierce the flesh throughout with a fork.
   (*Note, you can pierce the squash with a knife and microwave it for a few minutes to help soften the outer skin for cutting)
3. Lightly brush the inside and edge of each half of the squash with olive oil. Season the oil-brushed squash with salt and pepper. Place both side face up on the baking sheet.
4. Coat both halves of the squash evenly with the spreadable cheese, then top each side evenly with the tomatoes and 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the flesh can be easily shredded with a fork.
6. Carefully use a fork to shred the cooked squash so it looks like spaghetti strands. Mix the melted cheese and tomatoes with the squash as you are shredding.
7. Place the shredded squash, tomatoes and cheese into a large bowl. Drizzle a bit of olive oil and stir to lightly coat the squash. Mix together and season with the remaining Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper to taste.