If you happen to have some meatballs and sugo left over from the recipe on page 146, here’s a simple baked dish that will put them to good use. Just toss them with cooked cavatappi—spiral pastas that do look like corkscrews—and cheeses, then bake. You can also bake this in a mold and turn it out, as a lovely golden torta. Press the filling to fit into a 10-cup Bundt pan or soufflé dish, generously buttered and coated with bread crumbs. Sprinkle bread crumbs and grated cheese on the top (which will become the bottom), and bake at 400° until the edges are golden.

　　

Ingredients

serves 6

　　1 pound cavatappi

　　2 cups Sugo (page 146)

　　4 tablespoons butter

　　6 to 8 turkey or sausage meatballs (page 149), sliced in 1/4-inch rounds

　　1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano

　　2 cups shredded low-moisture mozzarella or Muenster

　　

Recommended Equipment

A 14-inch skillet for tossing the pasta and fillings

　　A 3-quart baking dish for a heaping dish, or a 4-quart dish for a thinner dish with a larger, crispy top

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°.

　　

Step 2

Cook cavatappi in a large pot of boiling, salted water until slightly underdone, 8 to 9 minutes (always a bit less than package directions). While the pasta is cooking, pour the sugo in the skillet and heat it slowly. Butter the bottom and sides of the baking dish with 2 tablespoons of the butter.

　　

Step 3

Drain the cooked cavatappi in a colander, shake off excess water, and dump it into the pan. Toss pasta and sauce briefly until coated, then fold in the meatball slices for a minute or so to heat them.

　　

Step 4

Turn off the heat, sprinkle on 2/3 cup of the grated cheese and 1 cup of the shredded cheese, and fold in. Drop the remaining butter in bits on the pasta, fold in quickly, and turn everything into the baking dish.

　　

Step 5

Spread the pasta level in the dish; sprinkle the remaining shredded cheese all over and then the remaining grated cheese.

　　

Step 6

Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until the top is crusty and nicely colored.

　　From Lidia's Family table by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Copyright (c) 2004 by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich Published by Knopf.Lidia Bastianich hosts the hugely popular PBS show, "Lidia's Italian-American kitchen" and owns restaurants in New York City, Kansas City, and Pittsburgh. Also the author of Lidia's Italian Table and Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen, she lives in Douglaston, New York. Jay Jacob's journalism has appeared in many national magazines.From the Trade Paperback edition.