Recipe courtesy of Leslie Antonoff
Auntie Karen’s Fireman Surprise
- Level: Intermediate
- Yield: 8 to 10 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 10 servings
- Calories
- 488
- Total Fat
- 19
- Saturated Fat
- 8
- Carbohydrates
- 53
- Dietary Fiber
- 6
- Sugar
- 9
- Protein
- 28
- Cholesterol
- 85
- Sodium
- 908
- Total: 1 hr 10 min
- Active: 45 min
Ingredients
Kosher salt
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon, such as Knorr
One 16-ounce package penne
2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey or beef
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
One 28-ounce can tomato sauce
One 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
12 ounces ricotta
1 large egg
2 cups grated mozzarella
Store-bought garlic bread, for serving
Directions
- Fill a pot with water, add 2 teaspoons salt and set it to boil over medium-high heat. To make the spice mixture, in a small bowl, stir to combine the garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, dried parsley and bouillon. Set aside.
- Add the penne to the boiling water and cook until al dente according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot off of the heat. Add 1 1/2 teaspoons of the olive oil, 2 teaspoons of the spice mixture and a pinch of salt. Set aside.
- In a large pan over medium to medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and once shimmering, add the meat to the pan with 1 tablespoon of the spice mixture. Stir in the onions and garlic and saute until the meat is browned and the onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
- Add the tomato sauce and crushed tomatoes to the meat mixture. Stir in the remaining seasoning mixture, 2 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 1/2 teaspoons pepper. Season with 1 tablespoon of the fresh thyme, sage and rosemary. Cover and cook until the tomatoes have fully broken down, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a medium bowl, whisk to combine the ricotta, egg and some salt and pepper. Season with the remaining 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, sage and rosemary. Mix until combined.
- In a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish, begin by adding one spoonful of meat sauce on the bottom. Next add some of the pasta, then some of the mozzarella and dollops of the ricotta mixture. Continue this pattern until the dish is full. Then dollop the remaining ricotta mixture on the top sporadically all over. Finish by adding the remaining mozzarella to the top.
- Bake until the cheese is melted and slightly browned on top, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve with garlic bread.