We were making four dishes – a mushroom ragu, a shrimp ragu, a soppresatta and ricotta penne, and a baked olive and ricotta rotini. My favorite dish of the evening was this baked kalamata and ricotta rotini. This dish is one where the simplicity is why it works – it’s well-balanced and flavorful with only a few ingredients that really enhance each other. In fact, the starting combination of ricotta, olive oil, and sea salt is so wonderful that I would probably eat a bowl of just those three ingredients if it didn’t sound like the least healthy idea in the history of unhealthy ideas.
Baked Ricotta and Kalamata Olive Rotini
Serves 4.
- 3/4 lb. rotini
- 1/4-1/2 c. reserved cooking water
- 1 c. ricotta (part skim works fine)
- 1/4 c. olive oil
- sea salt to taste
- 6 oz. fresh mozarella, cubed
- 3/4 c. pitted, chopped kalamata olives
- 1/4 c. grated fresh parmesan cheese
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Bring large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook rotini according to package directions.
- While rotini cooks, whisk together ricotta, olive oil, and sea salt until smooth.
- Drain rotini, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the cooking water to the ricotta mixture a little at a time until ricotta is no longer grainy and the mixture is a thick liquid. Add mozarella, kalamata olives, and cooked rotini and stir to combine.
- Place pasta and ricotta mixture in baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 c. grated parmesan over the top. Bake for 15 minutes, until parmesan is golden brown.
Dining and Cooking