Three-Cheese Baked Penne with Pancetta
This is a grown-up mac and cheese with lots of rich Italian flair. Using three flavorful Italian cheeses and incorporating pancetta makes this hearty dish the ultimate comfort food. You can use a different shape of dried pasta as long as it has a cavity to hold the creamy sauce. Try other cheeses, too.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 6 as a main course
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Prepare a medium heat fire (400°F) in a wood-fired oven or cooker.
Step 2
Generously butter an 8-cup casserole and dust it with the 2 tablespoons pecorino romano.
Step 3
Combine the cream, lemon zest, remaining 3/4 cup pecorino romano, the fontina and ricotta cheeses, pureed garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat and sauté the pancetta until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving the fat. Coarsely crumble the pancetta.
Step 4
Combine the bread crumbs and thyme in a small bowl and moisten with the reserved cooking fat from the pancetta. Lightly salt.
Step 5
In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta for 10 minutes. Drain and add to the cream mixture. Toss in the crumbled pancetta (or leave to sprinkle over the bread-crumb topping, if you choose).
Step 6
Fill the prepared dish with the pasta mixture and sprinkle on the bread-crumb mixture. Bake in the conventional oven or on a grate in the wood-fired oven until the pasta is bubbly, golden brown, and a bit crisp on the edges, 15 to 20 minutes. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.
