It’s most certainly the Italian in me, but: no Christmas menu is complete without a pasta al forno, or a baked pasta. In my family, there is always one of these — typically a lasagne alla bolognese — on the table on December 25th, a primo that leads precedes the beef tenderloin and potatoes. It’s a pretty darn good tradition, one that I suggest you pick up too, origine italiane or not. After all, pasta is the best ever food, to be eaten on the best day of the year. No?

Of all the many regional cuisines you’ll find in Italy, la cucina siciliana is particularly special. Sicily has all of its bases covered — fritti, seafood, desserts, you name it— and unsurprisingly, offers fantastic recipes for pasta al forno as well. Always on the lookout for a new baked pasta (aren’t we all?) a Sicilian version caught my eye a few months ago, and went straight onto my Recipes To Make list (a hefty, long winded Word doc). The version I came across was made with a pork and veal ragù, anelletti (little pasta rings), caciocavallo cheese, and peas. Sometimes it was baked as a timballo, a sort of dome, with the assistance of a springform or cake pan. It wasn’t a hard sell: the addition of the peas — seemingly random? out of place? — intrigued me. I had spotted anelletti at my supermarket the week before, a new pasta shape for me. Everything I’ve ever made from Sicily has been stellar.

That said — caciocavallo cheese isn’t the most common of cheeses either, especially if you’re outside Italy; I recognize that unlike me, many people have not invested in a springform pan for their kitchen; buying just one kind of meat is easier than having to find ground pork and veal. On top of that, the anelletti I had been so excited to buy were gone by the time I went to pick them up (perhaps everyone was as enthusiastic as I was to find a rare pasta shape on shelves?) In light of all this, I give you my streamlined take on this Sicilian primo — keeping in mind that most people are looking for straightforward dishes with easy-to-find ingredients in the thick of the holiday madness. I’ve kept the peas, but opted for an all beef ragù. I’ve gone for more accessible provolone cheese in the place of the caciocavallo, rotelle in place of the anelletti (they’re just larger rings, after all), and baked the whole thing in a regular old baking dish.

The result was everything a good baked pasta should be: this pasta al forno, Sicilian-style, is slightly crispy on the top, thanks to breadcrumbs and a broil. There are two types of cheese, mild, anything-goes mozzarella and sharp, in-your-face provolone. Both melt and become filante — a nifty Italian word for when cheese pulls and becomes stringy as you transport it from pan to plate! — which is a lovely predicament to be in. The ragù is hearty and flavorful, with a generous pour of red wine. The wildcard ingredient that are peas make perfect sense, it turns out, cutting the richness of the dish and catching nicely in the spokes of the wagon wheel pasta (as does our aforementioned ragù).

And the icing on the pasta al forno cake? The colors — green peas against red sauce! — is incredibly Christmas-y and festive. (!!!)

A couple of notes: You can make the ragù a day or two ahead to make this easier on the day of; it will become more flavorful as it sits in the fridge. Feel free to use 8 ounces (250 grams) veal and 8 ounces (250 grams) pork in place of the beef. You can use any kind of short pasta here, and of course anelletti if you can find them. White wine can go in instead of the red, and feel free to play around with the cheeses you use, too. Authentically Sicilian or not, feel free to play around with this recipe and make it your own.

Looking for other Sicilian recipes? I’ve got these cannoli, these pane e panelle, this caponata, this sfincione palermitana, this pesto all siciliana, this pesto alla trapanese, and these not authentically Sicilian, but Sicilian inspired cannoli pound cake and winter caponata.

Looking for other baked pasta recipes? I’ve got these gnocchi alla romana, this pasta al forno con crema di zucca, this pasta al forno con ragu’, these cannelloni con ricotta e spinaci, this lasagne ai carciofi, this lasagne alla zucca.

Looking for other Christmas recipes? Click here.

PASTA AL FORNO ALLA SICILIANA

Serves 8.

Ingredients:
14 ounces (400 grams) rotelle, anelletti, or any other short pasta
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
1lb (500 grams) ground beef
1 cup (240mL) red wine
1 28 ounce can (700 grams) crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups (250 grams) frozen peas
7 ounces (200 grams) mozzarella, cut into cubes
7 ounces (200 grams) provolone, grated
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) breadcrumbs
Olive oil as needed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1.) Start with your ragù! Over medium heat, heat enough olive oil to generously coat the bottom of a large saucepan and sauté the onion until softened but not browned. Add the beef and cook, breaking the meat up as much as you can with a wooden spoon until lightly browned -- season with a little salt and pepper.

2.) Add the wine and let it cook down and evaporate. Next, stir in the crushed tomatoes and bring the ragù to a bubble, then reduce the heat cook until sauce is thickened, about 40 minutes, stirring to make sure the sauce doesn’t stick to the bottom. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. Stir in frozen peas and simmer until they are warm throughout.

3.) When your ragù is nearly done, put a pot of water on to boil. When it comes to a boil, salt the water and cook the pasta just a few minutes shy of al dente (it will continue cooking in the oven). Reserve a cup or so of starchy pasta water, and drain the pasta.

4.) Place the pasta in a large bowl, and add the ragù. Stir well. Add a little pasta water as needed to make sure that the ragù coats the pasta well. Stir in the mozzarella and 2/3 of the provolone. Preheat the oven to 350 F (170 C).

5.) Grease a 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan with some olive oil. Sprinkle two tablespoons of breadcrumbs over the bottom of the baking pan, shaking the pan to make sure that the breadcrumbs coat the pan well. Pour the pasta into the pan. Sprinkle the rest of the provolone over the pasta, and then with the last two tablespoons of breadcrumbs.

6.) Bake the pasta in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, or until bubbling. Broil the pasta for another few minutes to get the top crispy and brown. Let cool slightly and serve.